What is ASTM D6866?

ASTM D6866 is an analytical standard developed originally to determine the biobased content of products for the USDA BioPreferred® Program.
For biobased products and natural ingredients, ASTM D6866 measures the percentage of biobased carbon as a fraction of the product’s Total Organic Carbon (TOC).
For biofuels, CO2 emissions, waste fuels, and fuel gases/hydrocarbon gases, ASTM D6866 reports the percentage of biogenic carbon as a fraction of Total Carbon (TC).

SGS Beta only offers ASTM D6866 testing Method B – Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Request Pricing

Biobased Carbon vs Biogenic Carbon

While some industries use “biobased carbon” and “biogenic carbon” interchangeably, they have a specific difference as defined in the ASTM D6866 standard:

“Biobased” means containing organic carbon of renewable origin like agricultural, plant, animal, fungi, microorganisms, marine, or forestry materials living in a natural environment in equilibrium with the atmosphere. Biobased carbon content is the amount of biobased carbon in the material or product as a percent of the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in the product.

“Biogenic” means containing carbon (organic and inorganic) of renewable origin like agricultural, plant, animal, fungi, microorganisms, macroorganisms, marine, or forestry materials. Biogenic carbon content is the amount of biogenic carbon in the material or product as a percent of the Total Carbon (TC) in the product.

Industries	Term Used	Carbon Measured
Biobased Products	Biobased	Total Organic Carbon
Natural Ingredients, e.g. F&F	Biobased	Total Organic Carbon
Biofuels	Biogenic	Total Carbon
Fuel Gases	Biogenic	Total Carbon
Waste-to-energy	Biogenic	Total Carbon

Why SGS Beta only offers ASTM D6866 Method B (AMS)

SGS Beta routinely releases results in 7 business days or less. A priority service is available for clients requiring results in 4 business days or less. The lab consistently delivers results at these turnaround times by using an accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS).

ASTM D6866 testing by AMS is faster than ASTM D6866 testing by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). AMS is an advanced method compared to LSC; it is more accurate, precise and applicable to all types of samples regardless of color or viscosity.

The AMS method only requires a few milligrams per sample compared to the LSC method, thereby making sample transport more convenient for clients.

ASTM D6866 Overview

ASTM D6866 was developed at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to satisfy legislation requiring federal agencies to give preference in procurement to manufacturers using the greatest amount of biomass in their products (per the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002).

The standard was first published in 2004. There have been several versions released since then, with the correction factor periodically adjusted to make the standard more accurate relative to the current global atmospheric carbon measurement.

ASTM D6866 is applicable to laboratories working without exposure to artificial carbon-14. Details are found in the official ASTM D6866 page.

About SGS Beta

Formerly known as Beta Analytic, SGS Beta joined the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) Subcommittee D20.96 to help author ASTM D6866 in 2004. Today, ISO 17025-accredited SGS Beta is the world’s largest biobased/biogenic content testing laboratory.

SGS Beta is a natural level isotope laboratory.

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Page last updated: April 2025