What is it and how is it measured?

(Part 1 of a 2-part series)

Cheryl Roberts
KTA-Tator, Inc.
 Part 1 – Define water vapor permeance, how to
measure it in coatings, and how to interpret the
results.

 Part 2 – Determine the effect of coating

permeance on the performance of wall
assemblies and the number of times a building
can be repainted.
 Introduction: What is Permeance
 The Basic Laboratory Procedure: Determination of
the Water Vapor Permeance of a Coating
 ASTM D1653 and ASTM E96/E96M: Differences
between the Test Methods Used to Measure the
Water Vapor Permeance of a Coating
 Interpreting the Meaning of Water Vapor
Permeance Results: Relative Magnitude of Values,
Repeatability of Laboratory Testing, Reporting of
Water Vapor Permeance Values on PDS’s
What is Permeance?
WATER VAPOR TRANSMISSION
(WVT)

WATER VAPOR PERMEANCE

(WVP or PERMEANCE )

WATER VAPOR PERMEABILITY

(PERMEABILITY)
 50% RH

Driving Force
0.41” Hg

Thickness
100%
RH
0.82” Hg

WVP = WVT ÷ Vapor Pressure Difference

Permeability = WVP × Thickness

 The gaseous phase of water.
 Water vapor can be produced from
the evaporation or boiling of
liquid water or from the sublimation
of ice.
 Unlike other forms of water, water
vapor is invisible.
If you can see it,
it’s not water in
the gas phase.
The movement of atoms or molecules from an area
of higher concentration to an area of lower
concentration.
Source: Whole Building Design Guide, a program of the National Institute of
Building Sciences, “Moisture Management Concepts,” by Ted J. Kesik,
illustrations by Ashleigh Uisaka
Determination of the Water Vapor Permeance of a Coating
The standard methods for determination of
the water vapor transmission of a coating:
ASTM D1653 and ASTM E96/E96M
 WET CUP METHOD DRY CUP METHOD

Cup # 1A Cup # 1A
285.000 133.900

133.800
280.000

y = -0.0388x + 281.63 133.700

Weight (grams)

Weight (grams)
275.000 R² = 0.9995

133.600

270.000
133.500
y = 0.001x + 133.36
265.000 R² = 0.9997
133.400

260.000 133.300
0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00
Time (hrs) Time (hrs)
 ASTM D1653: “Agreement should not be expected between
results obtained by different methods or test conditions. “
 Results of Wet Cup Method are sometimes higher than
those of Dry Cup Method.
 The method should be selected that more nearly approaches
conditions of use.
 Per ASTM D1653, which method is preferred depends upon
the humidities anticipated in the vicinity of the barrier:
 Dry Cup Method is preferred when high humidities are not
anticipated.
 Wet Cup Method is preferred when high humidities are
anticipated.
1. The area of the specimen (used to calculate the
Water Vapor Transmission Rate)

2. The driving force – difference between the

concentration of water molecules on one side of
the membrane versus the other side (used to
calculate the Water Vapor Permeance)

3. The thickness of the membrane (used to

calculate Permeability)
Definition of Water Vapor Transmission Rate
The steady water vapor flow in unit time through
unit area of a body, between two specific parallel
surfaces, under specific conditions of temperature
and humidity at each surface.
 1. Area of the Material Under Test

Small Area

Large Area
WVT = (Rate of Weight Change) ÷ (The Area of the Specimen)

𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠
English Units: (i.e., grains per square foot per hour)
𝑓𝑡2∙ ℎ

𝑔
Metric Units: (i.e., grams per square meter per 24 hours)
𝑚2∙(24 ℎ)
A nickel weighs about 5 grams.
Definition of Water Vapor Permeance
The steady water vapor flow in unit time through
unit area of a body (WVT), induced by unit vapor
pressure difference between the two specific
parallel surfaces, under specified temperature and
humidity conditions.
How can we measure the concentration of water
molecules in the gas phase?

By determining the vapor pressure , which is the

pressure due to water molecules.

If the air is saturated, the pressure due to water

molecules is called the saturation vapor pressure.

