What Makes a Volkswagen VCI Approval Special?
Most industrial certifications expire every 1 to 3 years. You get tested, you pass, and then you do it all over again. But Volkswagen’s VCI film approval is different — the certificate issued for BENZ VCI films carries unlimited validity. That’s not a marketing claim; it’s printed right on the certificate: Certificate No. VW/K-GQZ-L/Propagroup_Propatech/Juli/2014, issued by Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Wolfsburg, Germany.
Why unlimited? Because VW’s testing methodology is so rigorous that once a VCI film passes, it doesn’t need to be retested — only its chemical composition is verified annually to ensure manufacturing consistency. It’s the highest level of trust an OEM can place in a packaging material.
The Numbers: Grade 2.3 Corrosion Protection
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|
| Certificate Number | VW/K-GQZ-L/Propagroup_Propatech/Juli/2014 |
| Issuing Authority | Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, Germany |
| Testing Lab | IKS Dresden GmbH (Reports UB200/057/14 & UB400/035/14) |
| Product | PROPATECH VCI Film (= 80 µm) |
| Corrosion Protection Grade | 2.3 (2.0 = Good, 3.0 = Moderate) |
| Valid For | All VW sites + global sub-suppliers |
| Validity Period | Unlimited |
What Does Grade 2.3 Mean in Plain Language?
Volkswagen uses a corrosion grading scale where 2.0 is “Good” and 3.0 is “Moderate.” A score of 2.3 means the VCI film falls firmly in the “Good” zone — very close to the best possible score. In practical terms, this means that when VW engineers tested our VCI film on steel test specimens under accelerated corrosion conditions, the metal stayed almost perfectly clean. That’s the kind of protection that Volkswagen demands for every metal component across its brands — VW, Audi, Škoda, SEAT, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley.
Valid for the Entire Volkswagen Group
The certificate explicitly states it’s valid for “all Volkswagen sites and their global internal and external sub-suppliers.” This means if you’re a Tier-1 or Tier-2 supplier to any Volkswagen Group brand anywhere in the world, using BENZ VCI films automatically satisfies VW’s packaging requirements. No additional approvals needed.
Why Indian Manufacturers Should Care
India is one of the fastest-growing automotive export markets. If you’re shipping metal components to European OEMs — especially to the Volkswagen Group — your packaging needs to meet their standards. BENZ Packaging gives you that compliance out of the box, backed by a certificate with unlimited validity from VW headquarters in Wolfsburg.
BENZ Packaging — 45+ years of expertise, certified by BMW, VW, Daimler, GM, Volvo, and Renault-Nissan. Get VW-grade VCI films ?
*BENZ Packaging is the authorized manufacturer and supplier of Propagroup S.p.A.’s VCI product range in India. Certificate No. VW/K-GQZ-L/Propagroup_Propatech/Juli/2014 was issued to Propagroup S.p.A. BENZ manufactures under a Certificate of Conformity from Propagroup (May 2023).