FAQ

SSPC (www.SSPC.org) is known as The Coatings Society and they provide the industrial coatings industry with industry wide surface preparation standards.  Below are the most common surface preparation standards in use today and a brief description of each standard.

SSPC SP-1 Solvent Cleaning Removal of all visible oil, grease, soil, drawing and cutting compounds, and other soluble contaminants from steel surfaces with solvent, vapor, cleaning compound, alkali, emulsifying agent, or steam.

SSPC SP-2 Hand Tool Cleaning Removes all loose mill scale, loose rust, loose paint, and other loose detrimental foreign matter by hand chipping, scraping, sanding, and wire brushing.

SSPC SP-3 Power Tool Cleaning Removes all loose mill scale, loose rust, loose paint, and other loose detrimental foreign matter by power wire brushing, power sanding, power grinding, power tool chipping, and power tool descaling.

SSPC SP-5 White Metal Blast Cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, coating, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter.

SSPC SP-6 Commercial Blast Cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, coating, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter of at least 66-2/3% of unit area, which shall be a square 3 in. x 3 in. (9 sq. in.).  Light shadows, slight streaks, or minor discolorations caused by stains of rust, stains of mill scale, or stains of previously applied coating in less than 33-1/3% of the unit area is acceptable.

SSPC SP-7 Brush-Off Blast Cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, loose mill scale, loose rust, and loose coating.  Tightly adherent mill scale, rust, and coating may remain on the surface.  Mill scale, rust, and coating are considered tightly adherent if they cannot be removed by lifting with a dull putty knife.

SSPC SP-10 Near-White Blast Cleaning When viewed without magnification shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, coating, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter of at least 95% of each unit area.  Staining shall be limited to no more than 5 percent of each unit area, and may consist of light shadows, slight streaks, or minor discolorations caused by stains of rust, stains of mill scale, or stains of previously applied coatings.  Unit area shall be approximately 3 in. x 3 in. (9 sq. in.).

SSPC SP-11 Power Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, mill scale, rust, paint, oxides, corrosion products, and other foreign matter.  Slight residues of rust and paint may be left in the lower portion of pits if the original surface is pitted.  The surface profile shall not be less than 1 mil (25 microns).

SSPC SP-13 Surface Preparation of Concrete Provides requirements for surface preparation of concrete by mechanical, chemical, or thermal methods prior to the application of bonded protective coating or lining systems.

SSPC SP-14 Industrial Blast Cleaning Removal of all visible oil, grease, dust and dirt, when viewed without magnification.  Traces of tightly adherent mil scale, rust, and coating residues are permitted to remain on 10% of each unit area of the surface if they are evenly distributed.  Shadows, streaks, and discoloration caused by stains of rust, stains of mill scale, and stains of previously applied coating may be present on the remainder of the surface.