Storage climate by material

Choose a storage climate to suit the material and the type of room. The Dutch Archiefregeling has separate climate rules for archive repositories and temporary archive rooms. Its source is in Dutch; the Dutch legal values below are used as a reference. RH means relative humidity, the moisture level in the air.

Archive repositories: article 54a

Article 54a sets out the values for each material below. The ± sign shows the allowed range around a value. For example, 50% ± 5% spans 45% to 55%.

Material	RH	Temperature
Paper, parchment, wax, leather, textiles, wood, photographs on paper and optical discs	50% ± 5%	18 ± 2 °C
Black-and-white negatives, except for the film types in the next row	35% ± 5%	13 ± 2 °C
Black-and-white negatives on diacetate, triacetate or nitrate film; colour negatives	38% ± 5%	−20 ± 2 °C
Master tapes	40% ± 2%	10 ± 2 °C
Working copies of tapes	40% ± 2%	18 ± 2 °C

Check the film type before you select a row. If you are unsure, ask for help to identify what you hold.

Temporary archive rooms: article 45a

For a temporary archive room (archiefruimte), article 45a sets RH at 50% ± 10%, kept as steady as possible. The temperature range is 16 to 20 °C. It may reach 25 °C for no more than ten days each year.

Check which type of room you manage. Keep the right article and the matching values in your records.

Track conditions in the room

Ask your building manager which humidity and temperature measuring points exist. Agree who will review the readings and act when a value is out of range.

A mixed collection may hold materials that need different climates. List what you keep in each room or on each shelf. Discuss the choice of storage climate with the person who cares for the collection.

Storage climate check (in preparation)

A selection aid is in preparation. You then select the material and the room type and see the RH and temperature bands from the tables. Set those bands beside your own readings.

Keep gas test results with your climate records too. See Air measurements. To discuss a plan, describe the room and its contents.