How to Use SSPC Standards, Specifications, and Guides

1. Scope of Systems and Specifications, SSPC Painting Manual, Volume 2, 2008 Edition
   
   
2. Definitions
   
   
3. Identification Numbers Used for SSPC Standards, Specifications, and Guides
   
   
4. Methods of Using SSPC Painting System Specifications
   

Using Specifications Without Modifications or Amendments

Modifications of Specifications

Use of Painting System Guides

5. Selection of Painting Systems by Environmental Zone
   
   General Considerations
   
   Effects of Environment on Corrosion Rates
   
   Environmental Zones
   
   Influence of Geographical Locations on Environmental Zones
   
   Special Service Requirements
   
   
6. Other Factors in Painting System Selection

Cost

Appearance

Engineering Design

Facilities Available

Sequence

Availability of Specifications

Environmental Constraints

Shop Painting vs Field Painting vs Deferred Painting

Contract Painting vs "In-House" Painting

Annual Fee Painting

7. Additional References

Scope of Systems and Specifications, SSPC Painting Manual, Volume 2, 2008 Edition

This volume contains both mandatory documents (standards, standard procedures, methods, or specifications) to be used in preparation of procurement documents for painting work, and non-mandatory documents (guides, technology updates, technology reports, and technology guides) that provide guidance in current good practice. It is the product of many years of broad open consensus work by the SSPC staff and by the leading specialists in each field of protective coatings technology.

The aims of the 2008 edition of are:

• To incorporate by means of composition/performance oriented specifications the best current technology on protective coatings;
  
  
• To update SSPC standards and specifications based upon results of many years of experience with the existing ones;
  
  
• To present an association between "environmental zones" of exposure and the selection of painting system specifications;
  
  
• To facilitate the incorporation of SSPC standards and specifications into procurement documents by reference.

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Definitions

The functional parts of this volume use terms such as specification, commentary, guide, or notes as indicated below:

• Standard
  A specification, practice, or test method that has
  been formally adopted. SSPC standards include specifications and guides, each of which may refer to other standards.
  
  
• Specification
  A detailed description of requirements of a product or process that can be incorporated into a procurement document.
  
  
• Method
  A form of standard describing a precise procedure or technique used for performing a specific task.
  
  
• Painting System
  A term intended to include, with equal emphasis, not only the well accepted components of a system such as surface preparation and paint materials, but also the application, inspection, and safety functions.
  
  
• Painting System Materials Specification
  A specification that covers only the paint in a multi-coat system without specifying surface preparation, film thickness, and application.
  
  
• Coating System
  A term which refers to the applied and cured multi-layer film or to the components of a system based on non-paint type coating such as thermal spray coatings.
  
  
• Commentary
  Explanatory remarks at the beginning of a chapter, describing the background and proper use of the specifications and guides. (This is not a part of the specifications and guides, but often is important in their selection and use.)
  
  
• Guide
  A set of instructions or organized information based on a consensus of "best industry practice." Material contained in a non-mandatory guide may be extracted and used in preparation of procurement documents, although the guide itself is not suitable for reference in procurement documents because it does not contain mandatory language. Painting system guides are coded SSPC-PS Guide 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 4.00, etc. and are to be used to select painting system specifications. The guides to safety in paint application (SSPC-PA Guide 3) and maintenance (SSPC-PA Guide 4 and SSPC-PA Guide 5) aid in establishing standard practices, procedures, and specifications for coating application and maintenance.
  
  
• Notes
  Additional information at the end of a specification that is not considered a mandatory requirement.
  
  
• Qualification Procedure
  A procedure that defines a sequence of actions or functions an individual or organization must meet to establish or verify a specified level of competence.
  
  
• Joint Technical Report
  A report issued by an SSPC/NACE technical committee to address the state of the art of a particular technology.
  
  
• Technology Update
  A consensus SSPC document prepared by a committee that describes and assesses a new material, procedure, concept, method, or other area of technology. Technology Updates are considered "fast track" documents and skip some steps in the standards approval process. A technology update is not suitable for referencing in a specification or procurement document because it does not contain mandatory language, although information from a technology update may be extracted and referenced in a contract. It differs from a technical article in a journal in that it represents a consensus of balanced interests, not a single author's viewpoint.

