Carbon black quality news — 22 October 2026
A 12 October 2026 report from specialist consultancy Weibold highlights physical testing and batch consistency in recovered carbon black. It follows HITEC Luxembourg’s demonstration of its IPHT pellet hardness tester at Recovered Carbon Black Asia, also covered by Tyre & Rubber Recycling on 30 September. The event itself took place in Bangkok on 3–4 September; the October publication reports on that activity rather than a new October event.
What individual pellet hardness testing measures
HITEC’s official product description states that the IPHT measures the crush strength of individual carbon black pellets. The manufacturer identifies ASTM D5230 and ISO 8942 as relevant test references. The instrument was not newly invented in October. The relevance of the recent coverage is the application of established testing to recovered carbon black commercialization and differences between production batches.
From carbon powder to a specified delivered product
Quality assessment should consider delivery form alongside material composition. A pelletized sample and a powder do not raise exactly the same questions for a customer. For pellets, evaluation should include handling behaviour and breakdown during mixing. For micronized carbon black powder, particle size distribution, agglomerates and dispersion in the intended carrier matter. A sample’s black appearance alone cannot establish any of these characteristics.
In a purchasing specification, pellet hardness results should be recorded with the sampling method, number of measurements and acceptance range. The same batch should then be evaluated in the actual formulation to establish how laboratory data relate to line performance. Keeping separate results for several production batches is more useful than relying on a single demonstration sample, and provides a basis for investigating variation.
The news does not certify every pyrolysis product or demonstrate direct substitution for every virgin carbon black grade. A hardness test describes pellet strength; claims about ash, purity, tint strength, conductivity or finished-product durability require the appropriate evidence for each characteristic. For black pigments in coatings and printing inks, dispersion and final colour remain separate parts of the assessment.
Related reading: black pigment and micronized carbon black selection guide.
Brief analysis from Gohar Farayand
The commercial message is the value of repeatable carbon black specifications. Batch test records connected to processing behaviour can offer industrial buyers more useful information than a general claim that a product is recovered or micronized.
Sources: Weibold, 12 October 2026; Tyre & Rubber Recycling, 30 September 2026; HITEC’s official IPHT description.
The accompanying image is a conceptual carbon-industry illustration, not a photograph of the HITEC tester or event.