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SSPC Surface Preparation Standards


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May 1, 2014

Authored by Daniel Barlow

Often, the ASTM standards for the hot-dip galvanizing industry cite SSPC surface
preparation standards. What are these and which ones are important to the industry?

The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) publishes and maintains many standards relevant to the coating
industry. Standardized subjects include requirements for paints, standards for evaluating the qualifications of
contractors, surface preparation standards, and other topics. The ASTM specifications relevant to the hot-dip
galvanizing industry often reference these surface preparation standards. Here is a list and brief summary of the
surface preparation standards used in the hot-dip galvanizing industry with a brief summary of each.

SSPC-SP1 Solvent Cleaning

The method of solvent cleaning is intended to remove all visible oil, grease, soil, drawing and cutting
compounds, and all other soluble contaminants from steel surfaces. The specification calls for the removal of
dust before solvent cleaning by the use of a stiff bristle brush. After solvent cleaning, dust is to be removed by
either blowing off with clean dry air or vacuum cleaning. The specification lists several different ways in which
solvent cleaner may be applied to the surface including wiping or scrubbing the surface with solvent, spraying
solvent directly onto the surface, vapor degreasing, immersion, alkaline cleaners, and steam cleaning.

The preparation of a hot-dip galvanized coating for paint or powder coating connects this standard to the
galvanizing industry. ASTM D6386 and D7803 both call out this standard during their surface preparation
steps. Solvent cleaning is used to remove oil and grease from the galvanized coating before it is profiled and
cleaned with other methods.

SSPC-SP2 Hand Tool Cleaning

This standard covers the removal of loose mill scale, loose rust, loose paint, and other loose detrimental foreign
matter from surfaces with the use of non-powered hand tools. Adherent products as determined by a dull putty
knife are not to be removed with this procedure. SSPC-SP1 removes oil and grease before cleaning with hand
tools, and compressed air or a vacuum will remove dust after this cleaning procedure is completed. Removing
all weld slag and stratified rust with impact tools, using non-impact methods such as scraping to remove all
non-adherent materials, and feathering an adherent paint coating, are all hand tool cleaning methods accepted
by this standard.

The preparation for painting and powder coating over a hot-dip galvanized coating, as well as the repair of
damaged and uncoated areas, use SSPC-SP2 as a standard surface preparation procedure. The specifications for
preparing hot-dip galvanized steel for paint and powder coating ASTM D6386 and D7803 respectively list hand
tool cleaning as an acceptable method for smoothing the surface and removing zinc high spots of newly
galvanized and partially weathered coatings. Hand tool cleaning also acceptably cleans a hot-dip galvanized
surface before surface profiling according to D6386. ASTM A780 also uses SSPC-SP2 as an acceptable
preparation method for repair by the use of paints containing zinc dust.

SSPC-SP 3 Power Tool Cleaning

SSPC-SP3 details the use of power assisted tools for surface preparation. The preparation method described
here is intended to remove the same contaminants from a surface as in SSPC-SP2, and the procedures before
and after using this cleaning method are identical to SSPC-SP2. The standard includes using rotary, impact, or
power brushing tools to remove stratified rust, weld slag, and mill scale. Power abrading tools also acceptably
remove mill scale according to the standard. SSPC-SP3 requires power tools to be used in a manner that
prevents the formation of burrs, sharp ridges, and sharp cuts. Feathering the edges of adhered paint surfaces is
also required.

Just as SSPC-SP2 and SSPC-SP3 have similar requirements for surface preparation, so too are they similar in
their applications to the hot-dip galvanizing industry. In preparation for paint and powder coating, both
standards are mentioned by D6386 and D7803 in the same section. They are considered interchangeable in their
use of smoothing the coating and removing zinc high spots before the zinc coating is further prepared. D6386
also considers the two methods interchangeable during the surface cleaning phase of the process. A780,
however, does not specifically call out SSPC-SP3 for the preparation of a damaged coating for repair by zinc
rich paints.

SSPC-SP5 White Metal Blast Clean

A white metal blast will remove all coatings, mill scale, rust, oxides, corrosion products, and all other foreign
products from a steel surface. SSPC-SP5 provides conditions for the end condition of a white metal blast, and
the materials and procedure necessary for providing the end condition. The standard lists dry abrasive blasting
as the preferred method with wet blasting an option to be agreed upon between the two parties. The size and
type of abrasive media to be used depends on the profile specified by the coating system to be used. The
standard then requires oil, grease, and dust to be removed from the surface and the work inspected.

SSPC-SP5 is not specified often in standards for the hot-dip galvanizing industry. However, A780 uses the
white metal blast as the surface preparation standard for repairing a zinc coating using sprayed zinc.

SSPC-SP7 Brush Off Blast Clean

This standard states a brush of blast clean will allow as much of an existing adherent coating to remain as
possible and to roughen its surface prior to coating application. This blasting method cleans less aggressively
than an industrial blast clean. A provided definition of a brush-off blast cleaned surface describes a surface free
of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, loose mill scale, loose rust, and loose coating when viewed without
magnification. The surface may still include profiled and tightly adherent mill scale, rust, and coating.

Hot-dip galvanized coatings contain a layer of zinc oxide and zinc hydroxide which would be detrimental to the
adherence of a topcoat. A paint coating also requires a profile typically not found on the relatively smooth
surface of a hot-dip galvanized coating. D6386 lists sweep blasting as an acceptable surface preparation method
with its own given requirements for the procedure but calls out SSPC-SP7 for more procedure specifications.

