PAINT AND COATINGS LABORATORY

Volume Nonvolatile Matter in Clear or Pigmented Coatings – ASTM D2697

ASTM D2697 is intended to provide a measure of the volume of dry coating obtainable from a given volume of liquid coating. This value is useful for comparing the coverage (square feet of surface covered at a specified dry film thickness per unit volume) obtainable with different coating products.

For various reasons the value obtained through conducting ASTM D2697 may not be equal to that predicted from simple additivity of the weights and volumes of the raw materials in a formulation. One reason is that the volume occupied by a solution of resin in solvent may be the same, greater, or less than the total volume of the separate ingredients. Such contraction or expansion in resin solutions is governed by a number of factors, one of which is the extent and direction of spread between the solubility parameters of the resin and solvent.

Reference: ASTM D2697 Standard Test Method for Volume Nonvolatile Matter in Clear or Pigmented Coatings