TECHNICAL STANDARD
SSPC-SP 1
Solvent Cleaning
AMPP / SSPC
2016
Current
WHAT DOES THIS STANDARD COVER?
Defines a surface-preparation end condition addressing removal of visible oil, grease and other visible contaminants from metal surfaces before protective coating or further surface preparation.
WHY IS IT RELEVANT?
Relevant before abrasive blasting, hand/power-tool preparation or coating application where visible oil, grease or similar contamination must first be removed. Do not imply that solvent cleaning alone removes rust, mill scale, soluble salts or produces a surface profile.
KEY INSPECTION CONSIDERATIONS
SSPC-SP 1 addresses solvent cleaning of metal surfaces before application of protective coatings or before additional surface-preparation processes. The purpose is to remove visible oil, grease and other visible contaminants that can interfere with subsequent surface preparation or coating application. Solvent cleaning can involve suitable solvents, emulsions, cleaning compounds, steam or other methods appropriate to achieving the required end condition. Where oil or grease contamination is present, abrasive blasting alone should not be assumed to provide the required cleaning because contamination can be spread or driven across the surface during preparation.
WHAT THE STANDARD SHOULD NOT BE USED TO ASSUME
SSPC-SP 1 should not be interpreted as a method for removing rust, mill scale or tightly adherent existing coating. It is also not a substitute for the surface-preparation method subsequently required by the coating specification. Removal of visible oil and grease does not demonstrate that soluble salts, dust or other non-visible contamination satisfy project requirements. Where those contaminants are controlled by the project, separate inspection or testing is required.
PRACTICAL INSPECTION APPLICATION
SSPC-SP 1 is relevant before abrasive blasting, hand- or power-tool cleaning and other coating preparation where visible oil, grease or similar contamination is present. Inspectors should assess whether visible contamination has been removed before subsequent preparation proceeds. Where cleaning materials themselves could leave residues, the resulting surface condition should also be considered. Further preparation and testing should then be assessed independently against the project requirements.
RELATED TECHNICAL TOPICS
Surface preparation; Solvent cleaning; Contamination
RELATED PIL GUIDANCE
A structured approach to investigating protective coating failure through evidence, testing, sampling and project-record review.
Laser cleaning can remove coatings and corrosion, but the resulting surface must still be inspected and verified against the proposed coating system and project requirements.
RELATED EXPERTISE
Coating Inspection; Technical Consultancy
ABOUT THIS TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Paint Inspection Ltd provides this information to help inspectors, engineers, asset owners and contractors understand the practical relevance of commonly referenced protective coatings standards. This page is PIL technical guidance and does not reproduce or replace the published standard. Users should refer to the current published standard, project specification, coating manufacturer requirements and other applicable contract documents when establishing project requirements or acceptance criteria.
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OFFICIAL STANDARD
PIL technical summaries are intended to explain the inspection relevance of industry standards and do not replace the published document.
STATUS AND SOURCE VERIFICATION
Official AMPP catalogue reference URL recorded in the PIL Standards Library. CMS designation, title and edition are retained from the existing controlled record. Current publisher edition/status was not independently re-confirmed during the 2026-09-23 source-verification exercise and remains subject to future PIL review against the official AMPP catalogue.