ASTM D6823-02 - 10.8.2002
 
1. Scope

1.1 This specification covers four grades of fuel oil made of at least 25 % used lubricating oils. The four grades of fuel are intended for use in various types of fuel-oil-burning industrial equipment and commercial boilers under various climatic and operating conditions. These fuels are not intended for use in residential heaters.

1.1.1 Grades RFC4, RFC5L, RFC5H and RFC6 are used lubricating oil blends of increasing viscosity, with or without middle distillate or residual fuel oil, or both, that are intended for use in industrial burners and commercial boilers equipped to handle these types of fuels. This specification is for applications where Specification D 6448 would not meet the performance or other requirements of the burner or boiler in question.

Note 1—For information on the significance of the terminology and test methods used in this specification, see .

1.2 This specification is for use in contracts for the purchase of fuel oils derived from used lubricating oil and for the guidance of consumers of such fuels. This specification does not address the frequency with which any particular test must be run.

1.3 Nothing in this specification shall preclude observance of national or local regulations which can be more restrictive. In some jurisdictions, used oil is considered a hazardous waste and fuels derived from used oil are required to meet certain criteria before use as a fuel.

Note 2—For U.S. federal requirements imposed on used oil generators, transporters and transfer facilities, reprocessors, marketers, and burners, see U.S. Federal Code 40 CFR 279.

Note 3—The generation and dissipation of static electricity can create problems in the handling of distillate burner fuel oils. For more information on the subject, see Guide D 4865.

1.4 The value stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.

 
2. Referenced Documents

D1266-18

Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products (Lamp Method) (Withdrawn 2025)

D1298-24

Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Products by Hydrometer Method

D1552-23

Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products by High Temperature Combustion and Infrared (IR) Detection or Thermal Conductivity Detection (TCD)

D1796-22

Standard Test Method for Water and Sediment in Fuel Oils by the Centrifuge Method (Laboratory Procedure)

D2622-26

Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products by Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

D473-22

Standard Test Method for Sediment in Crude Oils and Fuel Oils by the Extraction Method

D482-25

Standard Test Method for Ash from Petroleum Products

D2983-23

Standard Test Method for Low-Temperature Viscosity of Automatic Transmission Fluids, Hydraulic Fluids, and Lubricants using a Rotational Viscometer

D56-22

Standard Test Method for Flash Point by Tag Closed Cup Tester

D93-26

Standard Test Methods for Flash Point by Pensky-Martens Closed Cup Tester

D95-23e1

Standard Test Method for Water in Petroleum Products and Bituminous Materials by Distillation (Includes all amendments and changes 10/25/2024).

D97-17b(2022)

Standard Test Method for Pour Point of Petroleum Products (Includes all amendments and changes 11/29/2022).

D129-18

Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum Products (General High Pressure Decomposition Device Method) (Withdrawn 2023)

D240-25

Standard Test Method for Heat of Combustion of Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels by Bomb Calorimeter

D396-26a

Standard Specification for Fuel Oils (Includes all amendments and changes 4/14/2026).

D445-26

Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)

D3228-22

Standard Test Method for Total Nitrogen in Lubricating Oils and Fuel Oils by Modified Kjeldahl Method

D3245-03

Standard Test Method for Pumpability of Industrial Fuel Oils (Withdrawn 2010)

D3828-16a(2021)

Standard Test Methods for Flash Point by Small Scale Closed Cup Tester (Includes all amendments and changes 7/26/2021).

D4052-22

Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital Density Meter

D4057-22

Standard Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products

D4175-24e2

Standard Terminology Relating to Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants (Includes all amendments and changes 6/9/2026).

D4177-22e1

Standard Practice for Automatic Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products (Includes all amendments and changes 3/24/2023).

D4294-24

Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum and Petroleum Products by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

D4629-24

Standard Test Method for Trace Nitrogen in Liquid Hydrocarbons by Syringe/Inlet Oxidative Combustion and Chemiluminescence Detection

40 CFR Part 279

Standards for the Management of Used Oil

D5854-25

Standard Practice for Mixing and Handling of Liquid Samples of Petroleum and Petroleum Products

D6160-21(2025)

Standard Test Method for Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Waste Materials by Gas Chromatography

D6448-24

Standard Specification for Industrial Burner Fuels from Used Lubricating Oils

D6450-16a(2021)

Standard Test Method for Flash Point by Continuously Closed Cup (CCCFP) Tester (Includes all amendments and changes 7/27/2021).

D7042-25

Standard Test Method for Dynamic Viscosity and Density of Liquids by Stabinger Viscometer (and the Calculation of Kinematic Viscosity)

40 CFR Part 761

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Manufacturing, Processing, Distribution in Commerce, and Use Prohibitions

D5384-25

Standard Test Methods for Chlorine in Used Petroleum Products (Field Test Kit Method)

D4868-25

Standard Test Method for Estimation of Net and Gross Heat of Combustion of Hydrocarbon Burner and Diesel Fuels

D5185-26

Standard Test Method for Multielement Determination of Used and Unused Lubricating Oils and Base Oils by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)

D5291-26

Standard Test Method for Instrumental Determination of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen in Petroleum Products and Lubricants

D4865-23

Standard Guide for Generation and Dissipation of Static Electricity in Petroleum Fuel Systems

D664-24

Standard Test Method for Acid Number of Petroleum Products by Potentiometric Titration

D974-22

Standard Test Method for Acid and Base Number by Color-Indicator Titration