ASTM D4060

Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Organic Coatings by the Taber Abraser

ASTM D4060 tests abrasion resistance of organic coatings by the Taber abraser. This type of test method was introduced around the 1930s to perform accelerated wear testing. Its simplicity and effectiveness helped to make the device broadly adopted for a multitude of test protocols and specifications on a wide variety of products around the world.

Testing to ASTM D4060 involves mounting a flat specimen to a turntable that rotates horizontally at a fixed speed.  Two arms, each supporting an abrading wheel, are then lowered so that each wheel touches the surface.  Before starting the test, a “suction arm” is lowered between the wheels to remove the abraded material from the sample’s surface. The turntable then starts rotating forcing rub-wear action of the wheels against the sample’s surface for the specified number of cycles or until a given mass of coating has been lost or until the wheels start exposing the substrate. Micom offers Taber abraser testing to ASTM D4060 as part of the Surface Coatings testing services.

ASTM D4060 Taber Abrasion Testing / Test d'abrasion Taber

ASTM D4060 Uses and Factors to Be Considered

ASTM D4060 is used for measuring the wear resistance of organic coatings applied flat, rigid test samples.  ASTM D1044 is used for transparent plastic materials to evaluate their capacity to maintain their optical properties, upon typical, wear to be expected while in service.

Abrasion resistance to ASTM D4060 is usually measured as a weight or a coating thickness loss after a given number of cycles.  Each arm, by default, is loaded to apply a 250 g. pressure on each wheel.  Depending on the product/specification used, this weight can be increased to 500g or 1000g.  The abrading wheels are available in different grit for a more or less abrasive action.

Typical Experimental Parameters

  • Number of specimens/product: 2 specimens
  • Specimen dimensions: 4” X 4” with a maximum thickness of 6-7 mm
  • Conditioning and testing Temperature: 23 ± 2 °C
  • Conditioning and testing relative humidity: 50 ± 5%

Other Related Test Methods

For additional test methods related to the ASTM D4060, we invite you to consult our resources on PlasticsCoating Testing or ASTM Testing.

If you have any questions about the ASTM D4060 or if you would like to speak to one of our material testing specialists about your unique testing requirements, we invite you to contact our material testing lab today. It will be our pleasure to answer your questions about ASTM D4060.

We also invite you to download our brochure to learn more about our Paint, Coating and Polymer testing services.