The TAPPI Standards regulations require public review of standards that are up for ballot. TAPPI members can view any drafts that are in ballot by logging in to the TAPPI web site (www.tappi.org), clicking on "My TAPPI," and then clicking on the "Standards Public Draft Review" link on the left side of the page. If you would like to review and comment on any draft and are not a member of the corresponding Standard-Specific Interest Group (SSIG), you may view the draft on line or you may request a copy of the draft being balloted by writing to standards@tappi.org. TAPPI members may join SSIGs as permanent members; go to the Subject Category page to download forms for this purpose. Nonmembers of TAPPI may join any SSIG as a voting member; to do so, send a message to standards@tappi.org to receive a copy of the draft and a ballot.

Listed below are TAPPI Standards that have recently gone out for ballot to the corresponding Standard-Specific Interest Group (SSIG). The date in parentheses is the closing date for voting.


T 543 "Bending resistance of paper (Gurley-type tester)" (March 14, 2011)
T 414 "Internal tearing resistance of paper (Elmendorf-type method)" (March 17, 2011)
T 205 "Forming handsheets for physical tests of pulp" (March 17, 2011)
T 412 "Moisture in pulp, paper, and paperboard" (March 21, 2011)
T 531 "Starch consumption in corrugated board (enzymatic/gravimetric method)" (Proposed withdrawal; March 24, 2011)
T 532 "Starch consumption in corrugated board (enzymatic/colorimetric method)" (Proposed withdrawal; March 24, 2011)

Three proposals for new standards in the area of nanotechnology have been proposed. A Standard-Specific Interest Group (SSIG) must be formed for each of these proposals. Any individuals who are interested in these standards may join any or all of the SSIGs to receive ballots when they are ready for vote. If you would like to join any of the SSIGs, please notify the Standards Department at standards@tappi.org or by fax at +1-770-446-6947 no later than February 19, 2011.

The titles and scopes for the three standards are shown below. The WI number indicates the Work Item number; please specify which Work Item(s) SSIGs you would like to join

T New (WI 3021) "Nanocellulose nomenclature and terminology." The scope for nanocellulose nomenclature and terminology standardization shall include manufactured cellulosic fibers from plants and microorganisms with two dimensions in the nanoscale. The ISO definition for nanoscale (approximately 1-100 nm) is adopted for the purpose of this nanocellulose standards-making activity. Standard nomenclature and terminology development for nanocellulose with at least one of the short dimensions in the 100 to 1000 nm range and display size dependent properties shall also be considered. This nanocellulose nomenclature and terminology scope shall cover the entire supply chain starting with manufactured nanocellulosic raw material to nanocellulose derived materials and products, ending with product end-of-life of nanocellulose derived products. This nanocellulose nomenclature and terminology standards development shall also include nomenclature and terminology of phenomena and equipment, nanoscale or otherwise, in manufacturing processes nanocelluloses encounter. Nomenclature and terminologies developed in this standards developing process will also have implications in product stewardship and environment, health and safety regulations.

T New (WI 3022) "Representative cellulosic nanomaterials for environmental, health and safety studies." This specification identifies base-case cellulosic nanomaterials that will be used for environment, health and safety (EHS) evaluations. Cellulose nanomaterials can be produced from a wide variety of tree species as well as non-woody plants. Therefore. cellulosic nanomaterials produced from different species and differing processing conditions could well possess differing EHS impacts. However, there are limiting factors such as only a small subset of tree species has important commercial value and wide spread use. In addition, it may also be that the range of variation in EHS impacts may be relatively small for the range of cellulosic nanomaterials that are commercially important.

T New (WI 3023) "Methodology for the classification and categorization of nanocelulose." This standard provides guidance on the preparation of comprehensive technical specifications for the characteristics of manufactured nanocellulose and their measurement methods in order to ensure the delivery of product that gives a consistent response in processing and/or final performance. The document includes guidance on specifying the physical and chemical characteristics of manufactured nanocellulose, which might affect performance or subsequent processing. The listed measurement methods are not normative but informative. The nanocellulose may be supplied in a dry form or as dispersions in a liquid medium. This document does not include guidance on specifying the environmental, health and safety (EHS) characteristics of manufactured nano-objects. However, nanotechnology is a rapidly growing and evolving field. Therefore, users of this document should maintain an awareness of the legislative environment and latest developments in EHS regarding nanotechnology. The document does not specify quantitative requirements for the object to be considered a nano-object but lists appropriate examples of characteristics and properties and their measurement methods useful for specifying nano-objects. Characteristics and measurement methods for nano devicing technology are not included. Although this document refers to parameters, which could be considered to be aspects of material quality, it is not intended as providing guidance on the establishment of quality management systems.