Vapor Pressure = %RH/100 x Saturation Vapor Pressure

 ∝ Difference in Vapor Pressure
Difference 𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 %𝑅𝐻
in Vapor = x (Saturation Vapor Pressure)
100
Presure

Wet Cup Method at 73°F Dry Cup Method at

73°F
50% RH

Driving Force
50% RH
Driving Force

0.41” Hg 0.41” Hg

100% 0%
RH RH 0”
0.82” Hg Hg

Difference Difference
in Vapor = 50/100 x 0.82” Hg = 0.41” Hg in Vapor = 50/100 x 0.82” Hg = 0.41” Hg
Presure Presure
Permeance = Water Vapor Transmission ÷ Vapor Pressure Difference

= WVT ÷ [(%RH)(Saturation Vapor Pressure)]

𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠
English Units: Perm = Perm (inch-pound) or U.S.
𝑓𝑡2∙ ℎ∙𝑖𝑛.𝐻𝑔
Perm
𝑔
Metric Units: Metric Perm =
𝑚2∙ 24 ℎ ∙𝑚𝑚 𝐻𝑔
𝑔
2
𝑚 ∙ ℎ ∙𝑚𝑚 𝐻𝑔
𝑛𝑔
𝑚2∙ 𝑠 ∙𝑃𝑎
Definition of Water Vapor Permeability
The steady water vapor flow in unit time through unit
area of a body of unit thickness, induced by unit vapor
pressure difference between the two specific parallel
surfaces, under specified temperature and humidity
conditions.

Note: Permeability is a property of a material.

Permeance depends on the thickness of the material
and therefore is a performance evaluation and not a
property of a material.
 Thick
Specimen Thin
Specimen

Slower Rate of Weight Change Faster Rate of Weight Change

Permeability = Water Vapor Permeance x Thickness

English Units: Perm inch

𝑔
Metric Units:
𝑚∙ 𝑠 ∙𝑃𝑎

Permeability should only be calculated if the test

specimen is homogeneous (not laminated) and at least
½” thick.
 For hygroscopic materials, the higher the relative
humidity, the higher the water vapor permeance.
 This is why the wet cup method generally yields a
higher result than the dry cup method.

Wet Cup Method Dry Cup Method

50% 50%
RH RH

100% 0% RH
RH

Difference in %RH = 100% - 50% = 50% Difference in %RH = 50% - 0% = 50%

Differences between the Test Methods Used to Measure the
Water Vapor Permeance of a Coating
 ASTM E96 / E96M – 15, Standard Test
Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of
Materials

 ASTM D1653 – 13, Standard Test Methods for

Water Vapor Transmission of Organic Coating
Films
ASTM D1653 ASTM E96/E96M
Films of paint, varnish Materials
lacquer, and other organic Paper
coatings Plastic films
Other sheet materials
The films may be free films Fiberboards
or they may be applied to Gypsum
porous substrates. Plaster products
Wood products
Plastics
Wet Cup Method, Dry Cup Water Method, Desiccant
Method Method, Inverted Water
Method
No constraints on thickness Thickness ≤ 1 ¼”
of sample
ASTM D1653
5 pages long
No corrections are
prescribed for permeance
values
Instructions for preparation
of free films are provided
Minimum area of dish is
not specified
Wet cup method: Dish is
filled with water to within
¼” of specimen
Use of a dummy specimen
is not mentioned.
No example calculation
provided
ASTM E96/E96M
13 pages long
Corrections required for
permeance results > 2
perms.
Instructions for testing of
laminates and pitted
materials are provided
Minimum area of dish is
specified
Wet cup method: Dish is
filled with water to within
¾” of specimen
Use of a dummy specimen
is recommended for
materials with low
permeance.
An example calculation is
provided
ASTM D1653 ASTM E96/E96M

 At least 4 steady state  At least 6 steady state

points are required.
 In general, the dish is  Testing is continued until
weighed every 24 hours
for 3 weeks or until the
weight change becomes
constant.
points are required if
graphing is done by hand.
the weight change over the
steady state period exceeds
100 times the sensitivity of
the scale used.
 For example, if the scale
displays the thousandths
place, testing is continued
until the weight change
exceeds 0.1 g.
 The correction is always positive
 The higher the permeance, the higher the
correction
 A paper published in the Journal of ASTM
International reported corrections between
0.003% and 84%!
 ASTM D1653 does not specify the correction;
therefore, if the permeance exceeds 2 perm,
ASTM E96 may produce a higher result than
ASTM D1653.
 If a specimen has a high Water Vapor
Permeance, it has low Water Vapor Resistance.
 Conversely, if a specimen has a low Water
Vapor Permeance, it has a high Water Vapor
Resistance.

