Standard · Surface preparation and conditions
SSPC-SP, NACE No. and WJ
The surface preparation standards: solvent, hand and power tool, blast and waterjet cleaning.
The SSPC surface preparation standards, several published jointly with NACE and now maintained by AMPP, each define one method and its end condition.
| Standard | Method or grade |
|---|---|
| SSPC-SP 1 | Solvent cleaning: oil, grease and soluble contaminants, before other methods |
| SSPC-SP 2 / SP 3 | Hand tool / power tool cleaning: loose material removed |
| SSPC-SP 15 | Commercial-grade power tool cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 11 | Power tool cleaning to bare metal, with a profile |
| SSPC-SP 5 / NACE No. 1 | White metal blast cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 10 / NACE No. 2 | Near-white metal blast cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 6 / NACE No. 3 | Commercial blast cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 14 / NACE No. 8 | Industrial blast cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 7 / NACE No. 4 | Brush-off blast cleaning |
| SSPC-SP 16 | Brush-off blast cleaning of galvanized steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals |
| WJ-1 to WJ-4 | Waterjet cleaning, from clean to bare substrate (WJ-1) to light cleaning (WJ-4) |
The SSPC-VIS guides hold the reference photographs. The ISO 8501-1 grades are close counterparts. They use Sa 3 for SP 5 and Sa 2½ for SP 10. They use Sa 2 for SP 6 and Sa 1 for SP 7.
Use it: Cleanliness grades: SSPC / NACE vs ISO
45 practice items in the members area mention SSPC-SP, NACE No. and WJ (CIP 1: 24 · CIP 2: 21).
Related
Try it in an exam-style question. The free readiness check shows the question style, explains every answer and gives you a dated study plan.
Take the free readiness checkSee the tracksAbout this page
Also published openly: SurfacePrep: SSPC/NACE surface preparation standards.
This page describes the subject of SSPC-SP, NACE No. and WJ in our own words; it does not reproduce the standard. For the full text, buy the current edition from AMPP. Checked on 2026-10-04; errors go in the corrections log. CoatMentor is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with ISO, AMPP, SSPC, NACE International, ASTM or FROSIO.