Gas permeability and gas tightness of plastics and rubber

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Get documentation of how tight your plastic material is - and use it as a basis for product development, quality assurance and certification.

Gas permeability is a measure of how quickly gas or liquid penetrates through a material. Even plastics and rubber perceived as tight will, in practice, allow molecules to diffuse through over time. The Danish Technological Institute precisely measures how much gas or liquid is transported through your material - at relevant temperatures and pressures. This gives you reliable data for product documentation, material selection and service life assessment.

How can Danish Technological Institute help you?

The Danish Technological Institute offers specialised measurements and consultancy in gas transport in plastics and rubber:

Gas permeability: Measurement of transmission rate for gas and liquid through plastics and rubber
Diffusion and solubility: Determination of how gas or liquid is absorbed and transported within the material
Leak testing of pressurised equipment: Testing of tightness at elevated pressure
Gas transport modelling: Calculation and prediction of gas transport over time and under varying conditions
Temperature and pressure dependence: Measurements at multiple temperatures and pressures, documenting the material's behaviour under actual operating conditions
Tailored test programmes: Measurements adapted to your specific material, gas and application

Why is gas permeability important?

The ability of plastic materials to keep gas and liquid out — or in — is critical across a wide range of applications. From food packaging, where oxygen barriers protect against degradation, to hydrogen technology, where even small leaks can have safety implications.

Knowledge of a material's gas permeability enables you to:

Select the right material for a given application
Document barrier properties for customers, authorities or certification bodies
Optimise material composition and layer structure
Predict service life and long-term behaviour
Comply with requirements in relevant standards and product specifications

The Danish Technological Institute has experience with gas permeability measurement across industries and material types — from thin films to thick technical components.

Standards and documentation

Gas permeability measurements are carried out in accordance with recognised international standards, ensuring that your results are comparable and can be used directly in product documentation and certification.

Relevant standards include:

DS/EN ISO 2556 — Determination of gas transmission rate of film and thin sheeting
ASTM D1434 — Standard test method for determining gas transmission rate through plastic film and sheeting
ISO 15105-1 — Determination of gas transmission rate (differential pressure method)
ISO 15105-2 — Determination of gas transmission rate (equal-pressure method with sensor)
ISO 2782-1 — Determination of gas permeability of rubber and plastics
ISO 7229 — Gas permeability of coated materials

Gases and liquids we test for

The Danish Technological Institute can measure permeability for a wide range of gases and liquids, including:

Oxygen O₂
Hydrogen H₂
Nitrogen N₂
Nitrous oxide N₂O
Methane CH₄
Carbon dioxide CO₂
Ammonia NH₃
Ethane CH₃CH₃
Propane CH₃CH₂CH₃= C₃H₈
Iso-butane and n-Butane C₄H₁₀
Methanol CH₃OH
Ethanol CH₃CH₂OH
Dimethyl ether (DME) CH₃O-CH₃= C₂H₆O
Diethyl ether (DEE) CH₃CH₂OCH₂CH₃
Helium (He)
Hydrogen disulfide (H₂S)

If you need testing with a gas or liquid not listed here, please do not hesitate to contact us - we tailor the test programme to your needs.

Tailored measurements for your needs

Gas permeability depends on the material, the gas, the temperature and the pressure. That is why the Danish Technological Institute offers tailored test programmes where we adapt conditions to your specific operating situation. This may involve, for example:

Testing at elevated temperatures or pressures
Comparison of multiple materials under identical conditions
Long-term measurements over several days or weeks
Combination of permeability testing and mechanical testing

We are happy to advise you on which test method and conditions will provide the most relevant data for your application.

Contact us about gas permeability

Do you need documentation of your material's barrier properties, or would you like to know more about which test method suits your needs?

Contact the Danish Technological Institute for an informal discussion about gas permeability measurement of plastics and rubber.