SSPC has three types of painting system documents: complete painting systems, painting system guides, and performance based painting system material specifications.
• Painting System: Each of these painting systems combines in a single specification all of the requirements necessary for a complete paint job. It therefore includes by reference all of the specifications for surface preparation, paint application, paint thickness measurement, primer,
midcoat, topcoat, safety, and inspection. In most cases it is recommended that the particular painting system is specified by number.
• Painting System Guides: The painting system guides are to be used to prepare modified systems for special cases. Unlike the other guides in this section, SSPC-Guide 8.00 does not address the surface preparation of a steel substrate, but rather provides guidance in selecting the proper topcoat for use over a zinc-rich primer.
• Painting System Material Specifications – Performance-Based: These documents specify the performance requirements for a multi-coat system based on a particular generic class of coatings, e.g., aluminum epoxy. These documents serve only to qualify a coating material and do not address other items such as surface preparation and thickness measurement. Hence, these painting system
material specifications serve only to specify the coating material to be used in a complete painting system specification.
By disregarding the more unusual combinations and circumstances, the SSPC Painting Systems are able to offer in complete but compact form the minimum number of combinations necessary to paint the great preponderance of steel structures. For unusual circumstances, the user of the specifications may devise his own painting systems by choosing from among the alternative specifications listed in
the Painting System Guides. These models offer a large number of compatible combinations of surface preparations, primers, intermediates, and finish paints.
SSPC Painting Systems and Guides were originally published in 1955. They were revised and expanded to incorporate improvements in concept and in technology. The Painting System Material Specifications – Performance Based were first introduced in 2000. The descriptions of painting systems are listed in Table 1. Within each generic type, there may be several systems, each a complete paint scheme in itself. Each scheme is designed for a specific application where a particular combination of durability, drying time, tolerance for surface preparation, cost, color, etc., is desired.