Other terms sometimes used in the industry include:

• Practice
  A form of standard that is a procedure, guide, or service that may or may not be auxiliary to a test method or a specification
  
  
• Test Method
  A form of standard that covers sampling and subsequent testing procedures used in determining the properties, composition, or performance for materials, products, systems, or services that may be specified. A test method does not include the kind of numerical limits for the properties, composition, or performance that should normally be included in a specification.

Other terms are covered in the glossary section of Good Painting Practice, SSPC Painting Manual, Volume 1 and in SSPC's Protective Coatings Glossary.

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Identification Numbers Used for SSPC Standards, Specifications, and Guides

Designations for the SSPC standards, specifications, technology reports, technology updates, and their abbreviations are listed below. The term "Paint," used as the designation for SSPC paint specifications, is the only term not abbreviated.

AB	=	Abrasive
CS	=	Coating System
ME	=	Method
PA	=	Paint Application
Paint	=	Paint or Coating
PS	=	Painting System
QP	=	Qualification Procedure
SP	=	Surface Preparation
TR	=	Joint Technology Report
TU	=	Technology Update

The word "Guide" is placed before the number portion of the identification for those documents that are guides; for example, SSPC-PA Guide 3 and SSPC-Guide 6.

The latest issue of the specification is to be used unless otherwise specified.

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Methods of Using SSPC Painting System Specifications

• Using Specifications Without Modifications or Amendments
  
  Each painting system specification may be used in its entirety, by proper reference in the procurement documents, to cover all usual requirements for the intended use. To do this, simply specify that the steel or structure shall be painted "in accordance with SSPC-PS ____." Used without modification, these SSPC painting systems cover many of the normal painting problems that are encountered. Since each painting system describes the minimum requirement for the intended service, it follows that better methods or materials may be substituted without prejudice, provided the practical value of the improvement is judged to be commensurate with the added cost.
  
  
• Modifications of Specifications
  
  Modifications to reflect the needs of an individual project may be made by the preparer by reviewing each item of the applicable specification and then including his decisions on variations as mandatory requirements in the procurement documents. To do so, modify a standard specification by adding, deleting, or changing requirements.
  
  
• Use of Painting System Guides
  
  The preparer may use the painting system guides (SSPC-PS Guide 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, etc.) to prepare his/her own modified painting systems for special cases not covered by the standard systems. Recommendations for special conditions are shown in Table 1.

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Selection of Painting Systems by Environmental Zone

• General Considerations
  
  Because of the wide diversity of available systems, the adverse conditions under which they must sometimes be applied, environmental restrictions, and the need for minimizing maintenance, the choice of a suitable painting system is not always an easy one. There is, of course, no one "best" painting system, but rather a dynamic competition among alternative materials and methods whose choice often depends upon both technological factors and policy considerations.
  
  Since environmental factors are often the dominant ones, they will be considered first, followed by other important considerations such as cost, appearance, and design.
  
  
• Effects of Environment on Corrosion Rates
  
  Among the technological factors in the choice of a painting system, environment is usually the controlling one. For example, one rule of thumb advocates that steel need not be painted at all when the corrosion rate is uniform and below a certain level; on the other hand, alternative materials of construction should be considered instead of painting when the environment is too severe.
  
  Table 2 illustrates the wide range of atmospheric corrosiveness as measured by ASTM. In some areas, increased atmospheric contamination has resulted in acid rain waters, but many industrial locations have become less contaminated than in the recent past.
  
  
• Environmental Zones
  
  A concise description of each SSPC "environmental zone" is given in Table 3, while Table 4 indicates typical painting system(s) recommended for minimum performance in each zone. These zones cover rural, urban, commercial, and marine environments and several special exposures. Use of the term "environmental zone" in this context is not meant to parallel the common meaning of the term, which implies geographical location but, rather, defines the type of environment (atmosphere) to which the coated steel will be exposed. As an example of this more specialized meaning of environmental zone, consider a steel framed building, part of which is devoted to office space, and another part of which is devoted to chemical laboratory and pilot plant space where acidic fumes are frequently generated. Each of these areas is exposed to a significantly different environment. Another example is the roadway and superstructure of a bridge located in a geographical area where freezing and road salt use are common. The upper portions of such a bridge have to be protected only against weather exposure, whereas the roadway steel and adjacent structural components must also be protected against de-icing salt in solution.
  