SSPC-SP10 Near-White Metal Blast Cleaning

Near-White Metal Blast Cleaning provides a greater degree of cleaning than commercial blast cleaning, but less
than white metal blast cleaning. The SSPC-SP10s definition of a near-white metal blast clean requires the
surface to be free of all visible oil, grease, dust, dirt, mill scale, rust, coating, oxides, corrosion products, and
other foreign matter when viewed without magnification. The standard also provides requirements for random
staining on the surface which shall not exceed five percent of each unit area of surface. The surface shall be
cleaned of oil, grease, and dust after the near-white metal blasting procedure.

ASTM A780 calls for a near-white metal blast cleaning when field conditions include immersion. In this case
the area damaged and in need of repair by a paint containing zinc dust will receive a blast per SSPC-SP10
before the paint is applied.

SSPC-SP11 Power-Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal

This surface preparation standard is similar to that some less aggressive blast cleans. The standard requires the
surface to be free from all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, rust, coating, oxides, mill scale, corrosion products, and
other foreign matter when viewed without magnification. However, some rust remaining at the bottom of pits is
acceptable if the surface was pitted to begin with. A surface profile of no less than one mill between peaks and
valleys is required. Grinding tools and impact tools are both acceptable means for achieving the level of
cleaning specified. Oil, grease, and dust must be removed both before and after the cleaning procedure.

The power-tool cleaning method of SSPC-SP11 will provide an adequate profile for a paint system to adhere to.
This fact makes power-tool cleaning an acceptable method for surface preparation of a hot-dip galvanized
coating after it has been cleaned. D6386 states that painting should be performed as soon as possible after
power-tool cleaning or surface grinding. A780 allows uncoated areas to be power-tool cleaned before repair
with zinc rich paints in areas of less critical field exposure conditions.

SSPC-SP12 Surface Preparation and Cleaning of Metals by Waterjetting Prior to Recoating

Waterjetting is the use of standard jetting from a nozzle at high pressures (10,000 psi or higher) to prepare a
surface for coating. Intended primarily for carbon steel, but applicable on other metals, waterjetting does not
create a profile on the metal substrate. However, metals with an existing profile acceptable for painting can be
cleaned with waterjetting to expose the existing profile. Waterjetting will remove all loose rust, loose mill scale,
and loose coatings uniformly while meeting the conditions of WJ-1, WJ-2, WJ-3, and WJ-4.

A hot dip-galvanized coating is said to be fully weathered when the exposed surface consists mainly of water-
insoluble zinc carbonates, some zinc oxides, and rarely, zinc hydroxides. Usually occurring around after six
months of weathering, a finely etched and roughened profile acceptable for paint covers the surface of the
galvanized coating. After all oil and grease has been removed with the methods of another surface preparation
standards, cleaning with a waterjet according to SSPC-SP12 will remove all lose particles and leave the finely
etched surface previously described. D7803 specifically calls out this standard with a condition that the water
pressure be below 1450 psi. D6386 describes the same process, but without mentioning the surface preparation
standard.

SSPC-SP16 Brush-Off Blast Cleaning of Coated and Uncoated Galvanized Steel, Stainless Steels, and Non-Ferrous Metals

Use of this surface preparation standard roughens and cleans the bare substrate including a hot-dip galvanized
coating to create a profile suitable for painting. Completion of this process produces a profiled surface free of
all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, metal oxides (corrosion products), and other foreign matter when viewed
without magnification. The standard also contains unique procedures for use on galvanized steel including
inspection for a passivation treatment and wet storage stain.

The brush off-blast cleaning procedure described in SSPC-SP16 provides an acceptable profile on hot-dip
galvanized surfaces for the application of paint or powder coat. After a galvanized surface has been acceptably
cleaned of oil, grease, and similar products, this brush blasting can be applied in order to create an acceptable
profile. D7803 uses this standard for the preparation of a galvanized coating for powder coating. D6386 does
not specifically call out this standard, but the procedure is very similar to that of D7803.

Below is a table of each SSPC spec and where it relates with galvanizing ASTM specs:

ASTM A780 ASTM D6386 ASTM D7803


SSPC- 5.3.2 Surface cleaning prior to 5.1.2.3 Surface cleaning step
SP1 surface preparation removing oil and grease
5.2.1 Removal of zinc high spots
A2.1.2 Clean areas when
SSPC- 5.1.1 Surface smoothing and
circumstances do not allow blast or
SP2 5.3.3 Cleaning of light deposits of removing loose particles
power-tool cleaning
zinc reaction products
5.2.1 Removal of zinc high spots
SSPC- 5.1.1 Surface smoothing and
SP3 5.3.3 Cleaning of light deposits of removing loose particles
zinc reaction products
SSPC-
A3.3 Prepare surface for zinc spray
SP5
5.4.1 Acceptable surface
SSPC-
preparation standard for profiling
SP7
surface of newly galvanize metal
SSPC- A2.1.2 Prepare surface for zinc
SP10 rich paint repair
A2.1.2 Prepare surface for zinc 5.4.2 1 Acceptable surface
SSPC-
rich paint repair in less critical field preparation standard for profiling
SP11
exposure conditions surface of newly galvanized metal
5.3.2 Cleaning fully
SSPC-
weathered galvanized steel to
SP12
maintain existing profile
5.1.3.1 Sweep blasting newly
SSPC-
galvanized metal after to add
SP16
surface profile

© 2019 American Galvanizers Association. The material provided herein has been developed to provide
accurate and authoritative information about after-fabrication hot-dip galvanized steel. This material provides
general information only and is not intended as a substitute for competent professional examination and
verification as to suitability and applicability. The information provided herein is not intended as a
representation or warranty on the part of the AGA. Anyone making use of this information assumes all liability
arising from such use.

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