Only original manufacturers and distributors (with the permission of the original manufacturer) are allowed to list products with MPI.

To access the application system, login to your Customer Portal account and select "Submit Application" from the navigation bar. If the option is not present, use "Ask a Question" to submit a request for access. 

1. Intended Use Category: This category includes 69 subcategories that are rarely specified in architectural specifications. Physical samples are not required for testing, but a thorough review of the product literature, including TDS and SDS, is required.
2. Evaluated Performance Category: This category includes 14 subcategories of paint that are specified more frequently in architectural specifications and require some laboratory testing on a physical sample.
3. Detailed Performance Category: This category includes 109 subcategories of paint that are regularly specified in architectural specifications and require thorough testing in the lab. Each subcategory has specific tests that are required.
4. X-Green Category: This is an environmentally friendly sub-category of one of the above categories. A listing first requires that the product has passed the testing of the base category. X-Green categorizations then require a current CHPS Certification, the absence of chemicals from a banned list, and a maximum VOC of 50g/L.

Please check this link to learn more about how MPI promotes and supports environmentally friendly choices.

To submit an application, log in to your Customer Portal Account, and select "Submit Application" from the navigation bar at the top of the screen. Then, complete all the fields marked with an asterisk and hit "Submit." You will receive a confirmation message and PS# showing that the application was successful.
For further instructions, please reference our Detailed Application Walkthrough.

To submit an application, log in to your Customer Portal Account, and select "Submit Application" from the navigation bar at the top of the screen. Then, complete all the fields marked with an asterisk and hit "Submit." You will receive a confirmation message and PS# showing that the application was successful.

For further instructions, please reference our Detailed Application Walkthrough.

After submitting your application, if you have selected either a Detailed or Evaluated Performance Category, you will need to send a physical sample to the lab for testing. The application confirmation page will have your PS# and the address of our testing facility.

Secure a 1 gallon sample can with safety clips, ensure the PS# is on the can, and include a copy of the SDS and TDS with the shipment. If the sample is originating outside of the U.S., please include the TSCA form as well.

Manufacturers are responsible for all incurred costs of shipping.

If a sample arrives at the lab in a damaged state, MPI will ask for a new sample to be sent.

An MPI listing is active for up to two years, based on when the product was approved compared to the product testing schedule. When a product is due for testing, MPI will send a notice to the designated contact for the manufacturer indicating which products are due. At that time, login to the Customer Portal and fill out a confirmation testing application for the product. If required for the category type, prepare, label, and send in a sample as needed.

The time required for testing is heavily impacted by the standard being tested. Intended Use and X-Green listings are generally completed within a week, while exterior products that require accelerated weathering and biological testing (which is only performed after the accelerated weathering) can take several months. Questions on specific category testing estimates can be directed to terrance.mayes@mpi.net as noted above.

Products can be removed for several reasons. The most common is that the manufacturer has stopped producing the material and asked for the listing to be removed. More rarely, a product is removed due to repeated confirmation testing failures, and the manufacturer has declined to pursue remediation. In other cases, products are removed if the manufacturer declines or fails to send in samples for confirmation testing.

Requirements are based on the standard being used for testing. Testing generally includes established performance methods like cleansability, flexibility, accelerated weathering and many more. Specific details can be found in the requisite standards that are on offer in MPI’s online store.

The costs for testing and listing at MPI can be broken down into two main categories: Testing Fees and Listing Fees.

Testing Fees are the costs associated with MPI evaluating a product against the relevant MPI standard, and will vary both by the standard, and if it’s the product’s first time being tested (Initial) or a test for renewal (Confirmation). Confirmation testing is generally less expensive than initial testing, except in the case of X-Green and Intended Use products, which have the same Initial and Confirmation costs.

Listing Fees are the costs associated with maintaining the listings in the Approved Products List. This has two components: The Annual Listing Fee, and the Additional Listing Fee. The Annual Listing Fee is paid each year and is required by any manufacturer who wants to list a product with MPI. It allows for one listing in each category (though the product must still be tested and is subject to the Testing Fees outlined above). The Additional Listing Fee is for manufacturers who want to have multiple listings in a category. It can be added multiple times, and each instance gives an additional potential listing in every category.

For example, if a manufacturer has 1 product each in 10 categories, 4 products in MPI 10, and 2 products in MPI 15, they would be assessed the Annual Listing Fee, and 3 instances of the Additional Listing Fee (Four minus the one granted from the Annual Listing Fee). They would not have to pay any Additional Listing Fee for having 2 products in MPI 15, as that would be covered by the fees already assessed for the 4 listings in MPI 10.

For manufacturers, MPI’s testing ensures a level playing field by testing all products in a category to the same requirements. Manufacturers can point to the MPI Approval as a trusted third party performance-based assessment of their products.

For specifiers, asset owners, and contractors, MPI’s Approved Product List provides peace of mind that any listed product has met the rigorous requirements of MPI’s standards. The Approved Products List also provides a simplified and flexible way to specify a coating type for use in projects, and is made easier by the APL’s inclusion in the American Institute of Architect’s Masterspec as well as MPI’s own Decision Tree utility.

Coatings projects will specify Coatings Systems from the MPI Specification Manuals. These Coatings Systems are made up of MPI Performance Standards Categories, which are the core of the MPI Approved Products List.

Once a required Coatings System and the subsequent Performance Standard Categories have been specified; the MPI Approved Products List can by utilized to choose products listed in those Performance Standard Categories. Making the choice by looking at specific Manufacturer, VOC, Leed or Regulatory requirements. While having peace of mind that all the products listed have been submitted for, and passed, the required performance testing to be listed in those Performance Standard Categories.

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