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In many cases, lubricant suppliers will add certain metals in the form of oil additives (anti-wear and anti-foam agents, friction modifiers, etc.). When you send in a sample, it's important to specifically identify the oil so the lab can cross reference these additives to determine if "good" metals are depleting or if "bad" metals are increasing. "Wear metals and contaminants are related to what's happening with your equipment, and additive metals are related to what's happening with your oil," says Bell.
"Get to know the data," says Mark Minges, CEO at POLARIS Laboratories. "Look at the numbers and become familiar with what they mean."

The lab should be able to provide you with a reference library that identifies each metal with a possible source component. In some cases, the list is printed on the back of the report or you can find it on the lab's web site. For example, an increase in iron typically correlates to wear in cylinder liners, whereas chromium is related to piston rings, etc. "This gives you an idea of what an elevated reading could possibly mean," says Ewing.

Wear metals are reported in ppm (parts per million), and each metal and each engine manufacturer has a different condemning level. For instance, there will likely be higher levels of iron allowed in a sample than lead, since iron is a base metal in so many engine components. Also, a Detroit Diesel engine will likely have a different condemning level for metals than a Caterpillar engine.

This is why it's important to provide make and model information to the lab when you send in a sample, Betner emphasizes. It can also be beneficial to find out the condemning limits from your manufacturer. "The lab may have generic condemning limits," he says. "But by finding out the condemning limits for the manufacturer, you can marry the knowledge of the lab with the knowledge of the engine builder. It's like blood pressure for a person. While 120/80 is average, it isn't necessarily normal for a particular individual. It's very difficult to customize condemning limits for every manufacturer, and it's nearly impossible to customize them for every customer."