Last verified: 3 Jul 2026. Standards, effective dates and certificate scopes change and enforcement dates move — always confirm the current position with the issuing authority or a licensed customs broker before acting. Altonex Global is a B2B trade-expo and supplier-discovery platform; it does not issue certificates, provide compliance services, or act in any of the regulatory processes described — these are obligations of the supplier/exporter and the importer.
Is API SP still a valid, licensable category now that API SQ exists, or has SP been withdrawn?
API SP has not been superseded, withdrawn, or deprecated. As of March 2025, the API Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS) lists both SQ and SP — alongside SN, SM, SL, and SJ — in the top portion of the API Donut. A procurement manager reviewing a datasheet dated 2025 or 2026 that carries the API SP designation is looking at a product meeting a current, valid, and fully licensable category.
The relationship between SQ and SP is additive, not replacement. API SQ introduces additional engine-test sequences, new ultra-low viscosity grades, and a tighter aftertreatment-protection requirement. It does not cancel SP. Buyers and distributors evaluating shelf stock or incoming shipments labeled API SP need not question the validity of that label on that basis alone.
What are the key technical differences between API SP and API SQ?
Three categories of change distinguish SQ from SP: new engine-test sequences, new viscosity grades, and a tighter hardware-protection limit.
Engine-test sequences updated or added in API SQ:
- Sequence IIIH (updated in SQ)
- Sequence VH (updated in SQ)
- Sequence VI (updated in SQ)
- Sequence X (carried over from SP)
- Sequence IX — aged-oil Low-Speed Pre-Ignition (LSPI) protection (new in SQ). API SP and ILSAC GF-6 screened LSPI on fresh oil only, using the Sequence IX test; API SQ and ILSAC GF-7 add an aged-oil version of that same Sequence IX LSPI test, confirming anti-LSPI performance after the oil has been degraded over a simulated drain interval. (Sequence IVB is the separate valvetrain-wear test, not an LSPI test.)
Viscosity grades newly covered under API SQ:
- SAE 0W-8 and SAE 0W-12 — ultra-low viscosity grades not addressed by API SP or ILSAC GF-6. These grades are designed for specific OEM engines built to extract maximum fuel economy; they carry strict application constraints and must not be used where SP or older grades are specified.
Sulfated-ash limit: API SQ sets a maximum of 0.9% by mass, specifically to protect gasoline particulate filters (GPFs) and catalytic converters present in engines designed for SQ-category oil. This 0.9% ceiling is the same as the one already set in API SP; it is retained in SQ to protect modern aftertreatment hardware.
How do ILSAC GF-7A and GF-7B relate to API SQ, and does a sourcing manager need to track all three labels separately?
ILSAC GF-7 (sub-categories GF-7A and GF-7B) became licensable on the same date as API SQ: 31 March 2025. The two certification systems are parallel and complementary, not identical.
| Label | Viscosity grades covered | LSPI requirement | Issuing body |
|---|---|---|---|
| API SQ | Broad, including 0W-8 and 0W-12 | Fresh-oil (IVB) + aged-oil (IX) | API (American Petroleum Institute) |
| ILSAC GF-7A | 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30 | Fresh-oil + aged-oil (aligned with SQ) | ILSAC (API + AAMA joint) |
| ILSAC GF-7B | 0W-16 only | Fresh-oil + aged-oil | ILSAC |
| ILSAC GF-6A (prior) | 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30 | Fresh-oil only | ILSAC |
| ILSAC GF-6B (prior) | 0W-16 only | Fresh-oil only | ILSAC |
A sourcing manager does need to track the distinction for certain vehicle types. SQ covers 0W-8 and 0W-12 grades that GF-7 does not address at all — so for engines requiring those ultra-low viscosity grades, GF-7A or GF-7B alone is not sufficient. For the mainstream grades (0W-20, 5W-30, and similar), an oil meeting GF-7A will typically also meet API SQ, but the supplier's product datasheet and API license status are the authoritative check.
If API SQ is backward compatible with SP, SN, SM, SL, and SJ, what stops a buyer from sourcing only SQ for all vehicle types?
The backward compatibility is real: an SQ-certified oil meets and exceeds the performance requirements of all earlier S-service categories. In theory, an SQ product can be used wherever SP, SN, SM, SL, or SJ is specified.
In practice, three constraints make a single-SKU SQ sourcing strategy less straightforward than it appears:
Constraints that limit a blanket switch to SQ:
- Application gate for ultra-low viscosity grades: SAE 0W-8 and 0W-12 under API SQ are designed for specific engines built to accept them. Using a 0W-8 product in an engine specifying 5W-30 or 10W-40 is not covered by backward compatibility — viscosity grade compatibility and performance-category backward compatibility are separate questions. The OEM viscosity specification always takes precedence.
