General Information About Standards & TIPs
What types of Standards are published by TAPPI?
There are four types of TAPPI Standards:
- Test Methods
- Specifications
- Guidelines
- Glossaries
What are the categories of TAPPI Standard Test Methods?
Official Method: A testing procedure which has qualities of accuracy and precision such as to make it meet all of the following requirements:
The testing procedure is applicable to the evaluation of pulp, paper, or related products, or of materials that possess a property of special or unique importance to the pulp, paper, and related industries.
For methods not specific to a particular instrument, equipment used in the procedure is described in sufficient detail to enable the user to check its operation and compliance with the procedure either by well-known means or by means described in the testing procedure to achieve acceptable results.
For methods specific to a particular instrument, equipment used is described in the procedure in sufficient detail to be understood or acquired by the user. Instructions for its use may either be included in the method or listed in a published instrument manual. The name of the manufacturer or distributor of the instrument shall not appear in the method, unless the instrument name is needed to differentiate the method from another TAPPI method purported to measure the same property. Names of suppliers will be available through the TAPPI Standards Manager as part of the Suppliers List, which is also published in the bound set of Standards.
The procedure is described in sufficient detail to enable a trained technician to put it into practice and obtain results with the stated precision or accuracy.
The testing procedure consists of only one procedure with a definite series of steps for testing each property, unless any alternative procedure or step yields identical results for that property within the stated precision.
The testing procedure states the units in which the results are to be reported. If it has been deemed desirable to permit the use of alternative units, the preferred units are to be noted.
A testing procedure which produces numerical results contains a statement of precision embodying values of repeatability and reproducibility (as defined in T 1200 "Interlaboratory Evaluation of Test Methods to Determine TAPPI Repeatability and Reproducibility") or a statement that such values cannot practicably be determined.
The testing procedure may contain expressed or implied product, material, or equipment specifications in any form only to the extent that such specifications are necessary to specify the test equipment or material required to carry out the method.
Provisional Method: A testing procedure which meets all the requirements for an Official Method except for extensive history in its use. If it produces numerical results, it is required to have a precision statement containing at least a value for within-laboratory precision, as described in T 1200 "Interlaboratory Evaluation of Test Methods to Determine TAPPI Repeatability and Reproducibility." A testing procedure may remain a Provisional Method for a maximum of five (5) years, within which time it must be reviewed and then be advanced to an Official Method or withdrawn.
Standard Practice: An accepted procedure for the performance of one or more operations or functions associated with TAPPI Test Method activities. "Sampling and Accepting a Single Lot of Paper, Paperboard, Containerboard or Related Product" (T 400), "Forming Handsheets for Physical Tests of Pulp" (T 205) and "Static Creasing of Paper for Water Vapor Transmission Tests" (T 465) are examples of TAPPI Standard Practices.
Practices may include, but are not limited to, documents regarding installation, maintenance and operation of testing apparatus, sampling or selection of materials for testing, and documents giving general guidance for making particular types of measurements or preparing test specimens for such measurements. Standard Practices must be balloted and reviewed as if they were Official Methods. The requirements found in Sections 5, 6, and 7 of the Standard guidelines apply to both methods and practices except where specific differences are noted.
Classical Method: A testing procedure, usually a former Official Method, which is no longer in common use, or which has been superseded by advanced technology. These testing procedures are technically sound, have a history of use, and may contain a body of literature references that make their preservation valuable. Classical Methods are part of the current set of TAPPI Test Methods and shall be reviewed every 10 years, following the procedure as outlined in Section 6.7of these guidelines.
Withdrawn Methods: An Official Method or Provisional Method which has proved unsatisfactory for its designated purpose or which is no longer in general use, but around which a sufficient body of literature has accumulated to justify its retention as a reference. Withdrawn Methods are not part of the current Test Methods set, but copies may be obtained from TAPPI.
Useful Method: TAPPI Useful Methods (UMs) describe tests, procedures, or practices written in the same general style as a TAPPI Standard Test Method, but with minimum precision requirements. UMs do not receive the same review through a consensus process, and thus are not Standards.
What about test method specifications, i.e., expected results from TAPPI Test Methods?
TAPPI Test Methods are testing procedures; expected results or specifications are not part of the documents. Other organizations may write specifications based on using TAPPI Test Methods as the basis for testing, and they may even specify the expected range of results. But TAPPI does not include specifications as part of the Test Methods themselves. Many of the methods are written to test particular properties that would be applicable for many different styles and grades of paper. Expected results and specifications may be determined between the producer of the product being tested and the user or consumer of the product.
The guidelines for TAPPI Standards do allow publication of Standard Specifications, unrelated to the Test Methods (see below).
What about Specifications, Glossaries, and Guidelines?
TAPPI Standards may also include certain specifications, definitions, glossaries, technical information, or guidelines that are unrelated to Test Methods. Although similar documents may exist in the Technical Information Papers (TIPs) set, the documents that become a part of the Standards set must comply with Standards regulations in their development and approval.
What do the numbers and the suffixes in TAPPI Standards mean?
The suffix following the Standard number indicates the category of the Standard. The document designations consist of a capital T, followed by a space, then a number (assigned sequentially within several Standard categories), another space, a two-letter designation of classification, a hyphen, and the last two digits of the year published.
The subject areas for Standard Test Methods and their numbering are:
Fibrous Materials and Pulp Testing T 1-200 Series
Paper and Paperboard Testing T 400-500 Series
Nonfibrous Materials Testing T 600-700 Series
Container Testing T 800 Series
Structural Materials Testing T 1000 Series
Testing Practices T 1200 Series
The two-letter designations for Test Method classifications are:
om = Official Method
pm = Provisional Method
sp = Standard Practice
cm = Classical Method
The Standard Specifications, Glossaries, and Guidelines are numbered beginning with 1500 and use the following designations:
ss = Standard Specification
gl = Standard Glossary
sg = Standard Guideline
In the Numerical Index, the designation "wd" indicates that the Standard has been withdrawn. The "UM" designation for Useful Methods appears also in references to these documents.
Numbers for new Standards are assigned sequentially within the appropriate category. Withdrawn numbers are not reused unless a withdrawn method is reinstated.
What are TAPPI Technical Information Papers (TIPs)?
TAPPI Technical Information Papers (TIPs) are documents containing specialized information (e.g., data, software, calculations) used in the manufacture, evaluation and description of pulp, paper, and related products, written in a standardized format which is readily useable by the industry. Technical Information Papers may contain testing procedures or methods used to evaluate equipment but do not contain pulp and paper testing procedures or test methods. The TIPs are published after approval of a working group consisting of experts in the subject area, but are not considered TAPPI Standards because they do not undergo the stringent review and consensus process as TAPPI Standards do.