Designation: F 1137 – 88 (Reapproved 1993)

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS

100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM

Standard Specification for

Phosphate/Oil and Phosphate/Organic Corrosion Protective
Coatings for Fasteners1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 1137; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope TABLE 1 Classification and Performance Requirements of

Protective Coatings
1.1 This specification covers the basic requirements for
three grades of corrosion protective coatings for fasteners. Grade No. Zinc Supplemental Coating Salt Spray, h
Grade I consists of a zinc phosphate coating with a supple- Phosphate, Coating Thickness,
mental protective oil type compound and Grades II and III g/m2 µm
consist of a zinc phosphate with a supplemental zinc-rich Grade I 26–32 protective oil type See 5.5 168
compound
epoxy resin coating (Grade II includes a clear organic topcoat). Grade II 13–16 zinc richA resin flake 15–25 240
1.2 This specification is intended primarily for fasteners Grade III 13–16 zinc rich resin 10–20 400
such as nuts, clips, washers, and other ferrous threaded and powderB
non-threaded fasteners that require corrosion protection. A
Zinc rich resin to contain 60 % minimum metallic zinc flake by volume with 14
to 16 % aluminum.
1.3 These coatings may or may not have a decorative finish. B
Zinc rich resin to contain 80 % minimum metallic zinc powder by volume with
2. Referenced Documents trace aluminum.

2.1 ASTM Standards:

B 117 Test Method of Salt Spray (Fog) Testing2 the purchaser and the producer, the color of the protective
D 2247 Practice for Testing Water Resistance of Coatings in coating shall be black for Grade I and metallic gray for Grades
100 % Relative Humidity3 II and III. In addition, Grades II and III shall be free from tears,
D 3359 Test Methods for Measuring Adhesion by Tape sags, and excess coating that may affect appearance or perfor-
Test3 mance, or both.
E 122 Practice for Choice of Sample Size to Estimate a 5.2 Adhesion—The coating for Grades II and III shall show
Measure of Quality for a Lot or Process4 no evidence of blistering nor other appearance changes after
exposure to humidity testing for 96 h minimum. It shall show
3. Classification no more than 3.0 mm peal-back from intersection of lines
3.1 The zinc phosphate treatment and subsequent protective scribed and tape tested immediately after a 10 min recovery
coatings are classified into three grades according to the period following exposure, and no other peeling in area under
requirements shown in Table 1. Phosphate bath concentrations, the tape.
temperatures and immersion times recommended by the 5.3 Corrosion Resistance—These coatings shall be capable
chemical manufacture should be followed. of withstanding neutral salt spray for the minimum h specified
4. Ordering Information in Table 1 with no base metal corrosion on significant surfaces.
Significant surfaces on threaded fasteners are defined as the
4.1 Orders for material under this specification shall include exposed surfaces when the fasteners are installed in a normal
the following information: manner (bolt head, nut head, face, etc.). On other surfaces
4.1.1 Quantity of parts. where control of the coating cannot be obtained under normal
4.1.2 Grade required (see Table 1). processing such as holes, recesses, threads, etc., the above
4.1.3 Any additions agreed upon by the purchaser and the requirements do not apply.
supplier. 5.4 Coating Flexibility—These coatings shall withstand the
5. Requirements normal flexing encountered by spring clips, or swaged and
5.1 Appearance—Unless otherwise agreed upon between flaired fasteners, without evidence of flaking or loss of adhe-
sion to base metal. They shall also withstand normal handling
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F-16 on and storage conditions.
Fasteners and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F16.03 on Metal Coatings 5.5 Thread Fit—The maximum thickness of coating which
on Threaded Fasteners. may be applied to threads on threaded products is limited by
Current edition approved Feb. 26, 1988. Published April 1988.
2 the basic thread size (see 8.2). Threads may be produced
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 03.02.
3
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01. undersize/oversize (before coating) to accommodate the coat-
4
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.02. ing thickness, providing the finished product (after coating)

1
 F 1137
meets all specified mechanical properties. All undersize/ where:
oversize must be within permissible limits as agreed upon by T 5 thickness, µm,
the supplier and the purchaser. W 5 mass of deposit, g,
A 5 area of deposit, m2,and
6. Sampling D 5 density of coating, kg/m3.
6.1 The purchaser may request samples in accordance with 7.4 The presence of clear topcoat for Grade II may be
Practice E 122. determined by the sulfamic acid drop test: One to two drops of
1 % sulfamic acid shall be dropped on the surface. In the
absence of topcoat, the surface will turn black.
7. Test Methods
7.1 The humidity test and adhesion test shall be conducted 8. Inspection
in accordance with Practice D 2247, Test Methods D 3359
8.1 Samples shall be taken in accordance with Practice
respectively, for Grades II and III.
E 122.
7.2 The corrosion resistance shall be determined in
8.2 Referee Inspection—The following referee thread
accordance with Test Method B 117.
inspection procedure may be utilized if the specified “go’’ gage
7.3 The coating thickness may be determined by binds on the screw.
microscopic examination of the cross-section taken
8.2.1 Bolt or Screw—Assemble a phosphate-plated test nut
perpendicular to the significant surface or by determining the
with a 2B or 6H class thread down the full length of the thread.
coating mass (g/m2) by a weigh-strip-weigh method and then
8.2.2 Nut—Assemble a phosphate-plated test bolt or screw
converting to a coating thickness (see note). Coating thickness,
with a 2A or 6g class thread for a minimum of one (1) diameter
for referee purposes, shall be measured by microscopic
through the nut.
examination.
8.2.3 The test nut or screw/bolt must run freely for the total
NOTE 1—The weigh-strip-weigh method involves weighing the test length without binding.
specimen before and after stripping the deposit with a reagent which does
not attack the base metal. 9. Rejection and Rehearing
The formula used for measuring the thickness of a deposit by 9.1 Unless otherwise specified, any rejection based on tests
the weigh-strip-weigh method is: specified herein and made by the purchaser shall be reported to
W the manufacturer as soon as practical after receipt of the
T5 A 3 D 3 103 product by the purchaser.

The American Society for Testing and Materials takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection
with any item mentioned in this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such
patent rights, and the risk of infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years and
if not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standards
and should be addressed to ASTM Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the responsible
technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you should make your
views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.