Lubrizol has introduced its CV1700 heavy-duty engine oil additive series ahead of the January 1, 2027 first licensing date for API CL-4 and FB-4, the new heavy-duty diesel engine oil categories replacing CK-4 and FA-4.

According to Lubrizol, the CV1700 Series is its additive solution for the next generation of API heavy-duty diesel engine oil specifications and is being made available well ahead of first licensing. The company says the early availability is intended to give lubricant marketers time to complete formulation, qualification and commercial preparations before the new categories enter the market.

The Lubrizol launch is another indication that the PC-12 transition is moving from specification development toward commercial implementation. API has incorporated CL-4 and FB-4 into API 1509, with first licensing and allowable use beginning January 1, 2027.

CL-4 succeeds CK-4 as the backward-compatible heavy-duty diesel engine oil category, while FB-4 succeeds FA-4 and is intended for lower-high-temperature/high-shear viscosity applications in engines designed for its use.

Lubrizol says its CV1700 technology is designed to help oil marketers address the more demanding performance requirements associated with the new categories while providing formulation flexibility across the heavy-duty engine oil market.

The timing is significant for lubricant marketers preparing products for the 2027 transition. Additive selection is one of the early steps in moving a new engine oil from specification development into commercial production, followed by formulation work, qualification, licensing, packaging and production planning.

With Lubrizol now making commercial additive technology available, the January 1 first-license date is becoming less a future specification milestone and more an approaching product-launch deadline.

For lubricant distributors, the immediate significance is that the supply chain supporting CL-4 and FB-4 is beginning to take shape months before the new categories can first be licensed.