The EU directive regarding REACH and the registration of chemical substances from outside Europe, along with the shortage of raw materials caused by the war in Ukraine, prompted CorteCros® to start researching and substituting local raw material readily available to them. In doing so, CorteCros® found a suitable alternative directly in Croatia to replace the raw material carrier found in Cortec’s VpCI®-325 rust preventative. A test batch of VpCI®-325 CC was produced using the new carrier, and samples were sent to the Cortec® World Headquarters laboratory in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for testing.
Evaluation Process
VpCI®-325 CC was compared with regular VpCI®-325 and evaluated according to these standards:
- Product specification must be similar to the existing version of VpCI®-325
- Humidity chamber performance must be similar to the existing version of VpCI®-325
Evaluating VpCI®-325 CC
Test |
Specifications for VpCI®-325 | Results for VpCI®-325 CC |
Visual | Tan to light brown slightly viscous liquid | Yellow, slightly viscous liquid |
Density | 6.8-7.0 lbs./gal (0.8 kg/L) | 6.94 lbs./gal (0.8 kg/L) |
Non-Volatile Content (Tested for 20 min. at 248 °F [120 °C]) | 33.0-42.0% | 36.5% |
Humidity Testing (ASTM D1748)
Steel Panels Coated with VpCI®-325 and VpCI®-325 CC

Photo after 5712 hours of humidity testing.
Based on the results presented above, it was concluded that VpCI®-325 CC fully meets the required properties for corrosion protection. VpCI®-325 CC has a more prominent yellow hue than regular VpCI®-325, but there is no change in the inhibitor package and protection is comparable.
The CorteCros® production and sales team are now making efforts to familiarize customers with the new product, which—judging by preliminary responses—will soon find its place on the EU market!
Contact CorteCros® to learn more about this innovative response to raw material challenges: https://cortecros.com/contact/
Keywords: VpCI-325, REACH alternatives, corrosion protection, rust preventative, CorteCros, humidity testing, Cortec World Headquarters, registration of chemicals in EU, accelerated weather testing, raw material shortage