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ref : Surface preparation metal

Subject : Surface preparation metal: Cleanliness, Roughness and Salt concentration

STAC advises cleanliness for metal surfaces before the application of coating systems according to the norms ISO
8501-1 (abrasive blasting and tooling) and SSPC-SP 12 (water jetting). In appendix a review is given of the different
cleanliness grades according to different standards and the used cleaning methods (see appendix I).
STAC advises roughness for metal surfaces before the application of coating systems according to the norm ISO
8503-1. This norm defines the profile type according the abrasive type: grit (angular) and shot (rounded). In appendix
a review is given of the roughness types and the different parameters (see appendix II).
STAC advises salt concentration for metal surfaces before the application of coating systems according to the norm
ISO 8502: Bresle test (see appendix III).

General Cleaning
Clean always first the surface with steam, water (e.g. with sodium triphosphate), solvent (e. g. STACLEAN-M
or
STACLEAN-ECO) and/or neutralisation product, to remove all contaminants (e.g. oil, grease, lubricants, mud, acids).
When dry, clean further and roughen by blasting and/or power tooling. DAB (dry abrasive blasting) with hard sharp
edged grit.
Certainly when the substrate is damp (≤ 16 % moisture, no condensate and/or ice crystals), us e STACPRIMER-U1-
ZIMIO as primer. The roughness can be reduced (see hereafter). WAB (Wet Abrasive Blasting) or UHP (Ultra High
Pressure Water Jet) can in this case also be used. With WAB and UHP additional degreasing may be required.

Vacuum clean to dust-free and ensure the surface is dry (e.g. towels, heat canons) (fo r STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO
at least
touch-dry (≤ 16 % moisture, no condensate and/or ice crystals)).
Check cleanliness, roughness and salt concentration of the surface, in line with the specific requirements (see below).
If needed, blast and vacuum clean again to dust-free and ensure the surface is dry (e.g. towels, heat canons) (fo
at least touch-dry (≤ 16 % moisture, no condensate and/or ice crystals)).
r STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO
Check joints, repaired or irregular parts, … and where necessary pre-treat, seal (e. g. STACSEAL-U1, STACTAPE-S
)
and/or stripe prime them.
If needed, blast and vacuum clean again to dust-free and ensure the surface is dry (e.g. towels, heat canons) (fo
at least touch-dry (≤ 16 % moisture, no condensate and/or ice crystals)).
r STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO
Apply the primer or coating immediately.

Let S TA Ckle those corrosion Surface preparation metal.docx Page 1 of

problems! Edition: January 2020 (cancels and replaces the preceding ones)
 STA
C

Cleanliness
Remark: Steel = standard steel = carbon steel.

Steel (ferrous alloys): new

DAB or WAB to Sa 2 (for non-immersion and/or atmospheric use) or Sa 2,5 (for immersion or heavy load use) to remove
all mill scale (oxidation skin) and rust.

Steel (ferrous alloys): old

Tooling (HTC and/or PTC BM) up to St 3 and/or blasting (DAB or WAB) to Sa 2,5 (and/or UHP to WJ 2) to remove
all visible impurities (mill scale, rust, etc ...).

Steel (ferrous alloys): with old paint

Overcoat
The old paint layer may be suitable to be overcoated wit h STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO
, if it meets the following minimum
requirements:
Still in good condition and a adhesion strength of ≥ 1,7 MPa (250 psi) (ASTM D4541 Pull-off adhesion test).
Compatibility wit h STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO checked and approved.
Checked on the presence of lead (refer to the local regulations relating to lead-containing paints).
Tooling (HTC and/or PTC) up to St 2 to remove all poorly adhering matter (mill scale, rust scale, old paint, etc…).
Subsequently, sweep blast the surface to create sufficient profile, to ensure good coating adhesion.

Recoat after complete removal

If the old paint layer does not meet the above mentioned minimum requirements, it needs to be removed
completely.
Tooling (HTC and/or PTC BM) up to St 3 and/or blasting (DAB or WAB) to Sa 2,5 (and/or UHP to WJ 2) to remove all
visible impurities (mill scale, rust, etc ...). Finally, extra blasting to Sa 2,5 may be required on very corroded areas (e.g.
pit corrosion).

