Oracle Industries Quality Laboratory and Test Methods
Most powder coating suppliers in India will tell you their material is tested. Very few will show you the report. Oracle Industries publishes all of them, in full, ungated, as PDFs anyone can download without leaving an email address.
This page explains what is in those reports, what each test measures, and how to read them against a competitor's claims. The reports themselves are on the Technical Documents page.
What is tested, and to which method
Every batch is tested against the same panel of methods. Each is a published standard with a defined procedure, which means the result is comparable between laboratories rather than being an internal figure.
| Property | Method | What it actually measures |
|---|---|---|
| Salt spray resistance | ASTM B117 / ISO 9227 | Hours in a continuous 5 per cent neutral salt fog at 35 degrees Celsius before a defined degree of creep from a scribe. A comparative corrosion rank, not a service life. |
| Humidity resistance | ASTM D2247 | Hours at 100 per cent relative humidity before blistering, softening or adhesion loss. |
| Accelerated weathering | ASTM G154 | Hours of cycled fluorescent ultraviolet and condensation before a defined gloss or colour change. Applies to the exterior chemistries. |
| Gloss | ASTM D523 | Specular reflection measured at 60 degrees, reported in gloss units. |
| Adhesion | ASTM D3359 / ISO 2409 | Cross-hatch and tape test, classified 5B to 0B, or GT-0 to GT-5. |
| Impact resistance | ASTM D2794 | Direct and reverse impact in inch-pounds before cracking or detachment. |
| Flexibility, mandrel | ASTM D522 | Smallest mandrel diameter the coated panel can be bent around without cracking. |
| Cupping, Erichsen | ISO 1520 | Depth of indentation in millimetres before the film cracks or lifts. |
| Pencil hardness | ASTM D3363 | Hardest pencil grade that will not gouge the film. |
| Chemical resistance | ASTM D1308 | Spot exposure to specified reagents, reported as change or no change. |
The eight reports Oracle publishes
Each report covers one chemistry and one finish, tested on a stated substrate with a stated pre-treatment. That specificity matters: a salt spray figure means nothing without knowing the substrate, the pre-treatment and the film thickness it was measured at.
| Report | Chemistry and finish | Substrate | Gloss at 60° | Salt spray, hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OI/QC/PC/2026-0147 | Epoxy Polyester, glossy | MS 0.8 mm, zinc phosphate | 88 to 90 GU | 500 to 750 |
| OI/QC/PC/2026-0148 | Epoxy Polyester, matt | Mild steel | 8 to 10 GU | 500 to 750 |
| OI/QC/PC/2026-0149 | Epoxy Polyester, satin | Mild steel | 55 to 60 GU | 500 to 750 |
| OI/QC/PU/2026-0150 | Polyurethane, matt, satin and glossy | Mild steel | Per finish | 1200 or above |
| OI/QC/EP/2026-0151 | Pure Epoxy, dead matt | Aluminium, 7-stage | 5 to 8 GU | 1000 to 1300 |
| OI/QC/PP/2026-0152 | Pure Polyester, glossy | Aluminium | 90 to 93 GU | 500 to 750 |
| OI/QC/PP/2026-0153 | Pure Polyester, matt | Mild steel | 9 to 11 GU | 500 to 750 |
| OI/QC/PP/2026-0154 | Pure Polyester, satin | Mild steel | 60 to 70 GU | 500 to 750 |
Common across all eight: adhesion 5B and GT-0, mandrel bend 5 mm pass, Erichsen 5 mm or better, pencil hardness H to 2H, scratch resistance 2.5 kg or better, dry film thickness 70 to 80 microns, cure at 180 to 200 degrees Celsius metal temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, and a 12-month shelf life in unopened packaging stored below 25 degrees Celsius and 65 per cent relative humidity.
What Oracle does not claim
Accelerated weathering to ASTM G154 is reported for Pure Polyester at 700 to 1000 hours. It is not reported for the other three chemistries, because no report covers them. Rather than publish an estimate, the figure is left absent.
The same applies to service life. No laboratory result converts into years of performance in Satara, Pune or a coastal installation, because real exposure involves a spectrum, a temperature range and a pollution load that no chamber reproduces. Where a supplier converts a salt spray figure into a warranty in years, ask which report supports the conversion. The reasoning is set out in what salt spray hours actually mean.
How to use these reports against a quotation
When comparing suppliers, three questions separate a real figure from a marketing one.
- Which method? A salt spray number with no ASTM or ISO reference beside it is not comparable to anything.
- On what substrate and pre-treatment? The same powder will give very different results on seven-stage-treated aluminium and on lightly cleaned mild steel. Oracle states both on every report.
- At what film thickness? Corrosion resistance scales with film build. A figure measured at 120 microns is not the figure you will get at 60.
A supplier who can answer all three is publishing data. One who cannot is publishing a number.
Where the testing happens
Oracle Industries operates an in-house quality laboratory at its Additional MIDC, Satara plant, and testing is carried out on production batches rather than on specially prepared samples. Reports are issued against a batch reference and retained.
Oracle does not currently hold third-party accreditation for this laboratory, and does not describe the reports as independently certified. They are Oracle's own test results, published in full so that you can check them yourself or have a panel independently verified. If independent verification is a requirement for your project, say so at enquiry stage and we will arrange it through an accredited laboratory.
Ask for a panel
The most useful thing any buyer can do is test a coated panel in their own conditions before committing to a consignment. Oracle supplies test panels in the chemistry, shade and finish you are considering. Request one, and tell us what you intend to test it for.