T 211 om-12 "Ash in wood, pulp, paper and paperboard: combustion at 525 degrees C" (Reaffirmation)
T 212 om-12 "One percent sodium hydroxide solubility of wood and pulp" (Revision)
T 240 om-12 "Consistency (concentration) of pulp suspensions" (Revision)
T 252 om-12 "pH and electrical conductivity of hot water extracts of pulp, paper, and paperboard" (Reaffirmation)
T 275 sp-12 "Screening of pulp (Somerville-type equipment)" (Revision)
T 281 om-12 "Open drum washer mat sampling technique" (Revision)
T 421 om-12 "Qualitative (including optical microscopic) analysis of mineral filler and mineral coating of paper" (Reinstatement of previously withdrawn Official Method)
T 433 cm-12 "Water resistance of sized paper and paperboard (dry indicator method)"(Revision)
T 444 om-12 "Silver tarnishing by paper and paperboard" (Revision)
T 464 om-12 "Water vapor transmission rate of paper and paperboard at high temperature and humidity" (Revision)
T 525 om-12 "Diffuse brightness of paper, paperboard and pulp (d/0) -- ultraviolet level C" (Revision)
T 530 om-12 "Creasing of flexible packaging material paper specimens for testing" (Revision)
T 536 om-12 "Resistance of paper to passage of air (high-pressure Gurley method)" (Revision)
T 547 om-12 "Air permeance of paper and paperboard (Sheffield method)" (Revision)
T 559 cm-12 "Grease resistance test for paper and paperboard" (Revision)
T 568 om-12 "Physical area of sub-visible contraries in pulp, paper, and paperboard by image analysis" (Revision)
T 579 om-12 "Diffuse brightness of paper, paperboard and pulp (d/0) (ultraviolet level D65)" (New Official Method)
T 802 om-12 "Drop test for fiberboard shipping containers" (Revision)
T 815 om-12 "Coefficient of static friction (slide angle) of packaging and packaging materials (including shipping sack papers, corrugated and solid fiberboard) (inclined plane method)" (Revision)
T 821 om-12 "Pin adhesion of corrugated board by selective separation" (Revision)
T 832 om-12 "Water absorption of corrugating medium: float curl method" (Revision)
T 838 cm-12 "Edge crush test using neckdown" (Revision and reclassification as a Classical Method)
T 1210 sp-12 "Units of measurement and conversion factors" (Revision)
T 1212 sp-12 "Light sources for evaluating papers including those containing fluorescent whitening agents" (Revision)
T 1214 sp-12 "Interlaboratory evaluation of test methods to determine TAPPI repeatability and reproducibility" (Revision)
T 1215 sp-12 "The determination of instrumental color differences" (Revision)
T 1216 sp-12 "Indices for whiteness, yellowness, brightness, and luminous reflectance factor" (Revision)
T 1217 sp-12 "Photometric linearity of optical properties instruments" (Reaffirmation)
T 1218 sp-12 "Calibration of reflectance standards for hemispherical geometry" (Reaffirmation)
T 1219 sp-12 "Storage of paper samples for optical measurements and color matching" (Revision)
TIP 0404-33 "Dryer section performance monitoring" (Revision)
TIP 0404-39 "Dryer surface temperature measurement" (Revision)
TIP 0404-48 "Thickness (caliper) of towel, tissue, napkin and facial products" (Revision)
TIP 0404-59 "Methods to minimize sheet rewet in the press section" (Reaffirmation)
TIP 0800-01 "Units of measurement and conversion factors" (Revision)

Special note: Documents appearing in the TAPPI online version of the Standards and TIPs are updated once a month (usually around the 15th). So it is possible that there is a delay between the publication announcement and the posting online. If you are a subscriber to the online access to Standards and TIPs and you are in a hurry for new documents that have not yet been posted, you can send a request to standards@tappi.org.

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 551 "Thickness of paper and paperboard (soft platen method)" (June 4, 2012)
T 804 "Compression test of fiberboard shipping containers" (June 4, 2012)
T 839 "Edgewise compressive strength of corrugated fiberboard using the clamp method (short column test)" (June 15, 2012)
T 414 "Internal tearing resistance of paper (Elmendorf-type method)" (June 18, 2012)
T 697 "Accelerated test for viscosity stability of clay slurries" (June 18, 2012)
T 272 "Forming handsheets for reflectance testing of pulp (sheet machine procedure)" (June 18, 2012)
T 205 "Forming handsheets for physical tests of pulp" (June 21, 2012)
T 452 "Brightness of pulp, paper, and paperboard (directional reflectance at 457 nm)" (June 22, 2012)
T 1500 "Optical measurements terminology (related to appearance evaluation of paper)" (June 25, 2012)

Two TAPPI Standards have been withdrawn for technical reasons: T 531 "Starch consumption in corrugated board (enzymatic/gravimetric method)" and T 532 "Starch consumption in corrugated board (enzymatic/colorimetric method)."

The Standard-Specific Interest Group (SSIG) withdrew these standards because more advanced technology has been developed for these measurements. A new standard covering new technology will be developed.

T 813 "Tensile test for the manufacturer's joint of fiberboard shipping containers" has been withdrawn by the Quality and Standards Mananagement Committee for lack of progress in its review. The last version, T 813 om-04, will still be available for distribution (free to TAPPI members, a $10 fee for nonmembers), but it will be removed form the current set.

If you have an interest in reinstating T 813, please contact the Standards Manager at standards@tappi.org.

... that many of the TAPPI Standard Test Methods require the use of reference materials for calibrating the instruments used in testing? As an example, Optical properties tests (brightness, whiteness, and other tests of appearance properties) are tests where the need for specialized reference materials is widely recognized. The use of certified reference measures of mass, distance, time, and volume are also widely used within the paper industry measurement organizations for verifying calibration of basis weight balances, cutting dies and templates, tensile testers, to name only a few of the more obvious examples.

As assistance to those needing a source of reference calibrating materials or equipment, TAPPI maintains a Reference Materials List which is described in TAPPI Standard Practice T 1211. Suppliers of standard materials for TAPPI Standard Test Methods that would like to be placed on the Reference Materials List are encouraged to consult this Standard Practice for guidance on the steps to take in order to be listed. In addition to reading the requirements of TAPPI T 1211, interested parties are encouraged to contact Charles Bohanan, TAPPI Director of Standards and Awards, at standards@tappi.org to discuss specific needs of the Reference Materials program or assistance in becoming a listed material source.

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.

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 2012 collection of Standards, TIPs, and UMs, published in March of 2012 (product code STUCD-12), is available on CD. An Individual or Company License for access to the continually updated collection of Standards, TIPs, and UMs via the web is the best way to always have a current set of documents accessible. A print-on-demand version of either the Standards, TIPs, or UMs, 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 on line at www.tappi.org.