Steel (ferrous alloys): with old galvanisation

First clean chemically, to remove all contaminants (e.g. oil, grease, lubricants, mud). Then, high pressure water
cleaning (HP WC) ≥ 50 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi). Additional tooling up to St 3 might be needed on heavy corroded
areas.

Steel (ferrous alloys): with new galvanisation

Local mechanical damaged areas
Damage may be due to transportation, drilling, sawing, welding, ...
First local clean chemically, to remove all contaminants (e.g. oil, grease, lubricants, mud). Then local tooling to
St 2–3. After thorough vacuum cleaning, retouch wit h STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO .

Topcoat needed on the whole surface

Expected exposure to heavy chemical and/or mechanical load.
Lightly sweep blast (DAB or WAB) or chemically etch, to remove zinc salts and create minimum weathered profile.
Remark: in this case, it's better to us e STACPRIMER-U1-HISO
o r -ALUMIO
as primer, because the cathodic pro-
tection (galvanisation effect) already exists.
High alloy steel
Weathering steel (Cor-Ten)
High pressure water cleaning (HP WC), ≥ 50 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi). Additional tooling to St 2 may be necessary
for heavy corroded areas. Then chemical cleaning to remove all contaminants (e.g. oil, grease, lub- ricants, mud).

Stainless steel
DAB or WAB to Sa 2 (for non-immersion and/or atmospheric use) or Sa 2,5 (for immersion or heavy load use) to remove
all mill scale (oxidation skin) and rust.

Other ferrous alloys

Cast iron, ferrous alloys with 2,1–6 % carbon and 1–3 % silicon and/or manganese, is the best known and is
prepared in the same way as carbon steel.

Non-ferrous metals and alloys

Non-ferrous metals: aluminium, copper, tin, …
DAB or WAB to Sa 2 (for non-immersion and/or atmospheric use) or Sa 2,5 (for immersion or heavy load use) to remove
all mill scale (oxidation skin).

Non-ferrous alloys: bronze, brass

Bronze and brass are the best known.
Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, is prepared in the same way as (carbon) steel. Brass,
an alloy of copper and zinc, is prepared in the same way as (carbon) steel.

Roughness
Roughness profile (conform ISO 8503-1): angular, type “medium (G)”, depth (Rz) ≥ 60 µm (≥ 70 µ m STAC-V-
Systems).
Whe n STACPRIMER-U1-ZIMIO , STACOAT-U1-ZIMIO
o r STACGALVA
is used, the roughness can be reduced: “fine
(G)”, depth (Rz) ≥ 40 µm.

Salt concentration
Salt concentration in steel surface (Bresle test, conform ISO 8502, as mixed salts):
Off-shore ± 20 mg/m²
Lining ± 30 mg/m²
Atmospheric ± 60 mg/m².

Good practices
Ensure welds, repair areas, joints and surface are properly cleaned, roughened, dust-free and treated (e.g. stripe
primer on welds, angular structures, build-up and fixation parts) prior to primer application.
STAC-Systems are developed for application on a variety of substrates and have an excellent adhesion to most
existing coatings. Apply always a test sample to determine coating adhesion and/or compatibility.
Appendix I : Norms for leanliness steel surfaces
STAC advises cleanliness for metal surfaces before the application of coating systems according to the norms ISO
8501-1 (abrasive blasting and tooling) and SSPC-SP 12 (water jetting). These norms define the cleanliness grades with the help of
photo’s. These standards are internationally recognised.
The most important standards for cleanliness of steel are:
International: ISO 8501-1 and 8503-1/2 International Standard Organisation
Germany: DIN 55 928 teil 4 ( ISO-8501-1) Deutsche Institut für Normalisation
United Kingdom: BS 4232 British Standards Institution
United States: SSPC-SP Steel Structure Painting Counsel: Surface Preparation Specs
NACE National Association of Corrosion Engineers
Sweden: SIS 05 5900 ( ISO-8501-1) Svensk standard

Non treated steel surface can be classified in subsequent rust grades (ISO 8501-1):
A Steel surface largely covered with adhering mill scale but little, if any, rust.
B Steel surface which has begun to rust and from which the mill scale has begun to flake.
C Steel surface on which the mill scale has rusted away or from which it can be scraped, but with slight pitting visible
under normal vision.
D Steel surface on which the mill scale has rusted away and on which general pitting is visible under normal vision.