- Aftermarket fleet reality: The global installed vehicle fleet — particularly in developing markets that represent high-volume export demand — is heavily weighted toward vehicles designed for SP, SN, or older categories. These vehicles do not require and often cannot justify the formulation cost of a full SQ product. Distributors supplying workshops in price-sensitive markets typically maintain SP-grade lines to match actual fleet demand.
- Price structure: SQ formulations carry the cost of additional engine-test certification and stricter hardware-protection chemistry. Substituting SQ across the full stocking range where SP is sufficient adds cost without adding performance benefit for the vehicles being serviced.
The practical answer for most distributors: maintain SP-grade lines for the existing fleet, introduce SQ for model-year 2026 and newer vehicles as they appear in the local fleet, and review the stocking split as fleet composition shifts over time.
Which export markets are already specifying API SQ in 2025–2026, and which still run primarily on API SP?
Demand for API SQ in any export market is governed by one factor above all others: the proportion of vehicles in that market's fleet that were manufactured to a specification requiring SQ or GF-7. Because SQ became licensable only on 31 March 2025, and because model-year 2026 is the first full vehicle generation designed with SQ in mind, the current global share of SQ-requiring vehicles is very small.
For markets where the majority of the vehicle parc is pre-2024 model years — which describes most developing-country, Middle East, and African markets — API SP remains the dominant specification by volume today. Fleet turnover is slow; a market's average vehicle age means that even if new-vehicle registrations begin requiring SQ from 2026 onward, the installed base will still be predominantly SP-compatible for years.
The directional trajectory is clear: as model-year 2026 and later vehicles — built for SQ-certified oil — enter the global fleet, demand for SQ-certified product will grow. Exporters sourcing for technologically advanced fleets (Japan, South Korea, North America, Western Europe) will encounter SQ specification requirements sooner than those supplying markets where older vehicle generations predominate.
Exporters listing products on Altonex Global should note that the API certification category is a verifiable, label-level claim. The specification a supplier's product actually holds is confirmed through the API EOLCS license directory — buyers conducting due diligence will check there. See the B2B Buyer's Sourcing Guide for the broader due-diligence framework.
What happens to API SP-labeled and GF-6-labeled stock after October 2026 — is it unsellable, or just unlabelable for new marks?
The October 2026 transition deadline concerns the display of API certification marks on newly produced product, not the performance validity of the oil itself.
API extended the GF-6 to GF-7 transition period to 18 months. Under this extension:
Key transition dates for mark display:
- From 31 March 2026: oils meeting only ILSAC GF-6A are no longer eligible to display the API Starburst mark on newly produced product. Oils meeting only ILSAC GF-6B are no longer eligible to display the API Shield mark.
- From 1 October 2026: the GF-6/GF-7 overlap transition period closes. ILSAC GF-6A and GF-6B oils may no longer be marketed under those marks.
- API SP itself remains a licensable and valid performance category beyond these dates — the mark-eligibility rules above apply specifically to the ILSAC Starburst and Shield marks, not to the API SP performance category as a whole.
For exporters and distributors holding API SP stock: the performance specification and backward-compatibility properties of the oil do not change at these dates. The dates primarily affect the labeling of newly manufactured batches and the display of ILSAC marks. Buyers conducting procurement checks should review current label claims against the transition timeline and confirm active license status with the API EOLCS directory at the time of order.
How should an exporter decide which API category to list when registering products on a B2B platform?
The decision framework is straightforward: list only what the product actually holds, confirmed by current API EOLCS license status. Three rules apply.
Exporter listing decision framework:
- One category claim per product, verified: the API category on the product datasheet and the label must match the active license in the API EOLCS directory. Buyers in regulated markets (and their technical teams) cross-reference the directory. A product claiming SP without a live SP license, or claiming SQ before achieving SQ certification, is a compliance and commercial risk.
- Do not conflate "meets the spec" with "OEM approved": a product formulated to the API SQ performance requirements meets the API SQ specification. That is not the same as holding an OEM approval from a specific vehicle manufacturer. OEM approvals (such as dexos1 Gen 3, which builds on the GF-6/SP foundation) are separate, manufacturer-specific licenses that require the OEM's own testing and authorization. Listing an OEM approval on a datasheet requires holding that specific approval — meeting the underlying spec is a necessary but not sufficient condition.
- Viscosity grade and performance category are separate declarations: a product listed as "0W-20, API SQ" carries two verifiable claims. Both must be accurate. An SP-formulated product in a 0W-20 grade is correctly listed as "0W-20, API SP" — not as "0W-20, API SQ" even if the viscosity grade is also covered by SQ products.
Suppliers who register on Altonex Global and list their lubricant products provide these specifications in their booth listings. The platform displays what registered suppliers list; buyers use the RFQ system to request datasheets, certificates, and confirmation of license status directly from the supplier. Submit an inquiry at the RFQ Center, or review how the supplier discovery and RFQ process works at How Altonex Global Works.