ASTM D4976-12a - 1.8.2012
 
1. Scope

1.1 This specification provides for the identification of polyethylene plastics molding and extrusion materials in such a manner that the supplier and the user can agree on the acceptability of different commercial lots or shipments. The tests involved in this specification are intended to provide information for identifying materials in accordance with the groups, classes, and grades covered. It is not the function of this specification to provide specific engineering data for design purposes.

1.2 Other requirements necessary to identify particular characteristics important to specialized applications shall be agreed upon between the user and the supplier, by using the suffixes given in Section 1.3.

1.3 Ethylene plastic materials, being thermoplastic, are reprocessable and recyclable (see Note 1). This specification allows for the use of those ethylene plastic materials, provided that any specific requirements as governed by the producer and the end user are met.

Note 1—See Guide D7209 for information and definitions related to recycled plastics.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are regarded as standard.

1.5 The following precautionary caveat pertains to the test method portion only, Section 12, of this specification. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 For information regarding plastic pipe materials see Specification D3350. For information regarding wire and cable materials, see Specification D1248.

Note 2—There is no known ISO equivalent to this standard.
 
2. Referenced Documents

F1473-24a

Standard Test Method for Notch Tensile Test to Measure the Resistance to Slow Crack Growth of Polyethylene Pipes and Resins (Includes all amendments and changes 1/3/2025).

D1600-18

Standard Terminology for Abbreviated Terms Relating to Plastics (Withdrawn 2024)

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials Available from United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Participation, 400 7th St., SW, Washington, DC 20590.

D1531-06

Standard Test Methods for Relative Permittivity (Dielectric Constant) and Dissipation Factor by Fluid Displacement Procedures (Withdrawn 2012)

D2565-23

Standard Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Outdoor Applications

D2839-16(2023)

Standard Practice for Use of a Melt Index Strand for Determining Density of Polyethylene

D2951-00

Standard Test Method for Resistance of Types III and IV Polyethylene Plastics to Thermal Stress-Cracking (Withdrawn 2006)

D3350-25

Standard Specification for Polyethylene Plastics Pipe and Fittings Materials

D3801-26

Standard Test Method for Measuring the Comparative Burning Characteristics of Solid Plastics in a Vertical Position

D4000-23

Standard Classification System for Specifying Plastic Materials

D4329-26

Standard Practice for Fluorescent Ultraviolet (UV) Lamp Apparatus Exposure of Plastics

D4703-24

Standard Practice for Compression Molding Thermoplastic Materials into Test Specimens, Plaques, or Sheets

D6360-15(2021)

Standard Practice for Enclosed Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics

D7209-06

Standard Guide for Waste Reduction, Resource Recovery, and Use of Recycled Polymeric Materials and Products (Withdrawn 2015)

E29-22

Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications

E1354-26

Standard Test Method for Heat and Visible Smoke Release Rates for Materials and Products Using an Oxygen Consumption Calorimeter

MIL-STD-105

Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

D257-14(2021)e1

Standard Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of Insulating Materials (Includes all amendments and changes 5/6/2021).

D568-77(1985)

Standard Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Flexible Plastics in a Vertical Position (Withdrawn 1991)

D618-21

Standard Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing

D635-22

Standard Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Plastics in a Horizontal Position

D638-22

Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics

D790-25

Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials

D792-20

Standard Test Methods for Density and Specific Gravity (Relative Density) of Plastics by Displacement

D883-26b

Standard Terminology Relating to Plastics (Includes all amendments and changes 8/24/2026).

D1238-26

Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer

D1248-25

Standard Specification for Polyethylene Plastics Extrusion Materials for Wire and Cable

D1499-13(2021)

Standard Practice for Filtered Open-Flame Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics

D1505-25

Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the Density-Gradient Technique

D1693-21

Standard Test Method for Environmental Stress-Cracking of Ethylene Plastics

D3892-15(2020)

Standard Practice for Packaging/Packing of Plastics

D4804-25

Standard Test Method for Determining the Flammability Characteristics of Nonrigid Solid Plastics

D4883-18

Standard Test Method for Density of Polyethylene by the Ultrasound Technique

D4986-26

Standard Test Method for Horizontal Burning Characteristics of Cellular Polymeric Materials