Blasting
Abrasive blasting (AB): dry (DAB) and wet (WAB)
Sa 1 Light blast cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 ( SSPC-SP 7/NACE N° 4 – Brush-off blast cleaning), using abrasives
(metal grit, metal shot, sand, etc…) propelled through nozzles to remove poorly adhering material (mill scale, rust scale, old
paint, etc…) from the steel surface. Tightly adherent mill scale, rust and old paint may remain if they cannot be removed
by lifting with a dull putty knife. The cleaned surface must be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the coating
system.

Sa 2 Through blast cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 ( SSPC-SP 6/NACE N° 3 – Commercial blast cleaning), using abra- sives
(metal grit, metal shot, sand, etc…) propelled through nozzles to remove all poorly adhering material (mill scale, rust scale, old
paint, etc…) from the steel surface. Up to 33 % staining may remain due to rust, mill scale or previ- ously applied paint.
Slight residues of rust and old paint may remain in bottoms of pits if the original surface is pitted. The cleaned surface
must be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the coating system.

Industrial blast-cleaning, as described in SSPC-SP 14/NACE N° 8, using abrasives (metal grit, metal shot, sand, etc…) propelled
through nozzles or by centrifugal wheels to remove all poorly adhering material (mill scale, rust scale, old paint, etc…). Up to 10 %
staining may remain due to rust, mill scale or previously applied paint. The cleaned surface must be roughened to impart a
profile suitable for the coating system.

Sa 2,5 Very through blast cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 ( SSPC-SP 10/NACE N° 2 – Near-white blast cleaning), using
abrasives (metal grit, metal shot, sand, etc…) propelled through nozzles or by centrifugal wheels to remove visible
impurities (mill scale, rust scale, old paint, etc…). Up to 5 % staining may remain due to rust, mill scale or previously
applied paint. The cleaned surface must be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the coating system.

Sa 3 Visual clean steel blast cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 ( SSPC-SP 5/NACE N° 1 – White metal blast cleaning), using
abrasives (metal grit, metal shot, sand, etc…) propelled through nozzles or by centrifugal wheels to remove all visible
impurities (mill scale, rust scale, old paint, etc…). No (0 %) staining may remain due to rust, mill scale or previously applied
paint. The cleaned surface must be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the coating system.
(Ultra) High pressure water (UHP)
(Ultra) High pressure water cleaning (UHP), as described in SSPC-SP 12/NACE N° 5, using high and ultra-high pressure water
jetting without the addition of aggregate to achieve various degrees of visible and non-visible surface cleanliness.
In function of the used water pressure, the methods are classified in 4 types:
Low Pressure Water Cleaning (LP WC): < 34 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi)
High Pressure Water Cleaning (HP WC): 34 to 70 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi)
High Pressure Water Jetting (HP WJ): 70 to 170 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi)
Ultra High Pressure Water Jetting (UHP WJ): > 170 MPa (x10=bar, x145=psi).

Visual cleanliness degrees with water jetting (when viewed without magnification): WJ 4
All loose rust, loose mill scale, and loose coatings uniformly removed.
WJ 3 Matte finish with ≥ 67 % of the surface free of all visible residues (except mill scale), and the remaining 33 %
containing only randomly dispersed stains of previously existing rust, coatings, and foreign matter.
WJ 2 Matte finish with ≥ 95 % of the surface area free of all previously existing visible residues and the remaining 5
% containing only randomly dispersed stains of rust, coatings and foreign matter.
WJ 1 Matte metal finish and free of all previously existing visible rust, coatings, mill scale and foreign matter.

