What Is TDAE? Treated Distillate Aromatic Extract Explained for Rubber Compounders

Almost every technical property that makes an aromatic process oil useful in rubber compounding — its solvency for fillers, its contribution to wet grip, its compatibility with SBR and BR polymers — comes from the same molecular family that made the old generation of these oils a regulatory problem. TDAE exists to keep the first set of properties while removing the second.

For buyers in Asia, understanding that trade-off is the difference between specifying a process oil correctly and paying for performance a compound cannot use, or worse, shipping finished goods that fail a European customer's compliance audit.

What TDAE actually is

TDAE stands for Treated Distillate Aromatic Extract. It is produced from the aromatic extract stream of vacuum distillate — the same starting material as conventional DAE — but subjected to further solvent extraction that selectively removes the heaviest polycyclic aromatic compounds while retaining the mono- and di-aromatic structures that deliver performance in a rubber compound.

The result is an oil that remains genuinely aromatic in character — typically 20–30% aromatic carbon content, with an aniline point in the region of 70–80°C — while carrying a PAH profile low enough to fall outside the EU restriction. That combination is the entire point of the product. Strip too little and it fails compliance; strip too much and it stops behaving like an aromatic oil at all, at which point a buyer would be better served by MES or a naphthenic grade.

Why TDAE exists: the regulatory background

Conventional DAE contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at levels that led the EU to classify high-PAH extender oils as carcinogenic. Directive 2005/69/EC, carried forward into REACH Annex XVII, restricted the placing on the EU market of extender oils and tires containing them, with the restriction taking effect from 1 January 2010.

The limits are specific and worth committing to memory, because they are what a compliance certificate has to demonstrate:

• Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP): below 1 mg/kg
• Sum of the eight listed PAHs: below 10 mg/kg

Compliance with these limits is determined by EN 16143:2013, which replaced the older IP 346:1998 DMSO extraction method as the reference standard under Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/326. IP 346 is still widely quoted on process oil documentation and remains useful as a general indicator that a mineral oil is not classified as carcinogenic, but a buyer serving a strict European customer should ask for EN 16143 data rather than IP 346 alone.

The commercial consequence has been durable. Any tire or rubber article destined for the European market must be compounded with compliant oils, and because global tire manufacturers standardise their formulations across plants, TDAE demand extends well beyond Europe — into Asian production serving European brands and export markets.

Typical TDAE specification ranges

The parameters below are what a technical buyer evaluates. Values are indicative of commercial TDAE grades generally; every parcel should be confirmed against a batch certificate of analysis.

For orientation against published commercial data: Orgkhim's Norman 346 TDAE grade is published with an aniline point of 70 °C, viscosity-gravity constant of 0.888, aromatic carbon content of 26% and total aromatics of 74%, while their Norman 123 NLP grade sits at an aniline point of 91 °C, VGC 0.855 and aromatic carbon content of 17% — illustrating how the aromaticity ladder runs from TDAE down through lower-polarity naphthenic grades. (Source: Orgkhim published technical data; figures are the producer's typical values, cited here for comparison only.)

How the parameters translate to compound performance

Aniline point is an inverse measure of aromaticity — the lower it runs, the more aromatic and more solvent-active the oil. TDAE's 65–85 °C band is what gives it strong compatibility with SBR and BR polymers and good dispersion of carbon black and silica fillers.

Viscosity-gravity constant and aromatic carbon content together confirm the oil's structural family. A VGC near 0.890 with Ca% in the mid-twenties is a recognisably aromatic oil; the same viscosity with VGC near 0.850 is not, whatever it is called on the offer.

Glass transition temperature is the parameter tire technologists watch most closely, because Tg drives the balance between wet grip and rolling resistance in the finished tread compound. Process oil Tg shifts the compound's own Tg, and TDAE's relatively high Tg contributes to the wet-grip performance that made aromatic oils the tread standard in the first place.

Viscosity at 100 °C determines processing behaviour — mixing, extrusion, and, on the commercial side, whether the cargo needs heating to discharge.

Where TDAE is used

The dominant application is tire tread compounding, particularly passenger car and truck tread formulations built on SBR and BR where wet grip is a headline performance claim. Beyond tires, TDAE serves retreading compounds, conveyor belt and industrial rubber goods, rubber footwear, hoses and profiles, and thermoplastic elastomer compounding where an aromatic plasticiser is required.

Where TDAE is not the right answer: compounds based on EPDM or butyl, where a paraffinic or naphthenic oil gives better polymer compatibility; light-coloured or non-staining articles, where TDAE's colour rules it out; and applications where no aromatic contribution is needed and a cheaper grade will do.

SANYANG TDAE Series (grades T100–T1200)

Sanyang Petroleum supplies TDAE process oil to tire manufacturers, retreaders and rubber goods producers across Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

Full specifications, including density, flash point, pour point, aniline point and sulfur content by grade, are on the SANYANG TDAE Series product page.

All grades are supplied REACH-compliant on PAH content, with batch-specific certificate of analysis and EN 16143:2013 PAH analysis provided as standard, plus IP 346 DMSO extract data as a supplementary indicator. Available in flexibag, ISO tank and new steel drums, from trial volumes of 20 MT.

Origin, availability and pricing vary with market conditions — including sanctions-related constraints affecting certain producing regions. We advise buyers on realistic origin options at the point of enquiry rather than publishing indications that age within weeks.

What to ask for before you buy

Whatever the origin, the documentation set that establishes a TDAE parcel is fit for purpose is short and non-negotiable: a batch-specific COA covering viscosity, aniline point, VGC, aromatic carbon content and flash point; EN 16143:2013 PAH analysis, plus IP 346 DMSO extract data where your customer requests it; PAH content certification against the BaP and 8-PAH limits if the finished goods reach the EU; and a certificate of origin consistent with your own compliance and banking requirements.

A supplier who supplies these without being chased is telling you something useful about how they operate. One who offers typical-properties sheets in place of batch data is telling you something too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sanyang Petroleum is a Malaysia-based supplier of process oils and base oils to industrial buyers across Asia Pacific, South Asia and the Middle East. To request a specification sheet, sample COA or current availability on the Sanyang TDAE Series, contact our trading desk at info@sanyangpetroleum.com or submit an RFQ.