January 2026: New Standard Defines Testing for Sintered Metal Materials

The start of 2026 brings a significant advancement for professionals in the metallurgy field with the publication of ISO 2738:2026. Focused on permeable sintered metal materials, this new international standard establishes unified procedures for determining density, oil content, and open porosity—critical properties for manufacturers and users of porous metal bearings and sintered structural parts. Covering analysis procedures, required equipment, and reporting formats, this update empowers organizations to ensure product quality, regulatory compliance, and competitive advantage in the global market.

Overview / Introduction

The metallurgy industry relies extensively on standards to ensure materials perform as expected in demanding environments. Powder metallurgy, in particular, produces porous components widely used in automotive, aerospace, and industrial machinery. Characteristics like density, oil content, and open porosity directly impact a component’s reliability, lifespan, and suitability for specific applications.

Standards establish a common technological language—facilitating trade, innovation, and performance benchmarking. With the January 2026 release of ISO 2738:2026, industry professionals gain new, harmonized methods for characterizing and qualifying porous metals. This article breaks down the new requirements and offers actionable insights for engineers, compliance officers, quality managers, procurement specialists, and researchers.

Detailed Standards Coverage

ISO 2738:2026 – Testing Sintered Metal Materials for Density, Oil Content, and Porosity

Sintered metal materials, excluding hardmetals — Permeable sintered metal materials — Determination of density, oil content and open porosity

ISO 2738:2026 defines essential procedures to characterize permeable (porous) sintered metal materials, especially those found in bearings and structural components made by pressing and sintering powdered metals. The standard covers three primary properties:

• Density (both dry and fully impregnated)
• Oil content (expressed by test piece volume and open porosity)
• Open porosity (fraction of the material’s volume that is open, i.e., filled with impregnating oil)

These properties are fundamental for determining the mechanical performance, self-lubrication capabilities, and service life of powder metallurgy products.

Scope and Application

• Applies to porous metal bearings and sintered structural parts—excluding hardmetals (such as tungsten carbide).
• Particularly vital for automotive, industrial machinery, small engine manufacturing, and aerospace sectors where self-lubricating and lightweight parts are common.

Key Requirements and Procedures

• Test Piece Preparation: Samples must be clean, free from surface contaminants and surplus oil, and, if lightweight (<5g), may be grouped for analysis to ensure representativity.
• Measurement Methods:
  • Density is determined via initial weighing, oil extraction and drying, full oil impregnation, and volumetric measurement.
  • Oil content is calculated from the oil volume inside the test piece, related either to total test piece volume or the volume of open porosity.
  • Open porosity is measured by fully impregnating the test piece with oil—the resulting oil volume as a percentage of total sample volume denotes the open porosity fraction.
• Required Equipment:
  • Analytical balance accurate to 0.01% of test piece weight
  • Soxhlet extractor (for oil removal)
  • Vacuum impregnation apparatus
  • Test vessels, supporting devices (for suspension), oil/water of known properties, and precision thermometers.
• Reporting and Results:
  • Formal expression of results (density, oil content, porosity)
  • Statement of test conditions, sample preparation, and equipment used.
  • Inclusion of precision data per revised Clause 10.

Notable Changes from Previous Edition

• The 2026 edition supersedes ISO 2738:1999, incorporating a technical revision to Clause 10, which addresses precision in dry density determination—improving reliability, repeatability, and international acceptance of reported values.

Who Needs to Comply?

• Sintered metal parts manufacturers (bearings, bushings, gears, filters, etc.)
• Quality assurance laboratories
• Procurement specialists sourcing powder metal components
• Engineers & Designers specifying material properties for new products

Practical Implications for Implementation

• Ensures consistent, reproducible testing—critical for large-scale, safety-focused manufacturing.
• Facilitates global trade by providing a universally accepted testing framework.
• Assists in troubleshooting field failures by supporting root-cause analysis through standardized test results.

Key highlights:

• Consolidates all relevant methods for density, oil content, and porosity in sintered metals.
• Strengthens reliability and comparability of test data globally.
• Updated precision specifications improve decision-making for downstream applications.

Access the full standard:View ISO 2738:2026 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

The release of ISO 2738:2026 has strategic implications for organizations across the metallurgy sector:

• Enhanced Compliance: Adopting the standard helps companies meet both regulatory demands and contractual requirements, reducing risk of product recalls, non-conformities, and liability claims.
• Quality Control: Laboratories can now uniformly measure vital properties, streamlining batch acceptance, supplier auditing, and customer validation processes.
• Certification & Market Access: Compliance with ISO 2738:2026 is often a prerequisite for accessing international markets or qualifying for third-party product certification.
• Timeline Considerations: Organizations should transition test procedures and internal documentation promptly to align with the updated standard, especially where ISO certification or customer contracts demand up-to-date compliance.
• Risk of Non-Compliance: Ignoring new methods could result in inconsistent product quality, potential warranty issues, and loss of competitiveness in regulated sectors.

Technical Insights

Common Technical Requirements

Across all powder metallurgy applications, ISO 2738:2026 introduces:

• Standardized Terminology: Defines critical terms like dry density, fully impregnated density, open porosity, and oil content related to porosity—removing ambiguity between manufacturers, labs, and customers.
• Revised Precision Controls: Enhanced accuracy reporting methods make results more reproducible and comparable worldwide.
• Structured Test Procedures: Table 2 in the standard guides which methods and formulae apply for each property, reducing procedural confusion and variation.

Implementation Best Practices

1. Audit Existing Methods: Cross-reference your laboratory’s current density and porosity testing methods with those specified in ISO 2738:2026.
2. Update SOPs & Training: Revise standard operating procedures and retrain technicians as needed to reflect changes—especially for Clause 10’s updated precision requirements.
3. Calibrate and Verify Equipment: Ensure analytical balances, Soxhlet extractors, and impregnation apparatus meet the new performance tolerances.
4. Document and Archive: Maintain detailed test records as prescribed—these may be audited for internal, external, or regulatory reviews.

Testing and Certification Considerations

• Regularly calibrate equipment per the latest guidelines to minimize error.
• When qualifying new suppliers, require ISO 2738:2026 compliance for all submitted porous metal products.
• Integrate standard-mandated test results into digital quality management systems for traceability and process improvement.

Conclusion / Next Steps

ISO 2738:2026 delivers a robust, globally recognized framework for evaluating porous sintered metal materials—a leap forward for metallurgy professionals prioritizing consistency, accuracy, and quality. For organizations manufacturing or sourcing self-lubricating components, fast adoption of this standard will safeguard product performance and customer confidence.

Key recommendations:

• Review and update your testing methods now to ensure alignment with ISO 2738:2026.
• Inform purchasing and engineering teams of the new requirements, especially for automotive, aerospace, and industrial machinery applications.
• Tap into iTeh Standards for authoritative versions, supporting documents, and regular updates on all metallurgy and materials standards.

Stay ahead in the competitive field of metallurgy by adopting the most current, reliable standards for your products and processes.