Non-visual cleanliness degrees with water jetting:

SC 3 < 50 μg/cm2 chloride and sulphate contaminants as verified by field or laboratory analysis using reliable, repro- ducible
test equipment.
SC 2 < 7 μg/cm2 chloride contaminants, < 10 μg/cm2 of soluble ferrous ion levels and < 17 μg/cm2 of sulphate
contaminants as verified by field or laboratory analysis using reliable, reproducible test equipment.
SC 1 Free of all detectable levels of contaminants as determined using available field test equipment with sensitivity
approximating laboratory test equipment. For purposes of this standard, contaminants are water-soluble chlo- rides, iron-
soluble salts and sulphates.

Tool cleaning (TC): hand (HTC) and power (PTC)

St 2 Thorough hand and power tool cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 ( SSPC-SP 2/NACE N° 7– Hand tool cleaning and
SSPC-SP 3/NACE N° 6 – Power tool cleaning), using hand* or power** tools to remove all poorly adhering matter (mill scale,
rust scale, old paint, etc…) from the steel surface. Tightly adherent mill scale, rust and old paint may remain if they cannot
be removed by lifting with a dull putty knife. The cleaned surface must be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the
coating system.
St 3 Very thorough hand and power tool cleaning, as described in ISO 8501-1 (SSPC-SP 11 – Power tool cleaning to bare metal
(PTC BM)), using heavy power tools*** to remove all visible impurities (mill scale, rust scale, old paint, etc…). Slight
residues of rust and old paint may remain in bottoms of pits if original surface is pitted. As for St 2, but the surface shall
be treated much more thoroughly to give a metallic sheen arising from the metallic substrate. The cleaned surface must
be roughened to impart a profile suitable for the coating system.
*: Hand Tools (HTC): hand brushing, hand sanding, hand scraping, hand chipping, etc…
**: Power Tools (PTC): power impact tools, power wire brushes, power grinders, power sanders, etc…
***: Heavy Power Tools (PTC BM): rotary impact tools, needle guns, non-woven abrasive wheels and discs or coated abrasive discs, etc…

Chemical cleaning (CC)

Chemical cleaning (CC), as described in SSPC-SP 1, also called ‘chemical surface preparation’ or ‘acid etching’, using
chemicals (solvents, emulsions, cleaning compounds, steam, etc…) to remove contaminants (oil, grease, lubricants, mud, etc…).

