What does 'PAT passed' mean?

You may see 'PAT passed' mentioned on our site for certain materials. Here's a brief explanation as to what it means and why it's relevant.

PAT passed materials have been tested for their suitability to store photographic materials. 'PAT' stands for Photographic Activity Test and is an international standard test (ISO18916).

Simply put, for a material to pass the PAT test it must not affect adversly the stability or appearance of a photograph, slide or other photographic media. The assessment accelerates the processes of aging to see if a material will cause harm to photographic materials when stored for a long period.

The PAT test is relevant for any material that is in direct contact with photographs, be that; mounting board, boxes, folders, sleeves, interleaving paper and more.

It's important to remember that the PAT test is a quick reference to help choose the best materials for photographic storage. There are many other materials that have not been tested but are perfectly suitable. 

Our corrugated board (1.6mm and 3mm) and white mounting card are both PAT passed. You can view more information about our PAT passed materials here.