INTRODUCTION There are three major purposes for these guidelines on incoming inspection of raw material. They are: ? To provide background information on uses of specific raw materials@ citing applicable reference specifications@ where they exist. ? To provide a series of tests to be used for incoming inspection of these raw materials with the significance of each of the itemized tests given summary explanation. ? To provide@ where applicable@ a proposed method for functionally testing the raw material in question. The number and frequency of tests performed by the user@ will be at the user's discretion. In this fashion@ the user can provide himself with the necessary level of confidence he desires on incoming raw materials. Additionally@ and because of this arrangement@ testing can be performed at a level commensurate with the user's operations and capabilities. Although many tests are referenced and described in these guidelines@ it is not intended that these tests should be performed in total@ either by the user or the vendor of the material. Discrete selection of testing requirements is as important a parameter as the tests themselves. Materials whose properties have been tailored to provide certain characteristics@ or where certain characteristics are important to the user@ should not be tested for other parameters that do not give additional inputs into the material's properties an.d that may be misleading; this applies to users and vendors alike@ as these guidelines are not intended to be used as a purchasing document. Section 1 of these guidelines provides general information that will be helpful in using the other sections@ as well as establishing those rules that apply to the b.road spectrum of incoming inspection procedures.