This standard provides a system for specifying significant properties of commonly used plastics, including unpigmented and pigmented, unfilled and filled products. It is intended to apply to resins (not parts), primarily as used in the automotive and related industries. It is also intended to be used either as the sole descriptor of a material or within the body of a specification covering the common standard characteristics required whereas additional specialized requirements are detailed.

Material Description. IT is based on the principle that plastics should be described, insofar as is possible, in terms of specific performance characteristics desired in the resin, and that an infinite number of such descriptions can be formulated by use of one or more standard statements (based on standard tests), each designating a quality level of a property or characteristic. Thus, users of plastic resin can, by selecting different combinations of performance characteristic, specify different combinations of properties desired in various resins.

Note: Suffix Symbols A through H are normally applicable to the resin as received. Suffix Symbols J through U are normally applicable to test specimens molded from the resin as received. Suffix Symbols V through Z covering environmental performance requirements are also normally applicable to test specimens molded from the resin as received.

Resin Description. The resin description shall be as indicated by the numeral(s) following the suffix A-symbol (see Table 2) One (1) or more suffix symbols may be used to describe the required resins.

Note: Designations 1 to 9 describe resin type, 20 to 27 describe compound, 40 to 47 describe additives, and 60 to 71 describe process grade.

Reinforcement and/or Filler. Shall be described by amending the suffix B-symbol using letter designations.

The reinforcement, expressed as mass %, shall be specified by the second and third numeral(s) following the amended suffix B-symbol with a tolerance as indicated by the first numeral following the amended suffix B-symble

Note: In the case of most reinforcement, the value shall be determined by ISO 3451/1 or ISO 3451/4 for polyamides. Otherwise the test method shall be agreed upon between purchaser and supplier.

Cross-Reference of Replaced Specifications. Subparagraphs were not applicable.

Symbol. To permit line call-out of the descriptions mentioned, the system includes a symbol for the general type of plastic resin to be used and a letter-number symbol for each quality level of each property or characteristic.

Note: While this cell type format provides the means for close characterization and specification of each property and combination of properties for a broad range of materials, it is subject to possible misapplications, since impossible property combinations can be coded if the user is not familiar with available commercial materials.

Typical Application. Not applicable.

Remarks. Not applicable.