Pages: 42
Replaces: ASTM D6300-19a
ASTM test methods are frequently intended for use in the manufacture, selling, and buying of materials in accordance with specifications and therefore should provide such precision that when the test is properly performed by a competent operator, the results will be found satisfactory for judging the compliance of the material with the specification. Statements addressing precision and bias are required in ASTM test methods. These then give the user an idea of the precision of the resulting data and its relationship to an accepted reference material or source (if available). Statements addressing determinability are sometimes required as part of the test method procedure in order to provide early warning of a significant degradation of testing quality while processing any series of samples.
This practice covers the necessary preparations and planning for the conduct of interlaboratory programs for the development of estimates of precision (determinability, repeatability, and reproducibility) and of bias (absolute and relative), and further presents the standard phraseology for incorporating such information into standard test methods.
This practice is generally limited to homogeneous petroleum products, liquid fuels, and lubricants with which serious sampling problems (such as heterogeneity or instability) do not normally arise.
This practice may not be suitable for products with sampling problems as described in 1.2, solid or semisolid products such as petroleum coke, industrial pitches, paraffin waxes, greases, or solid lubricants when the heterogeneous properties of the substances create sampling problems. In such instances, consult a trained statistician.