Brake manufacturers choose NSF as brake friction registrar

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The states of California and Washington recently enacted legislation to limit the amount of copper and other constituents used in brake friction materials. To demonstrate brake manufacturers’ compliance with new state regulations, the Brake Manufacturers Council (BMC) of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) has selected NSF International to serve as its official registrar.

The California and Washington regulations are scheduled to begin in 2014 and will be in full effect by 2025. Both states require a third-party registrar to verify which friction materials do not exceed the allowable amount of regulated material and to publicly list friction materials complying with the laws.

“The BMC is committed to reducing the role of copper and constituents contained in brake friction material. Over the last several years, the Council appointed a committee which developed certification guidelines, product and packaging marking and worked with the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE International) to create material testing standards,” said Brake Manufacturers Council Chairman Bob Wilkes. “Through the committee’s efforts, the BMC issued a call for proposals, which led to the selection of NSF International to be its registrar of record.”

To allow consumers to know which of the three levels of compliance a brake pad has reached, the BMC has created a new set of trademarks (the LeafMarks), which will appear on brake packaging and the brakes themselves. There are three different LeafMarks – one for each level:

Level “A” regulates cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and asbestos.

Level “B” is the same as A but copper must be less than 5 weight percent.

Level “N” is the same as B but copper must be less than 0.5 weight percent.

NSF International has been granted the right to authorize the use of the BMC’s LeafMark to manufacturers in compliance through stringent testing standards.