PLASTICS – THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS –
DETERMINATION OF VICAT SOFTENING
TEMPERATURE (VST)
(ISO 306:2004, IDT)
This Malaysian Standard specifies four methods for the determination of the Vicat softening temperature (VST) of thermoplastic materials:
Method A50 using a force of 10 N and a heating rate of 50 °C/h;
Method B50 using a force of 50 N and a heating rate of 50 °C/h;
Method A120 using a force of 10 N and a heating rate of 120 °C/h; and
Method B120 using a force of 50 N and a heating rate of 120 °C/h.
The methods specified are applicable only to thermoplastics, for which they give a measure of the
temperature at which the thermoplastics start to soften rapidly.
