The Minimum Ignition Temperature – Dust Cloud (MIT-cloud) test determines the relative minimum temperature at which a given dust cloud will “auto-ignite when exposed to air heated in an oven at atmospheric pressure. The dust sample is blown by a pulse of air into an electrically heated, cylindrical oven which is arranged vertically. The test is run at different temperatures until the minimum temperature required for ignition is established. Ignition is considered to have taken place when the dust blown into the oven ignites or decomposes producing flames or explosion.

Data obtained from the MIT-cloud test may be used to assess the susceptibility of a dust cloud to ignition by hot surfaces and friction/grinding sparks.

The Minimum Ignition Temperature – Dust Cloud (MIT-cloud) test is performed in accordance with the requirements of the current edition of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E1491.