PSPC became mandatory for seawater ballast tanks on ships over 500 gross tons in 2008. New requirement for crude oil tanks in tankers over 5,000 tonnes in 2013. Target coating life is 15 years in GOOD condition
Standard assesses visual cleanliness of steel surfaces before painting. Focuses on rust grades and preparation grades of uncoated and coated steel. Includes 28 representative photographic examples from Swedish and German standards
Part 3 describes preparation grades for steel surfaces with imperfections. Imperfections can occur before or after blast-cleaning process. Standards aim to make surfaces suitable for paint application
SSPC-PA 2 standard governs dry film thickness measurements. Single gage reading is not considered acceptance criteria. Spot measurements require 3 readings within 1.5-inch circle. Area measurements need 5 spots per 100 square feet
ISO 8501 and SSPC/NACE standards classify cleanliness levels differently. ISO 8501 ranks cleanliness from Sa 1 (light) to Sa 3 (visually clean). SSPC/NACE numbers cleanliness from SP 5 (white metal) to SP 7 (brush off)
SSPC-SP 1 prevents premature coating failure through surface preparation. Removes contaminants from steel surfaces before blast cleaning. Essential before SSPC-SP 10/NACE No. 2 or SSPC-SP 5/NACE No. 1