  For purposes of classifying environmental exposures according to their severity, they have been divided into environmental zones from essentially non-corrosive dry interiors (Zone 0), to severe chemical exposures (Zone 3). Special conditions are listed in Table 1. Exposure conditions may be such as to require little or no protection by painting; conversely, they may indicate the need for elaborate surface preparation, pretreatment, and properly selected primer, intermediate, and finish coats. Although Table 4 may indicate several different generic painting systems suitable for use in a particular zone, some systems are more durable than others and will achieve better performance or longer coating life.
  
  This classification of environment is probably the most useful type of designation, since most available data on paint exposures is defined in these broad terms. Factors such as time-of-wetness, chloride level, sulfur dioxide content, pH, conductivity, surface contamination, etc. should also be considered when choosing a painting system.
  
  In Table 4, Painting System numbers have been rounded off to show the generic class of systems that are satisfactory. For example, PS 15 includes SSPC-PS Guide 15.00 as well as painting system specifications SSPC-PS 15.01 through SSPC-PS 15.04.
  
  Such guides as Table 4 are intended to aid the specifier in selecting a painting system (including surface preparation, coatings, and application) but are, of course, no substitute for the knowledge and judgment entailed in an intelligent choice.
  
  
• Influence of Geographical Locations on Environmental Zones
  
  Inland, rural locations, far from coastal salt water, are free from the corrosive influence of airborne salt. The presumption that the atmosphere in these areas, located far from centers of heavy industry, are therefore "virtually unpolluted," has been drastically reversed. It is now seen that even rural locations, hundreds of miles distant from industrial plants and electrical power generating stations, can sometimes be subjected to acid rain generated by sulfur dioxide emissions. Rain water with a pH as low as 3-4 has been observed not only in rural, but also in wilderness locations. Therefore, preparers of painting system specifications must now cultivate a realistic awareness of present atmospheric conditions prevailing in rural locations that were traditionally considered benign with respect to corrosion of steel.
  
  Heavy industrial environments, such as those involving coke plants, are severe enough to be classified in the chemical category. These environments are marked by reduced paint life and high corrosion rates.
  
  Marine atmospheres is typified by frequent and relatively high concentrations of salt mist, but it does not imply direct contact with salt spray or splashing waves; it contains a high concentration of chlorides in contrast to the high concentration of sulfur dioxide in the industrial atmosphere.
  
  Fresh and salt water immersion have important differences because of osmotic and electrolytic effects.
  
  Alternate immersion refers to frequent, perhaps fairly long immersion in water alternated with exposure to the atmosphere above the water; for example, the boottopping area of a ship's hull, or steel in the tidal range.
  
  Condensation and high humidity exposure refers to almost continuous condensation; exposure to high humidity alone (with little or infrequent condensation) is not considered to be in this class of exposure.
  
  Chemical environments are those in which strong concentrations of highly corrosive gases, fumes, or chemicals—either in solution, or as concentrated liquids or solids—contact the surface. The severity of exposure may vary tremendously from mild concentration in a yard area to direct immersion in the chemical substance.
  
  Underground refers to buried surfaces in direct contact with the soil, which may be high in salinity or acidity.

It should be understood that surfaces presumed to be exposed to the weather are indeed open to the elements. Structures open to pollution, but sheltered from rain, are particularly vulnerable.

• Special Service Requirements

Some painting systems for special services, including resistance to abrasion, fouling, graffiti, mildew, and skidding, are listed in Table 1.

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Other Factors in Painting System Selection

Although environment is usually the primary factor in the choice of a coating system, other factors such as costs, application, surface preparation, appearance, design, available facilities, and availability of specifications should also be considered.

• Cost per unit area per year should really be minimized over the projected life of the structure. Sophisticated engineering calculations are sometimes justified, since the cost of coatings during the total life cycle of a structure often exceeds the initial cost of the structure itself. At times in the economic cycle these cost calculations are simplified when money interest rates are of the same order of magnitude as the inflation rate. During these periods a dollar set aside initially at current interest rates may be presumed to have the same purchasing power when it is ready to be spent at some future date.
  
