During the proper and efficient storage of numerous different types of commodities and products, you are faced with dealing with excess or varying levels of moisture, humidity, etc. This can greatly affect the storage, packaging, and transportation of these products, their quality, and their shelf life. That is why it is important to use desiccants and adsorbents for the storage of products to protect them from the detrimental effects of moisture.
Humidity indicating cards when used in storage can act as simple tools that tell you how much moisture is in the air around your valuables. If the card changes color, it's a sign that humidity levels are too high and your products might be at risk. Sorbchem India is a leading supplier of these desiccant indicator cards, offering various sizes like 8%, 5%, 10%, 60%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. In this blog, we will learn how to use HICs correctly and understand what they're telling you, so you can protect your precious items from moisture damage.
How to Properly Use (HIC)?
HICs are simple tools that help you check if the moisture inside a package is safe for your items. These cards have areas that change color to show humidity levels. Using moisture indicator schematic is easy if you follow these simple steps.
Check the card: Desiccant indicator cards have colored dots that change from blue when it is dry to pink when it is humid, indicating that there is moisture in the surroundings. Before use, ensure the dots are blue, as if they’re already pink, and the card is expired or exposed to moisture.
Placement is important and key in packaging: Put the HIC inside sealed packaging, containers, or storage areas where you want to monitor humidity. For example, place it near medicines, electronics, or food products. You can place and choose a spot where you can easily see the card without opening the package. Some of the most common spots are near the top of the packaging or on the side.
Read the dots on the HIC: Each dot on the card is marked with a humidity percentage, like 5%, 10%, 30%, etc., and after some time, check which dot has turned pink. The highest pink dot that has changed colour on the card shows the current humidity level inside the packaging or in the surroundings. For example, if the 30% dot is pink, humidity is 30% or higher.
Avoid contact with storage items: Make sure the desiccant indicator doesn't touch the item you're protecting from moisture inside the packaging or storage. You can also put the card in a small protective pouch if needed. You can also use tape to keep the HIC in place during shipping or storage, as this stops it from moving around.
Different humidity ranges available: Moisture indicator cards come in different ranges to monitor various humidity levels depending on the packaging and the use in the application or setting. For sensitive electronics or pharmaceuticals needing very low moisture, can use a low humidity range card which is 5% to 15% RH. In the packaging of general electronics or food products, a medium range of 20% to 60% RH is suitable and enough. High humidity range cards that are in the range of 65% to 90% RH are usually used for items that can tolerate more moisture in the packaging and storage.
Use proper and high quality HICs: It is best and suggested to always use HICs suited to your specific needs and check out humidity indicator card how to read. Sorbchem India offers cards for low (5-10%) to high (50-60%) humidity ranges. Also, never reuse an old HIC, as it won’t give accurate results.
How to Read (HIC)?
HIC cards have spots that change color to show the humidity level15. Before you begin use, all spots should be blue, which actually shows that the card is dry, hasn't been exposed to moisture, and is ready for use. After placing the HIC inside a package, you need to check it regularly. If a spot changes to pink or purple, it means the humidity has reached the level indicated on that spot, like for example if the spot marked 30% is pink, the humidity is at least 30%.
The moisture indicator cards can show humidity levels from 5% to 95%, depending on how they are used. If the humidity is too high, it's important to change the desiccant and check that the product quality is still good. So, it's best to use humidity indicator cards along with desiccants in all situations.
Some cards can change color back to blue when humidity decreases. Cards that do not change show the highest humidity level they reached. The color change is usually fast, but it can vary with humidity and temperature. If a card is in over 90% humidity for more than 36 hours, the color might fade, damaging the card.
Advantages and Limitations (HIC)
Let us understand the many advantages of using humidity cards in the storage and packaging of various products or cargo setting.
Easy to see humidity levels inside a closed setting: HICs give a clear visual indication of the moisture levels that are present inside the packaging. The color-changing spots make it easy to see if humidity is too high.
Check if packaging works: HIC cards help confirm that the packaging keeps moisture out, protecting the contents from the detrimental factors of high humidity and moisture. If the card changes color, it signals a problem with the packaging.
Prevent damage to sensitive materials and packaging: By monitoring humidity levels inside a cargo setting or packaging, HICs can greatly help prevent damage to sensitive items like electronics and medicines and prevent spoilage.
Affordable solution: When used along with desiccants and adsorbents, HICs are a cost-effective solution for monitoring humidity in any setting.
Work with desiccants in storage: HICs can be used along with desiccants and other drying agents for better moisture control. If the HIC shows high humidity, it might be time to replace the desiccant.
HICs also have a couple of limitations, like if the card is exposed to over 90% humidity for more than 36 hours, the coloring may wash out, ruining the card. HICs only show if humidity has reached a certain level, not the exact amount of moisture, and for precise measurements, other tools might be needed.
Applications of HIC
Protecting Electronics: The cards are used with electronic devices to protect them from any damage due to humidity levels and keep within safe limits. Excess or varying levels of humidity and moisture can cause rust and damage to sensitive parts, leading to malfunctions, short circuits, and damage to sensitive parts. The cards help confirm that the packaging or storage keeps these devices dry and free from moisture damage.
Keeping potent medicines safe: Many medicines and medical supplies are sensitive to moisture, and varying humidity amounts. HICs monitor humidity in the packaging to ensure these items remain effective and safe to use throughout their shelf life. This is especially important for medications and test kits as they are potent and important for use.
Storage of food and drinks: These cards help maintain the quality of food and beverages by monitoring the humidity levels during storage and transport, as excessive humidity can lead to spoilage of food items and beverages making them unfit for consumption.
Shipping and storage settings: Humidity indicator card is mainly used in all storage and shipping applications, as they help verify that packaging protects contents from humidity, identifying any changes or increase in humidity levels through large shipping and storage settings.
Military and Aerospace: The moisture indicator paper is used in the military and aerospace industries to monitor conditions of stored equipment and safeguard them during storage and maintenance so they do not catch rust.
How the color change indicates different humidity levels?
These indicator cards have spots with special chemicals that react to moisture in the surrounding air. When the air is dry, these spots are blue, but as humidity increases, the spots will change color to purple or light purple and then pink. Each spot on the humidity indicators shows you a specific humidity level, like if the 30% spot turns pink, it means the humidity is at least 30% in the surroundings. This color change when used with color changing desiccant gives a quick, visual way to check if the environment is too humid, and if all spots are pink, the humidity is too high, and you may need to replace the desiccant.
Standards and Regulations
The cards need to follow specific rules for accuracy and safety. For instance, the military uses a guideline known as MIL-STD-810 to make sure HICs function well in various environments. They also have to be free from dangerous materials. These rules help guarantee that HICs correctly measure humidity and are safe for different uses, safeguarding delicate items.
Sorbchem India is the largest and trusted humidity indicator card supplier and we provide HICs with different sizes from 8%, 5%, 10%, 60%, 30%, 40%, 50% so you can choose according to your needs and applications requied.
