# SSPC-PA 1

Source: https://coatmentor.com/standards/sspc-pa-1/ · Updated 2026-10-14

Shop, field and maintenance painting of metal: the application rules.

**Publisher**: AMPP (SSPC)

**Area**: Application and film thickness

SSPC-PA 1 gives the general rules for applying liquid coatings to metal by brush, roller or spray, in the shop, in the field and in maintenance work. It has been revised since the 2000 text that many specifications still cite.

## What it covers

- Storage and handling of coating material.
- Mixing, induction time and thinning, as the product data sheet gives them.
- Ambient conditions: air and surface temperature, humidity and the surface temperature above the dew point.
- Stripe coats on edges, corners, welds and rough or pitted areas.
- Application, recoating and the repair of damaged areas.

## What it does not do

PA 1 does not choose the coating system and does not describe surface preparation in detail. It does not override the product data sheet: the maker's instructions for a product still apply. Clause numbers changed between editions, so check which edition a specification names before you quote a clause.

**4** practice items in the members area mention SSPC-PA 1 (CIP 1: 3 · CIP 2: 1).

## Related

- **Concepts:** [Stripe coats](https://coatmentor.com/learn/stripe-coat/) · [Dew point and the 3 °C margin](https://coatmentor.com/learn/dew-point/) · [Pot life and induction time](https://coatmentor.com/learn/pot-life/)
- **Standards:** [SSPC-PA 2](https://coatmentor.com/standards/sspc-pa-2/) · [SSPC-SP, NACE No. and WJ](https://coatmentor.com/standards/sspc-surface-preparation/)
- **Defects:** [Wrinkling](https://coatmentor.com/defects/wrinkling/) · [Lifting](https://coatmentor.com/defects/lifting/) · [Bleeding](https://coatmentor.com/defects/bleeding/) · [Overspray](https://coatmentor.com/defects/overspray/) · [Brush marks](https://coatmentor.com/defects/brush-marks/)

## About this page

This page describes the subject of SSPC-PA 1 in our own words; it does not reproduce the standard. For the full text, buy the current edition from AMPP. Checked on 2026-10-14; errors go in the [corrections log](https://coatmentor.com/method/). CoatMentor is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with ISO, AMPP, SSPC, NACE International, ASTM or FROSIO.