FED-STD-595, “Colors Used in Government Procurement,” has just been replaced by AMS-STD-595 of the same title. It is important to note that the new publication does not contain any color chips yet. It is just the text component of the document that’s been re-issued by SAE.
Exactly what’s going on? FYI: The FED-STD-595 (the last issue was Revision C with Change Notice 1 from 2008) was printed and distributed by the GSA (General Services Administration). A couple of years ago, the GSA decided that it didn’t want to be the “caretaker” of the standard any more and stopped distributing it on July 31, 2014. Ownership has now been transferred to SAE.
The color chips themselves remain stable. The last Revision C and it’s Notice 1 just added chips to the earlier Revision B, making the grand total 658. The chips have been available in three formats in the past – affixed in 3 columns on 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of paper, in flip-book format, and as 3 by 5 individual chip cards. Most colors are presented in 3 finishes, gloss, semigloss, and lusterless. The set is arranged according to the color pallette: browns, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, grays, miscellaneous, and fluorescents. Each chip is given a unique 5 digit code for identification.
Since these colors are used for all Federal level procurement, included DoD contracts, they are an important resource. Indeed, many prime contractors require the chips themselves be replaced every couple of years. It can’t be emphasized enough that government contracts for products with some type of coating require colors and finishes to match these chips exactly. So you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got a way to confirm you’re in compliance for any government contractual work you do.
At the present time, SAE states the following for the use of the new AMS-STD-595:
- The document has been taken directly from the FED-STD-595C and contains only minor editorial and format changes in order to make it an AMS document.
- This new 2015 Edition of AMS -STD-595 is intended to replace FED-STD-595C.
- All colors in the old FED-STD-595C (with Notice 1) remain current.
Do you need a copy of AMS-STD-595? Since there are no technical changes (or any changes to the color chips), it is not essential from a technical point of view. And certainly neither the DoD or the GSA has issued any official notice adopting the SAE publication yet. However, if you do any government contract work involving coatings (colors), you may be well advised to get your copy of AMS-STD-595 now.
As for those chips, SAE as the new caretaker will have a strategy for replacing them soon I’m sure. I have been checking in with them every couple of days since the new standard was released, but as yet there is no official word on when the chip situation will be clarified. I expect an answer in the next 1 to 2 weeks and will let you know at that time.
And how do you get your copy of AMS-STD-595? Luckily, it’s available now from Document Center Inc. in either paper format or for pdf download. Here’s the order page for AMS-STD-595 and here’s the link to our Standards Store www.document-center.com. If you have more questions, just get in touch with us by phone (650-591-7600) or by email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been selling standards since 1982 and our mission is to help folks use standards more effectively. Make us your Standards Experts!