  In many cases it is more economical to use a "deluxe" painting system (for example, top-coated zinc-rich over near-white blast cleaned steel as per SSPC-PS 12.00) than a "low cost" system (such as SSPC-PS 1.09) in a situation where the life of the latter is five years or less.
  
  In many U.S. environments, however, a coating life of seven or more years can be obtained with a simple alkyd paint system. Here it becomes more difficult to justify on a purely economic basis the high initial cost entailed in a potentially more durable system. Such systems usually involve more expensive surface preparation and application and are less tolerant of lapses in workmanship. The cost of the paint itself is, of course, a relatively minor consideration since surface preparation and application costs are usually from two to ten times the material costs.
  
  
• Appearance is a major consideration in painting many bridges, tanks, refineries, plants, etc., and color is often chosen to harmonize or contrast with adjacent topographic or community features. Appearance plays an increasingly important role in structural painting, but corrosion prevention is necessary to retain that appearance.
  
  
• Engineering design of a steel structure can often render protection by paint either relatively straightforward or almost impossible. Chapter 1.2 of Good Painting Practice, SSPC Painting Manual, Volume 1, discusses alternative coating practices which should influence the design of structures. These include designs that provide for adequate drainage to avoid entrapment of water; avoidance of crevices that prevent satisfactory application of paint both in original painting and in maintenance painting; and avoidance of sharp edges, either by original rolling to edges with a reasonable radius, or by the requirement of grinding off sharp outside corners.
  
  
• Facilities available or methods permissible sometimes limit the type of surface preparation, application, or coatings that can be specified. Sometimes where blast cleaning is impractical or prohibited, the use of high performance coatings that demand rigorous surface preparation must be bypassed in favor of oil base or alkyd paints, or high solids penetrating epoxies (epoxy mastics), or urethanes possessing lesser resistance properties but greater penetration and better tolerance for residues of rust, oil, and dirt.
  
  
• Sequence. All elements of the system should be sequentially compatible: the surface preparation with the primer, the primer with the intermediate paint(s), and so on to the finish coat.
  
  
• Availability of specifications is essential for many types of public and private structures in the U.S., where policy encourages the procurement of materials and services on an open competitive basis. Performance criteria are used whenever possible, but in practice, composition requirements must also be included. Some users also prefer to specify by proprietary product name based upon proven past performance or by qualified products lists.
  
  
• Environmental constraints are causing the industry to look carefully at alternatives to sand blasting, at new inhibitive types of pigment, and at new coatings with very low volatile organic compound (VOC) content. Much surface preparation work, for example, is concerned with removal of blast residue, with the use of low free-silica nonmetallic abrasives, with the use of metallic and other recyclable abrasives, with new wet blast techniques, and with entirely new surface preparation concepts.
  
  
• Shop Painting Versus Field Painting Versus Deferred Painting. In new work it is common to carry out the surface preparation and priming in the shop, touch-up in the field, and finish coating after erection. Other practices are sometimes followed, such as deferring the second coat of paint for several years when the original primer was a zinc-rich. This practice may have tax advantages and has often proven technically feasible. However, postponing the second coat of an oleoresinous paint more than six months can be disastrous and is not recommended.
  
  
• Contract Painting Versus "In-House"Painting. Many large users have their own highly qualifi ed full-time crews, whereas others favor the use of a knowledgeable contractor whose sole business is painting. The painting contract usually provides for either a "cost plus" basis (at a competitive overhead rate) or a "hard dollar" basis, usually based upon competitive bidding.
  
  
• Annual fee painting is a type of painting contract in which the contractor agrees, for a specified annual fee, to do whatever painting is necessary to maintain a given plant at a specified high level of protection (e.g., SSPC-VIS 2, Rust Grade 8 or better). This arrangement provides an incentive to minimize cost without sacrificing quality.

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Additional References

Good Painting Practice, SSPC Painting Manual, Volume 1 offers background on the selection of painting systems in a wide range of industries and environments: steel, petroleum, water, food, paper, power, chemical, highway, railway, salt water, fresh water, tank building, hydraulics, underground, sewage, and government installations. It also presents a background on corrosion, all types of surface preparation, coatings materials, application, inspection, costs, design, failure prevention, and sources of other information.

SSPC's Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings is a monthly publication that covers all aspects of protective coatings technology for a wide variety of industries.

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