TECHNICAL STANDARD
SSPC-SP 6 / NACE No. 3
Commercial Blast Cleaning
AMPP / SSPC / NACE
2007
Current
WHAT DOES THIS STANDARD COVER?
Defines the commercial degree of abrasive blast-cleaning of steel before application of protective coatings or linings.
WHY IS IT RELEVANT?
Relevant where a coating specification calls for commercial blast cleaning rather than a higher or lower defined degree of surface cleanliness. Do not reproduce detailed acceptance percentages, tables or copyrighted standard wording.
KEY INSPECTION CONSIDERATIONS
The standard addresses commercial blast cleaning of steel surfaces. The resulting preparation condition differs from white metal, near-white metal and brush-off blast cleaning. Inspection should assess the actual prepared surface against the specified preparation grade. Visual cleanliness should be considered separately from surface profile and non-visible contamination.
WHAT THE STANDARD SHOULD NOT BE USED TO ASSUME
Commercial blast cleaning should not be described as near-white or white metal blast cleaning. Compliance with the visual preparation requirement does not independently demonstrate the required surface profile or absence of soluble salts, dust, oil or other contamination.
PRACTICAL INSPECTION APPLICATION
The standard can be relevant to new construction and maintenance coating work where commercial blast cleaning is specified. Inspectors can assess the prepared condition across representative and difficult-access areas. Surface profile, contamination and environmental requirements should be assessed separately where applicable.
RELATED TECHNICAL STANDARDS
RELATED TECHNICAL TOPICS
Abrasive blast cleaning; Surface preparation; Steel surfaces
RELATED PIL GUIDANCE
Practical guidance on assessing abrasive blast-cleaned steel surface profile before protective coating application.
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.