
Published 2022-12-11
We help you comply with the National Archives regulations
Here are excerpts from the National Archives’ regulations and general advice on the indoor climate in archive premises (RA-FS 2013:4) and our measurement solutions that help you document your archive climate.
Chapter 8 Protection against harmful climate and environmental impacts in archive premises
1 § The archive premises shall be adapted to the documents stored there in terms of temperature, relative humidity, air purity and other environmental factors. Only materials that do not adversely affect the documents may be used in the archive room and its construction, finishes and furnishings. Documents shall not be exposed to light other than that necessary for their care and access. Documents that may adversely affect each other should be kept separate.
2 § The archive room must not be in direct contact with the outdoor environment. The entrance and pedestrian or transport route to the archive premises shall be equipped with an airlock. An airlock need not be provided for the emergency escape route in the outer wall of the archive room if the emergency escape route is intended only for emergency evacuation.
3 § The air temperature and relative humidity in the archive premises shall be kept stable and continuously monitored. The checks and any actions taken shall be documented.
General advice: In general, a lower storage temperature increases the lifespan of documents provided that the humidity can be kept at an appropriate and constant level. Diurnal variation of air temperature should not be greater than ± 2 °C. For relative humidity, the diurnal variation should not be greater than ± 5 %. For the long-term storage of documents, the air temperature and relative humidity of the archive room should have the following values.
Material | Air temperature | Relative humidity |
---|---|---|
Paper | ≤ 18 °C | 35% |
Magnetic data carriers | ≤ 15 °C | 30% |
Optical data carriers | ≤ 18 °C | 35% |
Black and white films and images | ≤ 18 °C | 30% |
Color films and images | ≤ -5 °C | 30% |
Nitrate film and negatives | ≤ 2 °C | 30% |
Acetate film | ≤ 2 °C | 30% |
Microfilm (security copy) | ≤ 12 °C | 30% |
Solutions to document the climate in your archive
Here are two examples of product ranges that fit well in archives. Give us a call on 031-704 10 70 if you need more info or if you need a more customized solution. You can also send questions via our form.

testo 160 series
Our WiFi data logger series testo 160 automatically monitors among other things humidity, temperature and light conditions in your warehouse. An alarm is sent if, for example, the humidity is too high. Reports are automatically sent at the desired interval to a list of recipients by email.
WiFi data logger testo 160 TH for temp and humidity: €2,175
WiFi data logger testo 160 THL for temp, humidity, light and UV: 5,450 €.
Cloud service: 170 kr/year

testo 174 series
We also have standard data loggers that continuously record the humidity and temperature of the archive room. Afterwards, it is possible to read the logger’s memory and print reports.
Datalogger testo 174 H (starter kit): 1 795:-.
Subsequent units: 1 095:- /piece
PC software: free to download
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Contact persons

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SALES
Mats Landin
Area of responsibility: Ventilation, Construction, Air conditioning
mats.landin@nordtec.se
031-704 10 85
031-704 10 70