HPM Grease Program
The High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) Grease Program is a licensing and product certification program for greases used in various lubricating applications. The HPM and associated specifications were developed by NLGI, in conjunction with grease users and grease specifiers, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who were interviewed during the specification setting process. The result was a High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) grease specification introduced in November 2020. The specification’s limits are “challenging yet achievable” in order to set a new performance standard that grease users and specifiers can utilize for selecting greases to use in their applications.
A New Standard for the Grease Industry
HPM certified greases must perform in conditions related to:
- Water resistance (HPM+WR), and/or
- High load-carrying capacity (HPM+ HL), and/or
- Salt water corrosion resistance (HPM+CR), and/or
- Low temperature performance (HPM+LT)
How We Do It
Greases certified in the program are submitted with test data to show that they meet the performance standards related to parameters such as wear resistance, structural stability, oxidation resistance, elastomer compatibility, and corrosion resistance. Since the HPM specification limits define the grease’s performance, the HPM Grease Program is “chemistry neutral”. There are no formulation requirements for the greases to meet these specifications. Innovations in grease formulating are welcomed by the program in order to continuously improve the performance of greases in the market.
NLGI is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1933 by pioneers of the lubricating grease industry. The National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) was established with the goal of providing education, scientific and technical information, expert advice, profitable partnerships and a global forum for ideas and innovation. NLGI’s mission is “to provide resources relevant to the needs of the global grease community.”
The Center for Quality Assurance (CQA) administers the program on behalf of NLGI. Read more here.
THE BENEFITS
The new HPM certification and enhanced performance tags (improved water resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.) allow grease users to easily identify and understand that your product has passed the proven performance testing required by the program.
Because this is a new performance standard and program, early adopters will enjoy the enhanced marketing benefits from initial consumer awareness planned for in the coming months.
The HPM program will be promoted to equipment manufacturers, grease specifiers and maintenance personnel through awareness campaigns in order to create interest and demand for products certified in the HPM Grease Program.
Benefits for Manufacturers and Marketers
Benefits for Equipment Owners / Grease Users
HPM provides a means to eliminate downtime and reduce operating costs by ensuring that you use a grease certified to a high-performance multiuse HPM grease certification.
The HPM Grease Program ensures availability of high-performance grease products for the grease user and the program’s auditing process ensures that the products can meet the performance standards.
The HPM performance specification instills confidence in your selection of a grease for your maintenance needs.
HPM can streamline your options by standardizing, simplifying and consolidating your inventory.
Selecting the right grease and performing preventative maintenance reduces overall cost of ownership and extends equipment life.
The additional HPM classification tags such as Water Resistance (+WR), Improved Corrosion Resistance (+CR), High-Load carrying (+HL) and Low Temperature (+LT) help you weed through the marketing claims to make your selections easier when a grease is required to perform beyond normal operating conditions.
Helping your customers select the right grease to perform preventative maintenance reduces your customers’ overall cost of ownership and extends equipment life. OEMs and those specifying greases for applications can reference the HPM grease specification and ask suppliers to have their grease products certified for use.
For specialized applications (e.g., steel mills), the HPM grease specification may not be the right specification for your application. However, OEMs can utilize the HPM specification for applications where high-performance grease is required. OEMs and grease specifiers can use the HPM grease specification as a foundation on which to build.
Benefits for OEMs and Grease Specifiers
HPM Grease certification
Any organization involved in the manufacture, sale or marketing of grease products is a candidate for the High-Performance Multiuse (HPM) Grease Program. The HPM program defines the level of performance required for grease products, and the program is administered by the Center for Quality Assurance (CQA). The HPM performance specification covers a core set of performance requirements (HPM core properties) plus additional performance requirements related to:
(a) Water Resistance (HPM+WR), and/or
(b) High Load-carrying capacity (HPM+HL), and/or
(c) Salt water Corrosion Resistance (HPM+CR), and/or
(d) Low Temperature performance (HPM+LT).
Ask the Expert offers you the opportunity to ask questions that are answered directly by NLGI professionals. Expert insight on a broad range of grease topics is also available through the archive of questions and answers.
STAY INFORMED
There are many ways to stay up-to-date with latest information regarding HPM Certified Grease products, articles, tips, and more.
- Subscribe to periodic updates elated to the HPM grease specification and what it means for grease users
- Visit our News section for industry trends, articles, and podcasts by experts
- Follow us on LinkedIn and stay tuned as grease products become certified
To learn more, contact us for more information.
HPM GREASE NEWS
Lubricantes de América, S.A. de C.V. has been approved against the NLGI HPM Certification as an environmentally friendly, heavy-duty calcium sulphonate grease
LUBRAL CSX 2000 PLUS has been approved against the NLGI HPM certification as an environmentally friendly, heavy-duty calcium sulphonate grease. The HPM Grease Certification Program
PETRONAS achieves NLGI HPM Certification for its PETRONAS Grease LiX EP 2/380
PETRONAS Grease LiX EP 2/380 has been approved against the NLGI HPM certification. The HPM Grease Certification Program ensures that all certified greases meet or