Water Vapor Permeance = 1 ÷ Water Vapor Resistance

R = Water Vapor Resistance
Measured permeance in example = 2630 𝑚 𝑛𝑔 ∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
= 46.0 perm2

Permeance of air layer = 13,200 𝑚 𝑛𝑔 ∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎

= 231 perm
2

1 1 𝑚 ∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎 2 2
Rmeasured = = = 3.80 x 10 8 𝑚 ∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 2630 𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑔

1 1 2
Rair = = = 7.6 x 107 𝑚 𝑘𝑔∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 13,200
2
Rsurface = 4.0 x 107 𝑚 𝑘𝑔
∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎

Rmeasured = Rspecimen + Rstill air + Rsurfaces

3.80 x 108 𝑚2∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
𝑘𝑔
= Rspecimen+ ((7.6 x 107 + 4.0 x 107) 𝑚2∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
𝑘𝑔
)
Rspecimen = 2.64 x 108 𝑚2∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
𝑘𝑔
1
Permeancespecimen = = 3790𝑚 𝑛𝑔 2 = 66 perm
𝑅𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛 ∙𝑠∙𝑃𝑎
Relative Magnitude of Values, Repeatability of Laboratory
Testing, Reporting of Water Vapor Permeance Values on
PDS’s
Vapor retarding materials are generally
categorized as:
 Vapor Impermeable: less than 0.1 US perm

 Vapor Semi-permeable: between 0.1 and 1

US perm
 Vapor Permeable: greater than 1 US perm

Source: Whole Building Design Guide, a program of the National Institute of Building
Sciences, “Moisture Management Concepts,” by Ted J. Kesik, illustrations by Ashleigh
Uisaka
 Dry Cup Method –Two results (each the mean
of triplicate runs), obtained by the same
operator, should be considered suspect if they
differ by more than 0.25 perms at dry-cup
permeances of less than 1.0 perms.
 Wet Cup Method – Two results (each the mean
of triplicate runs), obtained by the same
operator, should be considered suspect if they
differ by more than 74.2% relative at wet-cup
permeances of 5 to 30 perms.
Relative Humidity = 50% for Procedures A-D
Relative Humidity = 50% or 90% for Procedure E
 Procedure A – Desiccant Method at 73.4°F (23°C)
 Procedure B – Water Method at 73.4°F
 Procedure BW – Inverted Water Method at 73.4°F
 Procedure C – Desiccant Method at 90°F (32.2°C)
 Procedure D – Water Method at 90°F
 Procedure E – Desiccant Method at 100°F (37.8°C)
 Test Method A – Dry Cup Method
 Condition A: 73°F and 50% relative humidity
 Condition B: 100°F and 90% relative humidity

 Test Method B – Wet Cup Method

 Condition A: 73°F and 50% relative humidity
 Condition C: 73°F and very low (near zero) relative
humidity
1. Moisture Permeability, ASTM D1653 Method A
@ 140°F: 0.00283 perm inch
2. Moisture Permeability, ASTM E96 Proc. E,
0.016 perm inch
3. Permeance Testing, ASTM 1653, WVT = 222
g/sq. m/24 hrs, WVP = 21 Metric Perms
4. Water Vapor Resistance, ASTM E96, 67.9 Perms
5. Water Vapor Permeability, ASTM E-96 Wet-
cup method, 2 coats, 40 Perms (2280 ng/Pa-s-
m2)
Can the Water Vapor Permeance of a Paint System Already in
Place be Determined?

Multiple Layers of Materials:

Estimate of Permeance
 Not with a sample from the field; test
specimens must have uniform thickness, have
no cracks, and the substrate cannot be attached.

 If a liquid samples of the paints are available, a

free film of the coating system can be prepared
in the lab and the entire system tested.
 3 Layers of Paint
Layer 1 (Blue) : Permeance = 30 perm Resistance = 1/30 = 0.033 perm-1
Layer 2 (Green): Permeance = 20 perm Resistance = 1/20 = 0.05 perm-1
Layer 3 (Purple): Permeance = 10 perm Resistance = 1/10 = 0.10 perm-1

Let R = Water Vapor Resistance

1
R=
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

Rsystem = R1 + R2 + R3 = 0.033 + 0.05 + 0.10 = 0.183 perm-1

1
Permeancesystem = = 1 ÷ 0.183
𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

Permeancesystem = 5.5 perms

When comparing the permeance of coatings,
remember to consider:
 Units

 Method (Wet Cup, Dry Cup, or Inverted Wet

Cup)
 Conditions: Temperature and Relative
Humidity
 Standard (ASTM D1653 or ASTM E96)

 Thickness of the coating

Cheryl Roberts – 412-788-1300, x209
(croberts@kta.com)