Consult STACfor further recommendations when these methods do not correspondent with the project requirements.
 Cleanliness steel surfaces before coating application
International* USA Photo
ISO Description Definition (when viewed without magnification) SSPC NACE Description Definition (when viewed without magnification) Example
1. Blasting
Before blasting: remove thick rust layer mechanically and observable contaminants (e.g. oil, grease, lubricants, mud) with steam, water (e.g. with sodium triphosphate) or solvent.
After blasting: remove (e.g. vacuum cleaning) all loose material (grit, dust, etc…). In some cases finish with solvent cleaning.
Abrasive blasting (AB): dry (DAB) and wet (WAB)
8501-1
Tightly adherent mill scale, rust and
Free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from previously applied paint may remain if they
Brush-off
Sa 1 Light blasting poorly adhering mill scale, rust, old paint SP 7 N° 4 cannot be removed by lifting with a dull putty
blasting knife. Profile roughness suitable for the
coatings and foreign matter.
coating system.
≤ 33 % staining may remain due to rust, mill
Free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from scale or previously applied paint. Slight
Thorough most of the mill scale, rust, old paint coatings Commercial residues of rust and paint may remain in
Sa 2 SP 6 N° 3
blasting and foreign matter. Any residual contamination blasting bottoms of pits if the original surface is pitted.
shall be firmly adhering. Profile roughness suitable for the coating
system.
≤ 10 % staining may remain due to rust, mill
Industrial
SP 14 N° 8 scale or previously applied paint. Profile
blasting
roughness suitable for the coating system.
Free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from
mill scale, rust, old paint coatings and foreign ≤ 5 % staining may remain due to rust, mill
Very thorough Near-white
Sa 2,5 matter. Any remaining traces of contamination SP 10 N° 2 scale or previously applied paint. Profile
blasting blasting roughness suitable for the coating system.
shall show only as slight stains in the form of
spots or stripes.
Free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and shall
0 % staining may remain due to rust, mill
Visually clean be free from mill scale, rust, old paint coatings White metal
Sa 3 SP 5 N° 1 scale or previously applied paint. Profile
blasting and foreign matter. It shall have a uniform blasting
roughness suitable for the coating system.
metallic colour.
#
(Ultra) High pressure water (UHP)
SP 12 N° 5
All loose rust, loose mill scale, and loose old paint uniformly
WJ 4 (A)
removed.
Matte finish with ≥ 67 % of the surface free of all visible
residues (except mill scale), and the remaining 33 % containing
WJ 3 only randomly dispersed stains of previously existing rust, old
(A,C)
paint and foreign matter.
Matte finish with ≥ 95 % of the surface area free of all
previously existing visible residues and the remaining 5 %
WJ 2 containing only randomly dispersed stains of rust, old paint and
(A,B,C)
foreign matter.
Matte metal finish and free of all previously existing visible rust,
WJ 1 (A,B,C)
old paint, mill scale and foreign matter.
Definition (non-visual)
2
< 50 μg/cm chloride and sulphate contaminants as verified by
SC 3 field or laboratory analysis using reliable, reproducible test
equipment.
2 2
< 7 μg/cm chloride contaminants, < 10 μg/cm of soluble
2
ferrous ion levels and < 17 μg/cm of sulphate contaminants as
SC 2
verified by field or laboratory analysis using reliable, reproducible
test equipment.
Free of all detectable levels of contaminants as determined
using available field test equipment with sensitivity
SC 1 approximating laboratory test equipment. For purposes of this
standard, contaminants are water-soluble chlorides, iron- soluble
salts and sulphates.
2. Tool cleaning (TC): hand (HTC) and power (PTC)
8501-1
Removes all loose mill scale, loose rust,
SP 2 N° 7 Hand tooling loose old paint and other loose detrimental
Free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from foreign matter.
Thorough
St 2 poorly adhering mill scale, rust, old paint
tool cleaning Removes all loose mill scale, loose rust,
coatings and foreign matter.
SP 3 N° 6 Power tooling loose old paint and other loose detrimental
foreign matter.
Removes all loose mill scale, loose rust,
As for St 2, but the surface shall be treated much loose old paint, and other loose detrimental
Very thorough Power tooling foreign matter. Slight residues of rust and old
St 3 more thoroughly to give a metallic sheen arising SP 11
tool cleaning to bare steel paint may be left in the lower portion of pits if
from the metallic substrate.
the original surface is pitted.
3. Chemical cleaning (CC)
Chemical cleaning or Remove contaminants (e.g. oil, grease,
SP 1 acid etching lubricants, mud).
*: Equal to DIN 55 928 (Germany) and SIS 05 5900 (Sweden) . Comparable to BS-4232 (UK) were 1st quality Sa 3, 2nd quality Sa 2,5 and 3rd quality Sa 2
(A)
: HP WJ and UHP WJ surfaces do not exhibit the hue of a dry abrasive-blasted steel surface. The matte finish colour of clean steel immediately after WJ will turn to a golden hue unless
an inhibitor is used or environmental controls are employed. On older steel surfaces that have areas of old paint or are paint-free, the matte finish colour will vary even though all visible
surface material has been removed.
(B)
: WJ at pressures > 240 MPa (2400 bar) are capable of removing mill scale, but production rates may or may not be cost effective in the effort to remove mill scale.
(C)
: The experience of the contractor and, in many cases, the preparation of a sample area, determine the success of a specific level of HP WJ or UHP removing an existing coating or sheet lining
material, rust scale, rust nodules or tubercles, mill scale or other tightly adhered matter from the substrate.
#
: Water pressure categories: LP WC < 34 MPa < 340 bar Low pressure water cleaning
HP WC 34 to 70 MPa 340 to 700 bar High pressure water cleaning
HP WJ 70 to 170 MPa 700 to 1700 bar High pressure water jetting
UHP WJ > 170 MPa > 1700 bar Ultra high pressure water
jetting
Appendix II : orms for oughness steel surfaces after abrasive blasting
STAC advises roughness for metal surfaces before the application of coating systems according to the international norm ISO
8503-1. This norm defines the profile type according the abrasive type: grit (angular) and shot (rounded). This standard is
internationally recognised.
STAC recommends grit blasting with hard steel grit because it creates on angular profile and as such a better mechanical
adhesion of the coating.