There was an error in the list of TAPPI Standards coming up for review in 2011 as announced in the December 2010 edition of STAR. T 520 "Curl of gummed flat paper" was listed for review, but it is a Classical Method published in 2007, so the review initiation date for this Standard will be 2016.

T 520 has been removed from the list (shown below), which also may be found on the Review Schedule page.

Nonmembers of TAPPI who wish to be part of the voting for any Standard should send a message to standards@tappi.org and request voting membership on the corresponding SSIG, prior to the target ballot date, if possible. Anyone who joins the SSIG before the target balloting date will receive a notice of the ballot. Nonmembers cannot access the drafts online, but they will be sent copies by email upon request after receiving the notice of ballot by email.

If you have joined the Standard Specific Interest Group for any Standard, you will receive a notice for ballot at the proper time with instructions for casting your vote and making your comments. If you wish to join the Standard Specific Interest Group for a particular Standard, please go to the Subject Categories for Standards page or contact the Standards Department at TAPPI (standards@tappi.org), or phone +1-770-209-7276 or fax +1-770-446-6947).

T 808 om-07 Flat crush test of corrugated board (flexible beam method) (May 10, 2011)
T 811 om-07 Edgewise compressive strength of corrugated fiberboard (short column test) (May 17, 2011)
T 822 om-07 Ring crush of paperboard (rigid support method) (June 7, 2011)
T 449 om-07 Bacteriological examination of paper and paperboard (June 10, 2011)
T 281 sp-07 Open drum washer mat sampling technique (June 14, 2011)
T 252 om-07 pH and electrical conductivity of hot water extracts of pulp, paper, and paperboard (June 17, 2011)
T 211 om-07 Ash in wood, pulp, paper and paperboard: combustion at 525°C (June 21, 2011)
T 1212 sp-07 Light sources for evaluating papers including those containing fluorescent whitening agents (June 24, 2011)
T 1214 sp-07 Interrelation of reflectance, R₀; reflectivity, R ; TAPPI opacity, C_0.89; scattering, s; and absorption, k (June 28, 2011)
T 1217 sp-07 Photometric linearity of optical properties instruments (July 8, 2011)
T 1218 sp-07 Calibration of reflectance standards for hemispherical geometry (July 12, 2011)
T 575 om-07 Roughness of paper and paperboard,stylus (Emveco-type) method (July 15, 2011)
T 530 om-07 Size test for paper by ink resistance (Hercules-type method) (July 19, 2011)
T 512 sp-07 Creasing of flexible packaging material paper specimens for testing (July 22, 2011)
T 547 om-07 Air permeance of paper and paperboard (Sheffield method) (July 26, 2011)
T 277 om-07 Macro stickies content in pulp: the "pick-up" method (July 29, 2011)
T 240 om-07 Consistency (concentration) of pulp suspensions (August 2, 2011)
T 212 om-07 One percent sodium hydroxide solubility of wood and pulp (August 5, 2011)
T 559 cm-02 Grease resistance test for paper and paperboard (August 9, 2011)
T 665 cm-02 Analysis of talc (August 12, 2011)
T 483 cm-02 Odor of packaging materials (August 16, 2011)
T 433 cm-02 Water resistance of sized paper and paperboard (dry indicater method) (August 19, 2011)
T 234 cm-02 Coarseness of pulp fibers (August 23, 2011)
T 257 cm-02 Sampling and preparing wood for analysis (August 26, 2011)
T 552 om-07 Determination of wetting tension of polyolefin films and coated surfaces via the mayer rod technique (August 30, 2011)
T 802 om-07 Drop test for fiberboard shipping containers (September 2, 2011)
T 815 om-07 Coefficient of static friction (slide angle) of packaging and packaging materials (including shipping sack papers, corrugated and solid fiberboard) (inclined plane method) (September 9, 2011)
T 834 om-07 Determination of containerboard roll hardness (September 13, 2011)
T 832 om-07 Water absorption of corrugating medium: float curl method (September 16, 2011)
T 838 om-07 Edge crush test using neckdown (September 20, 2011)
T 1200 sp-07 Interlaboratory evaluation of test methods to determine TAPPI repeatability and reproducibility (September 23, 2011)
T 527 om-07 Color of paper and paperboard (d/0, C/2) (October 7, 2011)
T 524 om-07 Color of paper and paperboard (45/0, C/2) (October 11, 2011)
T 1219 sp-07 Storage of paper samples for optical measurements and color matching (October 14, 2011)
T 653 om-07 Specular gloss of paper and paperboard at 20° (October 18, 2011)
T 1215 sp-07 The determination of instrumental color differences (October 21, 2011)
T 1216 sp-07 Indices for whiteness, yellowness, brightness, and luminous reflectance factor (October 25, 2011)
T 536 om-07 Resistance of paper to passage of air (high-pressure Gurley method) (November 8, 2011)
T 568 om-07 Physical area of sub-visible contraries in pulp, paper, and paperboard by image analysis (November 11, 2011)
T 275 sp-07 Screening of pulp (Somerville-type equipment) (November 18, 2011)
T 271 om-07 Fiber length of pulp and paper by automated optical analyzer using polarized light (December 2, 2011)
T 282 pm-07 Hexeneuronic acid content of chemical pulp (December 9, 2011)

