Surface preparation standards

Coating specifications should always incorporate or reference one of the written and/or visual/photographic surface preparation standards. Such standards exist to eliminate misinterpretation, questions, disagreement, related to the quality of surface preparation desired.
The two most commonly used surface preparation standards are those published by the Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC) and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE). Both of these standard organizations merged into AMPP. The following chart summarizes these standards.

This overview applies only to Ferrous metals.

SystemSSPC codesNACECDN Govt (CGSB)Swedish standardBritish standard
Solvent cleanSSPC.SP1
Hand tool cleanSSPC.SP231 GP 401St. 2
Power tool cleanSSPC.SP331 GP 402St. 3
Flame clean (new steel)SSPC.SP431 GP 403
White metal blastSSPC.SP5NACE #131 GP 404 Type1Sa. 3BS4232 First quality
Commercial blastSSPC.SP6NACE #3 31 GP 404 type 2Sa. 2BS4232 Third quality
Brush off blastSSPC.SP7NACE #4 31 GP 404 type 3Sa. 1Light blast to brush-off
PicklingSSPC.SP8
Weather and blastSSPC.SP9
Near white blastSSPC.SP10NACE #2 Sa. 2 1/2BS4232 second quality
Power tool cleaning
to bare metal
SSPC.SP11
Surface Preparation norms and standards

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