What is ISO 12922- Lubricants, industrial oils and related products about?
ISO 12922 specifies the minimum requirements of unused fire-resistant and less flammable hydraulic fluids for hydrostatic and hydrodynamic systems in general industrial applications.
ISO 12922 provides guidance for suppliers and end-users of these less hazardous fluids and to the manufacturers of hydraulic equipment in which they are used.
NOTE: ISO 12922 is not intended for use in aerospace or power-generation applications, where different requirements apply.
Who is ISO 12922 - Lubricants, industrial oils and related products for?
ISO 12922 on HFAE, HFAS, HFB, HFC, HFDR, and HFDU is beneficial for:
- Manufacturers of lubricant, industrial oils
- General industries
- Statistical mechanical engineers
Why should you use ISO 12922 - Lubricants, industrial oils and related products?
ISO 12922 is about hydraulic fluids. Hydraulic fluids constitute the largest segment of the industrial lubricant market. Although mineral oil-based fluids are by far the most widely used type of hydraulic fluid, there are some applications where the use of these fluids could constitute a fire hazard.
In order to reduce the risk to operatives in such circumstances, fire-resistant or less flammable fluids that increase operator safety have been developed. However, ISO 12922 gives the following points that should be noted:
- Fire-resistant fluids can ignite at very high temperatures and the flammability behavior of the fluids specified in ISO 12922 cover a very wide range. It is, therefore, necessary to know the level of hazard in order to select the appropriate fluid
- The properties of these fluids can be significantly different from those of conventional mineral oil-based products. For example, some fire-resistant fluids contain water. It might therefore be necessary to design the system for their use. It should also not be assumed that synthetic, non-aqueous fluids can replace mineral oil products without system modifications. Some fluids, for example, are incompatible with the elastomers used with mineral oils
Overall, ISO 12922 is helpful as it provides guidance on types of HFAE, HFAS, HFB, HFC, and HFDR "fire-resistant" fluids which are considered as "less flammable" fluids.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN ISO 12922:2020 supersedes BS EN ISO 12922:2012, which is withdrawn.
BS EN ISO 12922:2020 cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 12922:2012), which has been technically revised. The main changes compared with the previous edition are as follows:
- An introduction and a terms and definitions clause have been added
- The methods specified for measuring water content in water-based fluid types HFA/HFB/HFC have been revised
- The oxidation requirements for HFDU fluids have been increased

