High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) Grease Column
Guidelines for Licensing HPM Grease Certification Marks
Mary Moon, PhD, MBANLGI licenses certification marks to companies that sell lubricating grease products meeting welldefined performance specifications. NLGI certification marks on product packages help sellers and customers identify and have confidence in commercial greases that meet these specifications. NLGI currently supports certification marks for use worldwide. To learn about registering greases and licensing certification marks, read on.
GC, LB and GC-LB Certification Marks
In 1989, NLGI started licensing its first generation of certification marks for greases that satisfy the specifications which were then documented in ASTM 4950 Standard Classification and Specification for Automotive Service Greases. These specifications were developed jointly by NLGI, ASTM International and SAE International for greases intended for service (after-market) automotive applications.
Greases for automotive chassis applications are designated “L”, and those for automotive wheel bearings are designated “G”. NLGI currently licenses certification marks for the highest performance classifications: GC, LB and GC-LB.
Companies can obtain details about registering products and licensing GC, LB and GC-LB certification marks directly from NLGI. (https://www.nlgi.org/certifications/product/) The main steps are:
1. Download documents from the NLGI website, complete Forms A and C and submit them to NLGI. It is not necessary to submit grease samples with these forms. (Table 1)
2. After NLGI approves Forms A and C, NLGI sends an invoice. (Table 2)
3. Upon receipt of payment, NLGI sends a signed copy of Form C and certification mark logos for use on product packaging. NLGI registers the product(s) and adds their name(s) to the NLGI List of Certified Products.
4. NLGI sends an annual invoice for renewal of licenses. (Table 2)
NLGI performs audits and randomly requests production samples of greases for verification by an independent laboratory.
Table
Table 2 Fees for initial use (first year, includes registration) and annual renewal of licenses for use of GC, LB and GC-LB certification marks (per product, USD, 2024)
There are currently 261 registered products with licenses for GC (7), LB (26) and GC-LB (228) certification marks on the NLGI List of Certified Products (https://www.nlgi.org/certifications/ product/certified-products/?fl=a).
Fig. 1 Distribution of registered products with licenses for use of GC, LB and GC-LB certification marks (March 1, 2024)
HPM Certification Marks
In 2020, NLGI added its second generation of certification marks for greases that are registered and meet updated and new specifications for High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) Greases developed by NLGI. In 2015, NLGI started a project to revise or replace six of the performance property tests in D4950 to better serve advances in materials, technologies, applications and grease performance. (Kaperick et al.)
Feedback from the industry was that the focus for HPM was truly a “high-performance multiuse” grease which was not focused on chassis and wheel bearing. NLGI, therefore, decided to keep GC-LB and add HPM as a new certification program. The HPM specifications use ASTM and DIN test methods, and they do not replace or alter the GC-LB specification (D4950). There are no requirements for grease chemistries or compatibilities in grease mixtures, since the certification focuses on the performance of the grease.
NLGI provides a chart that compares HPM specifications and GC-LB specifications (https://www.nlgi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GC-LB-vs.-HPM-Comparison-Revised.pdf ):
NLGI issued new certification marks corresponding to the core HPM specification and specifications for enhanced performance (“tags”):
• HPM (core)
• HPM+WR (+water resistance)
• HPM+CR (+salt water corrosion resistance)
• HPM+HL (+high load)
• HPM+LT (+low temperature)
• Multiple tags, e.g., HPM+HL+LT
Companies can obtain details about registering products and licensing HPM certification marks from CQA, which administers the HPM grease program. The main steps are:
1. Download documents from the CQA website (Table 3), complete Forms HPM02 and HPM03 and submit them to CQA. For a rebranded product (see below), it is necessary to also submit Form HPM04 (Supplier Affidavit which documents the relationship between the grease manufacturer and the grease marketer).
2. CQA sends an invoice. (Table 4)
3. Submit payment, Form HPM05 and grease sample(s) to CQA.
4. Upon receipt of payment, CQA tests sample(s) for compliance with HPM specifications and sends a report (Form HPM06).
If the sample(s) comply, then CQA sends sample approval code(s), product registration ID(s), and artwork files for the HPM certification marks. CQA registers the product(s) and adds their name(s) to the CQA List of Certified Products.
If a sample does not comply, then CQA provides instructions. It is then necessary to complete new Forms HPM03, HPM04 (if used) and HPM05 and send them with a new sample to CQA. CQA sends an invoice for reprocessing and retesting. (Table 5)
5. Use Form HPM07 to register additional brands and rebrands of registered products.
6. CQA sends annual invoices for renewal of licenses. (Table 4)
Grease products sold under different brand names by manufacturers or other companies that purchase finished greases and rebrand them for resales are considered rebranded products. According to the HPM program policy, both the grease manufacturer and the reseller must be NLGI corporate members in order to use the rebrand process.
