Surface preparation

There are two standards governing the different methods of surface preparation and it is recommended that these are clearly specified. The relevant standards are as listed below:

Description American Specification
SSPC SP
British Specification
BS 7079 Part A1
Solvent cleaning SPPCC SP  
Hand tool cleaning SSPC SP2 ST2
Power tool cleaning SSPC SP3 ST3
Flame cleaning new steel SSPC SP4  
Blast cleaning white metal SSPC SP5 SA3
Blast cleaning to near white metal SSPC SP10 SA2.5
Blast cleaning commercial grade SSPC SP6 SA2
Brush-off blast cleaning or sweep blasting SSPC SP7 SA1
Chemical cleaning (pickling) SSPC SP8