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Home » SAE AS4059: The American standard for fuel cleanliness

SAE AS4059: The American standard for fuel cleanliness

SAE AS4059 is the standard that regulates fuel cleanliness in the US and Canada. It is the latest revision of the now defunct NAS 1638 code, which was developed in 1964 to define classes of particulate contamination in aircraft components and hydraulic fluids, but has been invalid since 2001 and has since been replaced by SAE AS4059.

Pages 18-25 of our Fuel Conditioning Handbook explore international fuel standards and regulation in more detail. Click here to request your free copy

The SAE AS4059 standard is a code set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) to measure the solid particulate content of fuel samples and hydraulic fluid.

SAE International is a U.S.-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organisation for engineering professionals in various industries.

The below table shows how solid particulate contamination in fuel can be classified according to the SAE AS4059 code. The figures refer to the solid particle count per millilitre of stored fuel.

Maximum contamination limits (particles per ml)
Size code A B C D E F
000 195 76 14 3 1 0
00 390 152 27 5 1 0
0 780 304 54 10 2 0
1 1,560 609 109 20 4 1
2 3,120 1,220 217 39 7 1
3 6,250 2,430 432 76 13 2
 4* 12,500 4,860 864 152 26 4
5 25,000 9,730 1,730 306 53 8
6 50,000 19,500 3,460 612 106 18
7 100,000 38,900 6,920 1,220 212 32
8 200,000 77,900 13,900 2,450 424 64
9 400,000 156,000 27,700 4,900 848 128
10 800,000 311,000 55,400 9,800 1,700 256
11 160,000 623,000 111,000 19,600 3,390 512
12 320,000 1,250,000 222,000 39,200 6,780 1,024

*This is the exact equivalent to the ISO code 18/16/13, which is the particulate cleanliness level required in Europe for fuel to be recognised as ‘clean’. 

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  • IPU’s Quick Guide to SAE AS4059

    Request this 2-page guide to SAE AS4059 to understand how to measure the solid particulate content in your fuel.

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  • Parker Guide to Contamination Standards
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