1. A colorless liquid hydrocarbon (C₁₆H₃₄) used as a standard in measuring the ignition quality of diesel fuel.
Usage: chemistry; fuel industry
2. The cetane number, a rating that indicates how easily diesel fuel ignites under compression.
Usage: automotive; technical

Examples

• Diesel engines rely on the cetane rating to determine fuel quality.
• Higher cetane numbers improve cold-start performance in diesel vehicles.
• The fuel additive was designed to boost the cetane content of the blend.
• Cetane is used as a reference standard in laboratory testing.
• Modern diesel fuels typically have a cetane number between 40 and 55.