Determining Humidity Requirements of Materials

No single level of relative humidity provides adequate moisture content in all hygroscopic materials. Moisture content requirements
vary greatly from one material to the next. We will discuss typical hygroscopic materials which require specific RH levels to avoid
moisture loss and materials deterioration and/or production problems that result.

Table 12-1. Recommended Relative Humidities

Process or Product Temp. °F %RH Process or Product Temp. °F %RH Process or Product Temp. °F %RH
Residences 70-72 30 Switchgear: Tea
Fuse & cutout assembly 73 50 Packaging 65 65
Libraries & Museums Capacitor winding 73 50
Archival 55-65 35 Paper Storage 73 50 Tobacco
Art storage 60-72 50 Conductor wrapping with yarn 75 65-70 Cigar & cigarette making 70-75 55-65
Stuffed fur animals 40-50 50 Lightning arrester assembly 68 20-40 Softening 90 85-88
Communication Centers Thermal circuit breakers Stemming & stripping 75-85 70-75
Telephone terminals 72-78 40-50 assembly & test 75 30-60 Packing & shipping 73-75 65
Radio & TV studios 74-78 30-40 High-voltage transformer repair 79 55 Filler tobacco casing
Water wheel generators: & conditioning 75 75
General Commercial & Public Buildings Thrust runner lapping 70 30-50 Filler tobacco storage
70-74 20-30 Rectifiers: & preparation 77 70
(including cafeterias, restaurants, airport terminals, Processing selenium & Wrapper tobacco storage
office buildings, & bowling centers) copper oxide plates 73 30-40 & conditioning 75 75
Hospitals & Health Facilities Pharmaceuticals
Fur
General clinical areas 72 30-60 Powder storage (prior to mfg) * *
Storage 40-50 55-65
Surgical area Manufactured powder storage
Operating rooms 68-76 50-60 Gum & packing areas 75 35
Recovery rooms 75 50-60 Manufacturing 77 33 Milling room 75 35
Obstetrical Rolling 68 63 Tablet compressing 75 35
Full-term nursery 75 30-60 Stripping 72 53 Tablet coating room 75 35
Special care nursery 75-80 30-60 Breaking 73 47 Effervescent tablets
Wrapping 73 58 and powders 75 20
Industrial Hygroscopic Materials Hypodermic tablets 75 30
Abrasive
Leather Colloids 75 30-50
Manufacture 79 50
Drying 68-125 75 Cough drops 75 40
Ceramics Storage, winter room temp. 50-60 40-60 Glandular products 75 5-10
Refractory 110-150 50-90 Ampoule manufacturing 75 35-50
Molding Room 80 60-70 Lenses (Optical) Gelatin capsules 75 35
Clay Storage 60-80 35-65 Fusing 75 45 Capsule storage 75 35
Decalcomania production 75-80 48 Grinding 80 80 Microanalysis 75 50
Decorating Room 75-80 48 Biological manufacturing 75 35
Matches Liver extracts 75 35
Cereal Manufacture 72-73 50 Serums 75 50
Packaging 75-80 45-50 Drying 70-75 60 Animal rooms 75-80 50
Storage 60-63 50 Small animal rooms 75-78 50
Distilling *Store in sealed plastic containers in sealed drums.
Storage Mushrooms
Spawn added 60-72 nearly sat. Photographic Processing
Grain 6 35-40
Growing period 50-60 80 Photo studio
Liquid Yeast 32-33
Storage 32-35 80-85 Dressing room 72-74 40-50
General manufacturing 60-75 45-60
Studio (camera room) 72-74 40-50
Aging 65-72 50-60
Paint Application Film darkroom 70-72 45-55
Electrical Products Oils, paints: Paint spraying 60-90 80 Print darkroom 70-72 45-55
Electronics & X-ray: Drying room 90-100 35-45
Plastics Finishing room 72-75 40-55
Coil & transformer winding 72 15
Manufacturing areas: Storage room
Semi conductor assembly 68 40-50
Thermosetting molding b/w film & paper 72-75 40-60
Electrical instruments:
compounds 80 25-30 color film & paper 40-50 40-50
Manufacture & laboratory 70 50-55
Cellophane wrapping 75-80 45-65 Motion picture studio 72 40-55
Thermostat assembly
& calibration 75 50-55 Plywood Static Electricity Control
Humidistat assembly Hot pressing (resin) 90 60 Textiles, paper, explosive control >55
& calibration 75 50-55 Cold pressing 90 15-25
Small mechanisms: Clean Rooms & Spaces 45
Close tolerance assembly 72 40-45 Rubber-Dipped Goods
Meter assembly & test 75 60-63 Cementing 80 25-30* Data Processing 72 45-50
Dipping surgical articles 75-80 25-30*
Storage prior to manufacture 60-75 40-50*
Laboratory (ASTM Standard) 73.4 50* Paper Processing
*Dew point of air must be below evaporation Finishing area 70-75 40-45
temperature of solvent Test laboratory 73 50

Abstracted from ASHRAE Systems and Applications Handbook.

Designs, materials, weights and performance ratings are approximate and subject to change without notice. Visit armstronginternational.com for up-to-date information.
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