. . . that any interested parties have the right to view and comment on any TAPPI Standard up for ballot? If you are a TAPPI Member, you can access these drafts on the web by first logging into the TAPPI Home Page with your user name and password. Then point your cursor over the "Membership" button, and select "My TAPPI" from the dropdown menu. When the "My TAPPI" page opens, click on "Standards Public Draft Review" from the menu on the left-hand side. You can then select from a list of drafts currently in ballot.

You also do not have to be a TAPPI member to join one of the Standard-Specific Interest Groups (SSIGs). To join an SSIG for a specific Standard, send a message to standards@tappi.org. You will receive emails when it is time to vote on standards.

If you are a member of TAPPI and are on one or more SSIGs, any ballots that you are requested to vote on can be accessed from your "My TAPPI" page by selecting "Click here to vote on Standards ballots." You can also see which SSIGs you belong to by selecting "Click here for a full list of your Standard-Specific Interest groups."

If you do not choose to join an SSIG, you can still request copies of any Standards up for ballot by sending a message to standards@tappi.org. After reviewing drafts, you may also send any comments to standards@tappi.org. The volunteer experts working on Standards are required to consider all comments received, but they are not required to accept comments from nonmembers of the SSIG. To ensure that your comments are addressed, then think about signing up for as many SSIGs as you like, but also consider TAPPI membership in order to access draft and vote on line.

For details on these commonly-used acronyms in the development of TAPPI Standards and TIPs, please see the Standards Guidelines and the TIP Guidelines, or send your questions to standards@tappi.org.

TIP = Technical Information Paper
Q&SMC = Quality and Standards Management Committee
SSIG = Standard-Specific Interest Group
SARG = Standards Advisory Review Group
WI = Work Item
WG = Working Group
WGC = Working Group Chairman
om = Official Method
pm = Provisional Method
sp = Standard Practice
cm = Classical Method
ss = Standard Specification
sg = Standard Guideline
gl = Standard Glossary
wd = Withdrawn Standard
UM = Useful Method

Details on how to search and order TAPPI Standards and TIPs can be found on the TAPPI website's Search and Order page.

All individual TIPs or Standards are available for electronic or paper delivery. For electronic delivery, the documents are e-mailed in PDF format. Hard copy documents can be mailed or faxed, but shipping and handling costs will apply.

For Individual TIPs, order Item Number: 0108____ (Insert TIP number).
For Individual Standards, order Item Number: 0104T____ (Insert Standard number).
List price: $49; TAPPI member price: $32. There are no shipping or handling charges for electronic documents.

The 2010-2011 collection of Standards, published in March of 2010, and the 2009-2010 collection of TIPs, published in March of 2009, are available on CD. An Individual or Company License for access to the continually updated collection of Standards and TIPs via the web, is the best way always to have a current set of documents accessible. A print-on-demand version of either the Standards or the TIPs set, current and updated as of the date printed, is also available.

For information and quotes on company licenses, contact Lisa Stephens at lstephens@tappi.org or +1-770-209-7293. For regular orders (including individual online licenses), contact Member Connection at 1-800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), or +1-770-446-1400 (international), or order online at www.tappi.org.