ISO-8503-1
Grit blasting Shot blasting
Profile type Profile depth (Rz) Profile type Profile depth (Rz)
Fine (G) 25 to 60 µm Fine (S) 25 to 40 µm

Medium (G) 60 to 100 µm Medium (S) 40 to 70 µm

Coarse (G) 100 to 150 µm Coarse (S) 70 to 100 µm

The cleanliness of the steel surface must be ≥ Sa 2,5 zijn.

To specify the roughness, different parameters are used:

Ra = average distance to an imaginative centre line which is draw between the peak and the valleys.
Ra = C.L.A. (Centre Line Average ISO 3274).
Rz = average height from valley to top (profile depth).
Rt = maximum height from valley to peak.

The Rz (profile depth) is on average 5 x Ra (e.g. Ra 10–12 µm = Rz 50–60 µm).

Remarks:
The measurement of DFT (dry film thickness) on blasted steel ≤ 50 µm is inaccurate.
With a Ra-value of 10–12 µm and a DFT of 40 µm is the average thickness above the peaks ≤ 20 µm.
Appendix III : orms alt concentration in steel surfaces: Bresle test (ISO 8502)
Conductivity Salt concentration in steel surface
test results as chloride as sodium chloride as mixed salts

1 µS/cm 0,36 ppm 0,60 ppm 0,50 ppm

0,1 mS/m 3,6 mg/m² 6,0 mg/m² 5,0 mg/m²

R ecommended maximum salt concentrations

Off-shore
Conductivity Salt concentration in steel surface
test results as chloride as sodium chloride as mixed salts

4 µS/cm 1,44 ppm 2,40 ppm 2,00 ppm

0,4 mS/m 14,4 mg/m² 24,0 mg/m² 20,0 mg/m²

Lining (interior)
Conductivity Salt concentration in steel surface
test results as chloride as sodium chloride as mixed salts

6 µS/cm 2,16 ppm 3,60 ppm 3,00 ppm

0,6 mS/m 21,6 mg/m² 36,0 mg/m² 30,0 mg/m²

Atmospherique (exterior)
Conductivity Salt concentration in steel surface
test results as chloride as sodium chloride as mixed salts

12 µS/cm 4,32 ppm 7,20 ppm 6,00 ppm

1,2 mS/m 43,2 mg/m² 72,0 mg/m² 60,0 mg/m²

Remarks:
1 ppm = 1 µg/cm ² = 10 m g/m ²
S = Siemens = electrical conductance = 1/R = 1/electrical resistance

Recommended surface preparation:

1. Water jets to remove flak es (mill scale, rust) completely.
2. Steam cleaning with hot demineralised water (110 °C, 200 bar).
3. DAB with hard sharp edged grit to:
cleanliness: Sa 2,5
roughness profile: angular ty pe depth (Rz)
for: STAC-V-Systems medium (G) ≥
70 µm other STAC-Systems medium (G) ≥
60 µm STAC-U1-ZIMIO & STACGALVA fine (G)
≥ 40 µm
4. Measure salt concentration.
5. If not satisfactory, DAB again, measure again, etc… till satisfactory.

Good practice
st
Conditioning has to be continuous, avoid all forms of contamination and apply 1 coating layer asap.