01
Incoming inspection
Base oils and additive packages are sampled on arrival and checked against the supplier’s certificate of analysis before anything enters a storage tank.
Quality & traceability
The specification on the label is the specification in the drum.
AG Lubricants is blended and batch tested at an ISO 9001:2015 certified plant in the United Arab Emirates. AG Ethiopia does not blend — we are the authorised Ethiopian distributor, and what we are accountable for starts the moment a pallet lands.
01 / At the plant
Five stages, no shortcuts.
This is AG Lubricants FZE’s process, not ours — ISO 9001:2015 certified plant, Certificate No. 1538. Blending lubricants is not complicated. Blending them consistently, batch after batch, is, and that is where quality is actually won or lost.
02
Controlled blending
Components are dosed by weight against the formulation card, heated and circulated to a controlled temperature, and held until the blend is homogeneous.
03
In-process check
A sample is drawn from the blend tank and tested before filling starts. Nothing reaches a filling head on the assumption that the recipe was followed.
04
Filling and sealing
Bottles, pails and drums are filled on dedicated lines, weight-checked, sealed with tamper-evident closures and batch-coded.
05
Release and retention
The batch is released against a certificate of analysis. A retained sample is kept on file so any pack in the field can be traced back to its blend.
02 / In the laboratory
What is measured on every batch.
These are release tests run at the blending plant, not spot checks. A batch that misses on any one of them is held, investigated and either reworked or disposed of — it does not get shipped. The certificate of analysis travels with the batch, and we can produce it for any pack we supplied.
| Test | Method basis | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|
| Kinematic viscosity | at 40 °C and 100 °C | Confirms the grade is on target and the blend has not been cross-contaminated. |
| Viscosity index | calculated | Shows how much the oil thins as it heats — critical on long loaded climbs. |
| Flash point | closed cup | Detects light-ends contamination and confirms the base stock is correct. |
| Total base number | TBN | Measures reserve alkalinity — the oil’s capacity to neutralise combustion acids. |
| Density | at 15 °C | A fast cross-check on blend composition. |
| Appearance & colour | visual | Catches haze, water ingress and particulate before it reaches a filling head. |
03 / Specifications
What the letters on the label actually mean.
Performance categories are written by industry bodies — API in the United States, ACEA in Europe, ILSAC for fuel economy, JASO for motorcycles. Here is where each one applies across the grades we stock.
| Specification | What it covers | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|
| API SL | Petrol engine service category covering multi-grade gasoline engine oils. | SILK 8000 20W-50 |
| ACEA E7 | European heavy-duty sequence covering soot control, bore polish and deposit performance. | ULTRA PLUS 15W-40 |
| API CI-4/SL | Heavy-duty diesel category specified across much of the working fleet, with petrol capability. | ULTRA PLUS 15W-40, DIESEL ENGINE OIL 15W-40 |
| FMVSS No. 116 DOT 4 | United States federal standard for hydraulic brake fluid, with SAE J1704 and ISO 4925. | ULTRA SAFE 4 DOT 4 |
| ASTM D3306 / BS 6580 | Engine coolant and anti-freeze specifications for corrosion protection and service life. | E-PULSE LC COOLANT FCEV |
| ISO VG 10 / 46 / 68 | Viscosity grades for industrial hydraulic fluids, matched to system and ambient temperature. | HYDEN AW 10, HYDEN AW 46, HYDEN AW 68 |
| API GL-5 | Hypoid gear oil performance under high-speed shock load and high-torque low-speed conditions. | TRANS HD 1405 85W-140, VEHICLE GEAR OIL SAE 140 |
| API GL-4 | Gear oil performance for manual transmissions and gearboxes, with lower EP treat than GL-5. | TRANS HD 85W-90, TRANS EP 904 SAE 90 |
| Euro I–VI | European emission regulation stages that the heavy-duty range is formulated to support. | ULTRA PLUS 15W-40 |
Products are formulated by AG Lubricants FZE to meet the performance requirements of the categories listed. Current technical data sheets and safety data sheets are available for every grade on request.
04 / Traceability
Every pack can be traced back to its blend.
- Batch coding on every pack
Bottles, pails and drums carry a batch code that links the pack to its blend record, its release test results and its retained sample.
- Tamper-evident closures
Seals are designed so a refilled or decanted pack is obvious at the point of sale — protection for the buyer and for the brand.
- Retained samples
A sample of every batch is kept on file. If a question arises in the field months later, there is physical evidence to test, not just paperwork.
- Counterfeit reporting
If a pack looks wrong — wrong seal, wrong label, no batch code — send us the code and where you bought it. We follow every report.
05 / Once it lands
What we are accountable for here.
Blending happens in the UAE. Everything after the pallet clears customs is ours, and it is where product quality is most often lost in this market.
Authorised supply only
We buy from AG Lubricants FZE and nobody else. Lubricant counterfeiting and decanting are real problems here; an unbroken chain from the plant is the only defence that works, and it is the reason to buy from an authorised distributor at all.
Documentation checked on arrival
The certificate of analysis is matched against the batch codes on the pallet before the stock is accepted. If they do not agree, the stock does not go into our warehouse.
Storage and shelf life
5 years from date of manufacture, indoor storage. Packs are stored indoors, out of direct sun and rain, and stock is rotated against the date of manufacture rather than the date it reached us.
The right grade, or none
If the grade your handbook specifies is not in the range, we will tell you so. Selling the nearest thing to an engine that needs a different performance level is how a distributor turns a small sale into a warranty claim.
Need a technical data sheet or a grade recommendation?
Tell us the products or the machines and our technical team will send current documentation, usually within one working day.