WARNING — The use of this document can involve hazardous materials, operations and
equipment. This document does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated
with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this document to establish appropriate safety
and health practices and to determine the applicability of any other restrictions prior to its use.
This document specifies requirements for applying and documenting methods for determining
particulate contamination on functionally-relevant components and systems (cleanliness inspection)
of road vehicles.
A cleanliness inspection comprises the basis of an assessment of technical cleanliness, which is
performed, for example, under the following circumstances:
— initial inspection and evaluation;
— inspection of incoming and outgoing components; and
— quality control or monitoring of manufacturing processes relevant to cleanliness (e.g. cleaning,
surface treatment and assembly processes).
This document is intended to improve the informative quality and comparability of test results. It also
defines the standardized expression of cleanliness specifications and cleanliness test results in the
quality chain of the automotive industry.
This document does not apply to the following:
— detection of filmy contamination (grease, oils, etc.);
— application of non-quantifiable particulate detection methods on test components (e.g. visual
assessment, wipe test with clean cloth, etc.); and
— characterization of operating fluids (fuel, oils, coolants, brake fluid, etc.).
This document does not define any cleanliness limit values for specific components or systems. The
degree of cleanliness required for a specific component or system is dependent on a number of highlyindividual
factors. Cleanliness specifications are intended to be undertaken only by specialists who
not only know the component concerned but also the system it is built into, the later conditions of use,
technically-feasible practices and possible consequences for manufacturing processes and the supply
chain. Guidance for deriving limit values can be found in Annex H.