GB 30981.2-2025 "Limit of Harmful Substances in Coatings — Part 2: Industrial Coatings" officially took effect on June 1, 2026, marking a new phase in China's environmental regulation of industrial coatings.

Issued under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the new standard integrates and replaces five previous standards including GB 18581-2020 (Wood Coatings), GB 24409-2020 (Vehicle Coatings), and GB 30981-2020 (Industrial Protective Coatings), establishing a unified and stringent mandatory control system for industrial coatings.

Three Core Upgrades in the New Standard: Strengthened Control from Raw Materials to Finished Coatings

Expanded Scope — from "Coatings" to "Auxiliary Materials"

Previous standards focused only on main coating materials, leaving gaps where companies met main paint requirements but exceeded limits in auxiliary ingredients. The new standard extends mandatory regulation to curing agents and thinners for the first time, creating full-chain control over both main materials and auxiliary materials.

Tightened Limits on Multiple Harmful Substances — Heavy Metals, VOCs, and SVOCs

The new standard significantly tightens heavy metal limits, with notably reduced lead content requirements and newly added total hexavalent chromium limits. It also introduces total chromium limits for the first time. Previously unregulated trivalent chromium in metal surface treatment will now face stricter constraints. These changes drive the substitution of chromium-containing anti-corrosion pigments, trivalent chromium materials, and high-VOC systems, while expanding application opportunities for chrome-free anti-corrosion pigments and low-VOC waterborne resins.

More Detailed Product Classification

Products are categorized into six types including waterborne (Type W) and solvent-based (Type S), with a new auxiliary materials category (Type A). The standard also introduces a definition of "special functional coatings" as high-VOC coatings that cannot currently be replaced by eco-friendly alternatives due to technical limitations, with 28 exempted product categories listed.

LINGWE: A Chrome-Free, Low-VOC, High-Performance Product Portfolio

Under these new regulations, chrome-containing anti-corrosion pigments are strictly limited, auxiliary materials are brought under mandatory supervision, and VOC and SVOC limits are tightened simultaneously. LINGWE's range of green, eco-friendly products provides systematic compliance solutions from the material side.

Silica Anti-Corrosion Pigments

HOMAC® series are silica-gel modified ion-exchange anti-corrosion pigments, completely free of chromium and other heavy metals, meeting the strictest limits of the new national standard. Their multi-layer protection mechanism includes:

• Physical Barrier: High specific surface area effectively adsorbs corrosive media such as H⁺ and Cl⁻, delaying penetration into the coating, particularly beneficial for early-stage corrosion protection
• Hydrogen Bonding: Abundant surface silanol groups (-SiOH) form hydrogen bonds with metal substrates and organic resins, significantly improving film adhesion
• Molecular Barrier (Passivation): Silicate ions released by slight water solubility react with iron ions to form an iron silicate passivation layer, suppressing anodic reactions for long-term protection
• Core Advantage: Much lower density than traditional anti-corrosion pigments (e.g., zinc phosphate), enabling lower addition rates on an equal-volume basis, supporting formulation weight reduction and cost optimization

Waterborne Epoxy Emulsions and Curing Agents

Based on proprietary high-efficiency emulsification technology, LINGWE's POLYCOAT® waterborne epoxy system delivers high-performance corrosion protection while fully meeting environmental regulations, providing reliable coating solutions for high-end equipment manufacturing and other industries.

• High-Performance Corrosion Protection in Chrome-Free Systems: Through synergistic optimization of chrome-free anti-corrosion pigments and resins, the POLYCOAT® system achieves the following on cold-rolled steel panels at 55±5 μm film thickness:
  • ≥600 hours neutral salt spray testing
  • ≥10 days water immersion at 40°C
• Core Process Innovations:
  • Nano-scale Self-Emulsification Technology: Hydrophilic groups are chemically bonded to epoxy molecular chains to form nano-sized emulsion particles with excellent storage stability (no sedimentation after 30 days at 50°C oven)
  • "Resin-with-Grinding" Process: Supports direct grinding of pigments and fillers in the emulsion, significantly simplifying production processes and improving production efficiency and powder loading capacity
• Functionalized Curing Agent Portfolio:
  • JT-WBH816: Optimized for multi-substrate adhesion on galvanized steel, aluminum alloys, and other substrates
  • JT-WBH817: Outstanding salt spray and water resistance performance in chrome-free formulation systems
  • JT-WBH818: Focused on chemical corrosion resistance, addressing severe acid and alkali environments
• Through dual-component "emulsion + curing agent" combinations, the system achieves precise adaptation across multiple scenarios within one product platform