Samples must be submitted annually to CQA for testing to renew licenses. CQA stores samples in a temperature-controlled warehouse and may keep retains for as long as five years.
Table 4 Fees for initial use (first year, including registration) and annual renewal of licenses for use of HPM certification marks (per product, USD, effective January 1, 2024).
For example, the current license fees for an HPM+HL+LT product approval certification mark (core plus two tags) are $6,830 the first year and $5,005 renewal each subsequent year for an NLGI member company or $8,540 and $6,260, respectively, for a non-member.
Table 5 Fees to reprocess and retest a new sample after the initial sample did not comply with HPM specifications (per product, USD, 2024).
The fee to retest a sample of grease for the HPM+HL+LT specification is $4,000 for an NLGI member or $5,000 for a non-member.
Table 6 Fees for initial use (first year) and annual renewal of licenses for use of HPM core and enhanced certification marks for a rebranded product or additional brand name to be certified in the program (per registered product, USD, 2024).
The initial and renewal fees to rebrand a grease with the HPM+HL+LT certification mark are $2,190 and $1,010, respectively, for an NLGI member (not available to non-members).
Fifteen companies currently hold licenses for HPM certification marks for 24 products listed at https://www.centerforqa.com/hpm-grease-licensed-brands/
Fig. 2 Distribution of products with licenses for use of HPM certification marks (March 1, 2024)
Testimonials
According to Jacob Bonta, Valvoline Global Operations (Lexington, KY), “The HPM program has significantly improved the process of explaining grease quality and suitability for use to customers. Our current HPM product has grown in popularity, in part due to on-label references to HPM. Generally, we have found that the HPM core specifications set a high baseline of quality for many applications.”
He explained, “We have been able to leverage the significant rigor of the certification process to provide a marker of high quality for greases. Customers are able to be confident that products that carry HPM certifications are of high quality.”
Bonta added, “The enhanced categories are excellent for describing the suitability of products for many applications. We might license products with tags in the future.”
Dwaine (Greg) Morris, Americas Product Application Specialist / TL Grease PAS at Shell USA, Inc. (Houston, TX) commented, “We are satisfied with our HPM grease products. We have several products that are certified as NLGI LB or GC-LB, and received HPM+HL approval for one of those products.
“Our HPM certified product is one of our largest, most versatile greases, and it accounts for a significant volume of our annual sales. The HPM certification sets this product apart from general market and GC-LB products in several key ways:
1. The HPM program is independent verification to ensure that the product meets a difficult but achievable performance standard that is relevant to the end user.
2. An HPM certified grease is differentiated from the 260+ GC-LB certified products that may not necessarily withstand the challenges present in an industrial application.
3. The HPM audit process is conducted annually by CQA, an unbiased 3P organization, for the entire suite of specifications.
“We perceive this impartial verification by CQA as a clear indicator to end-users of the quality and performance expectations that align with their own, giving them confidence that the product will perform as marketed to them.
Morris explained, “Where GC-LB greases were primarily focused on car, light duty truck and fleet applications, the HPM certification is more inclusive of the needs for industrial customers. The test suite is more comprehensive and sets the performance profile that is consistent with their application needs.
“The HPM certification signifies value and places the product in a higher tier than similar available greases. It provides assurance that the certification is not ‘marketing speak’ but is indicative of a performance level that customers can count on.
Morris concluded, “While the HPM certification program is in its infancy, I expect that the market will grow to view HPM certified products as quality, high-performance greases that meet their expectations.”
References
Center for Quality Assurance. https://www.centerforqa.com/hpm-knowledge-center-for-greasemanufacturers/ Fish, G., “The Future of the NLGI GC-LB Specification,” presented at the Grease Specifications Working Group Meeting, NLGI Annual Meeting, 2019. https://www.nlgi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/NLGI-GCLB-update-June-2019-ASTM-updated-July-111.pdf
Kaperick, J., Fish, D., Coe, C., Cosgrove, B., Turner, D., Mackwood, W., Mistry, K., Chichester, C., Dudley, G., Morris, D., Brandon, K., and Kunselman, M. “Supporting the Transportation Industry: Creating the GC-LB and High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) Grease Certification Programs,” SAE Technical Paper 2023-01-1652, 2023, https://doi.org/10.4271/2023-01-1652.
National Lubricating Grease Institute. https://www.nlgi.org/certifications/product/ NLGI Spokesman, Vol. 83, No. 3, “2019 NLGI Annual Meeting Recap,” p. 65. https://issuu.com/kim0824/ docs/4_jul_aug_2019