Surface Preparation Guide
Ferrous Metal Substrates
SSPC-SP1 - Solvent Cleaning
Solvent cleaning is a method for removing all visible oil, grease, soil, drawing and cutting compounds and other soluble contaminants.
Solvent cleaning does not remove rust or mill scale. Change rags and cleaning solution frequently so that deposits of oil and grease are
not spread over additional areas in the cleaning process. Be sure to allow adequate ventilation. For complete instructions, refer to Steel
Structures Paint Council Surface Preparation Specification No.1.
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SSPC-SP2 - Hand Tool Cleaning
Hand Tool Cleaning removes all loose mill scale, loose rust and other detrimental foreign matter. It is not intended that this process
remove adherent mill scale, rust and paint. Mil scale, rust and paint are considered adherent if they cannot be removed by lifting with a
dull putty knife. Before hand tool cleaning, remove visible oil, grease, soluble welding residues and salts by the methods outlined in
SSPC-SP1. For complete instructions, refer to Steel Structures Paint Council Surface Preparation Specification No.2.
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SSPC-SP3 - Power Tool Cleaning
Power Tool Cleaning removes all loose mill scale, loose rust and other detrimental foreign matter. It is not intended that this process
remove adherent mill scale, rust and paint. Mil scale, rust and paint are considered adherent if they cannot be removed by lifting with a
dull putty knife. Before power tool cleaning, remove visible oil, grease, soluble welding residues and salts by the methods outlined in
SSPC-SP1. For complete instructions, refer to Steel Structures Paint Council Surface Preparation Specification No.3.
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SSPC-SP5 or NACE 1 - White Metal Blast Cleaning
A White Metal Blast Cleaned surface, when viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, mill scale,
rust, paint, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter. Before blast cleaning, visible deposits of oil or grease shall be removed
by any of the methods specified in SSPC-SP1 or other agreed upon methods. For complete instructions, refer to Joint Surface
Preparation Standard SSPC-SP5/NACE 1.
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SSPC-SP6 or NACE 3 - Commercial Blast Cleaning
A Commercial Blast Cleaned surface, when viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, mill scale,
rust, paint, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter, except for staining. Staining shall be limited to no more than 33% of
each square inch of surface area and may consist of light shadows, slight streaks or minor discoloration caused by stains of rust, stains
of mill scale or stains of previously applied paint. Before blast cleaning, visible deposits of oil or grease shall be removed by any of the
methods specified in SSPC-SP1 or other agreed upon methods. For complete instructions, refer to Joint Surface Preparation Standard
SSPC-SP6/NACE 3.
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SSPC-SP7 or NACE 4 - Brush-Off Blast Cleaning
A Brush-Off Blast Cleaned surface, when viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, loose mill scale,
loose rust and loose paint. Tightly adherent mill scale, rust and paint may remain on the surface. Mil scale, rust and coating are
considered adherent if they cannot be removed by lifting with a dull putty knife after abrasive blast cleaning has been performed. Before
blast cleaning, visible deposits of oil or grease shall be removed by any of the methods specified in SSPC-SP1 or other agreed upon
methods. For complete instructions, refer to Joint Surface Preparation Standard SSPC-SP7/NACE 4.
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SSPC-SP10 or NACE 2 - Near-White Blast Cleaning
A Near-White Blast Cleaned surface, when viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, mill scale, rust,
paint, oxides, corrosion products and other foreign matter, except for staining. Staining shall be limited to no more than 5 percent of
each square inch of surface area and may consist of light shadows, slight streaks or minor discoloration caused by stains of rust, stains
of mill scale or stains of previously applied paint. Before blast cleaning, visible deposits of oil or grease shall be removed by any of the
methods specified in SSPC-SP1 or other agreed upon methods. For complete instructions, refer to Joint Surface Preparation Standard
SSPC-SP10/NACE 2.
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SSPC-SP11 - Power Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal
Metallic surfaces that are prepared according to this specification, when viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil,
grease, dirt, dust, mill scale, rust, paint, oxide corrosion products and other foreign matter. Slight residues of rust and paint may be left
in the lower portions of pits if the original surface is pitted. Prior to power tool surface preparation, remove visible deposits of oil or
grease by any of the methods specified in SSPC-SP1, Solvent Cleaning, or other agreed upon methods. For complete instructions,
refer to Steel Structures Paint Council Surface Preparation Specification No.11.
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SSPC-SP12 or NACE 5 - High- and Ultra-High Pressure Water Jetting for Steel and Other Hard Materials
This standard provides requirements for the use of high- and ultra-high pressure water jetting to achieve various degrees of surface
cleanliness. This standard is limited in scope to the use of water only, without the addition of solid particles in the stream. For complete
instructions, refer to Joint Surface Preparation Standard SSPC-SP12 or NACE 5.
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SSPC-SP13 or NACE 6 - Concrete
This standard gives requirements for surface preparation of concrete by mechanical, chemical or thermal methods prior to the
application of bonded protective coating or lining systems. The requirements of this standard are applicable to all types of cementitious
surfaces including cast-in-place concrete floors and walls, precast slabs, masonry walls and shotcrete surfaces. An acceptable
prepared concrete surface should be free of contaminants, laitance, loosely adhering concrete and dust, and should provide a dry,
sound, uniform substrate suitable for the application of protective coating or lining systems. (Depending on the desired finish and
system, a block filler may be required.) For complete instructions, refer to Joint Surface Preparation Standard SSPC-SP13/NACE 6.
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SSPC-SP14 or NACE 8 - Industrial Blast Cleaning
This standard gives requirements for industrial blast cleaning of unpainted or painted steel surfaces by the use of abrasives. This joint
standard allows defined quantities of mill scale and/or old coating to remain on the surface. An industrial blast cleaned surface, when
viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dust and dirt. Traces of tightly adherent mill scale, rust and coating
residue are permitted to remain on 10% of each unit area of the surface. The traces of mill scale, rust and coating shall be considered
tightly adherent if they cannot be lifted with a dull putty knife. Shadows, streaks and discolorations caused by stains of rust, stains of
mill scale and stains of previously applied coating may be present on the remainder of the surface. For complete instructions, refer to
Surface Preparation Standard SSPC-SP14 or NACE 8.
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SSPC-SP15 - Commercial-Grade Power Tool Cleaning
This standard covers the requirements for power tool cleaning to provide a commercial-grade power tool cleaned steel surface and to
retain or produce a minimum 25 micrometers (1.0 mil) surface profile. A commercial-grade power tool cleaned steel surface, when
viewed without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, rust, coating, oxides, mill scale, corrosion products, and other
foreign matter, except as noted in Section 2.2 of the specification. For complete instructions, refer to Surface Preparation Standard
SSPC-SP15.
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