A-A-208, “Ink, Marking, Stencil, Opaque (Porous and Non-Porous Surfaces),” has just been revised and the new Revision C is available from Document Center Inc. now. The Commercial Item Description covers four types of opaque ink for marking on porous and non-porous surfaces and has not been updated since 1995.
Classification in the new A-A-208C covers 4 types and 2 Classes:
Type I – For Use on Non-Porous Surfaces (Non-Pressurized Containers)
Type II – For Use on Porous Surfaces (Non-Pressurized Containers)
Type III – For Use on Non-Porous Surfaces (Pressurized Containers)
Type IV – For Use on Non-Porous Surfaces (Stencil Rollers)
Class A – Standard formulation stencil ink
Class B – Stencil Ink formulated free of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP-free)
In reviewing the two documents, I note that the most obvious change is the inclusion of the new Class B for HAP-free Stencil ink. And since the address for ASTM is incorrect in the new document, I forwarded a note to my contacts at the DoD and ASTM. I wouldn’t be surprised if an amendment is released shortly with the corrected address.
This ink specification is a commonly used document. It’s a Commercial Item Description, which is marked by the use of the “A-A” at the head of the document number. The document describes an item that can be purchased in the “open market,” called a Commercial Item in U.S. government purchasing parlance. General examples of commercial items the government buys range from food, clothing, and computers to trucks and airplanes. The availability of commercial items to meet a specific defense requirement is determined by market research.
So Commercial Item Descriptions describe any item that has been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public or that has been offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public. This would include offerings from wholesale and retail distribution centers, catalogs, and personal sales, as well as items that have been offered for sale but not yet purchased.
All Federal Specifications, including the Commercial Item Descriptions, are available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com. Or you can contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We have an extensive collection of current and obsolete revisions available.