Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX and VX hydraulic fluids launched to extend performance and lower environmental impact1

28 April, 2025

Scientists collaborating at Shell Technology Center Houston-1

Zinc-free hydraulic fluids have the potential to reduce deposit formation and ecotoxicity, but some have been known to compromise on wear protection. Major hydraulic equipment manufacturers like Bosch Rexroth are tightening fluid requirements to meet the increasingly severe needs of today’s more compact, higher-pressure hydraulic systems. These systems require fluids with performance beyond established DIN and ISO standards, which few zinc-free fluids can achieve.

With new Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX and Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 VX fluids, Shell Lubricants becomes one of only a few companies to offer customers HM and HV zinc-free hydraulic fluids that are Bosch Rexroth RDE 90245 listed.2 This independent, third-party approval enables customers to select zinc-free fluids with the confidence that they have the performance and compatibility required to operate today’s equipment cost-effectively. For example, tough tests indicate that Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX offers a 5,000-hour oil-drain interval, up to four times less sludge formation and 91% less wear than the limit of the Parker Denison T6H20C double pump test. This oil and equipment durability translates into lower total equipment ownership costs. Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX also has third-party validation of OECD and EPA test data to confirm its lower environmental impact compared with other hydraulic fluids.1

“Many customers, including in sectors such as mining and manufacturing, want to use zinc-free fluids to comply with original equipment manufacturers (OEM) specifications, for environmental reasons and for compatibility,” says Emma Mallinson, Shell Tellus Brand Manager, “with some holding back over a perceived lack of wear protection. However, not all fluids are the same. The latest technologies enable us to engineer zinc-free fluids with exceptional wear protection. And not all zinc-free fluids have data to back ecotoxicity assumptions. Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX and VX are different. Rigorous independent, third-party testing demonstrates that they offer zinc-free environmental and cleanliness benefits, with excellent wear performance and compatibility.”

Shell Tellus Zinc Free S3 MX and VX are compatible and miscible with leading mineral and synthetic zinc-based and zinc-free products, making it easy for customers to introduce the new formulation to their equipment.

For further information, including on tests and specifications, see https://www.shell.com/shell-tellus-zinc-free-s3-mx

 ¹Lower environmental impact compared with hydraulic fluids without low ecotoxicity test results. Finished lubricant classified as ‘not harmful’ when tested, by a third-party laboratory, as water-accommodated fractions (WAF) according to OECD 202 test guidelines. This finished lubricant is tested to industry standards by a third-party laboratory, according to OECD test guidelines for OECD 202, to determine toxic potential. Ecotoxicity terminology defined by ASTM D 6384-99. When an environmentally acceptable lubricant, in accordance with US EPA, ISO 15380 or EEL (EU Ecolabel), is required, we recommend our Shell PANOLIN range.

 ²Bosch Rexroth approval on Rating List RDE 90245: www.boschrexroth.com/en/gb/products/engineering/hydraulic-fluids/