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[Metric]
A-A-208C
July 19, 2012
Superseding
A-A-208B
November 20, 1995

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

INK, MARKING, STENCIL, OPAQUE
(POROUS AND NON-POROUS SURFACES)

This Commercial Item Description is approved for use by all Departments and
Agencies of the Department of Defense.
1. Scope: This Commercial Item Description covers four types of opaque ink for marking on porous
and non-porous surfaces.

2. Classification:
Type: I. For Use on Non-Porous Surfaces (Non-Pressurized Containers)
II. For Use on Porous Surfaces (Non-Pressurized Containers)
III. For Use on Non-Porous Surfaces (Pressurized Containers)
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)

3. Salient Characteristics:

3.1 Pigment: The stencil inks shall be made from any pigmentation which will meet the requirements of
this commercial item description.

3.2 Vehicle: The vehicle shall be such as to produce a stencil ink conforming to the requirements of this
commercial item description.

3.3 Effects on Applicators: The stencil inks shall contain no ingredients which have a deleterious effect
upon the brush, roller, or spray can used in its application. Inks shall not react with or be reacted
upon by the spray can or any of the spray can components. For Class B stencil inks, the applicator is
advised to test the stencil ink for compatibility with their application equipment, as it has been
observed that HAP-free inks may not be suitable for all types of application equipment.

3.4 Type III (aerosol cans only):

Comments, suggestions, or questions on this document should be addressed to
Commander ARDEC, ATTN: RDAR-QES-E, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000 or
emailed to [email protected]. Since contact information can change, you
may want to verify the currency of this address information using the ASSIST Online
database at https://assist.dla.mil.

AMSC N/A FSC 7510

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A-A-208C

3.4.1 Propellant: The propellant shall be environmentally safe.

3.4.2 Dispensing Valve: The valve shall have a spray head which can be removed without releasing
pressure from the aerosol can. The removable spray head shall contain an orifice of such dimensions
as to produce desirable spraying properties.

3.4.3 Agitator: Each dispenser of the pigmented material shall contain one or more agitators in
accordance with the manufacturer’s commercial standard practice.

3.4.4 Cover Cap: A full cover cap is required and shall visually match the color of the ink.

3.5 Shelf Life: The ink shall be able to meet all the requirements of this specification from the time of
delivery to a minimum of 24 months in storage.

3.6 Workmanship: The stencil inks shall be in a homogeneous state, free from foreign matter and shall
conform to the levels of quality established herein. The containers (cans, bottles, tubes) shall be in
accordance with the manufacturers commercial practice and shall have no defects that affect
serviceability or appearance.

4. Regulatory Requirements:

The offeror/contractor is encouraged to use recovered materials to the maximum extent practicable in
accordance with paragraph 23.403 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

4.1 Toxicity: The use of benzene or carbon tetrachloride solvents and any known carcinogens as
ingredients is prohibited. Trace amounts of benzene derivatives present in commercial grades of
acceptable aromatics are permissible. Inks shall contain no chlorinated compounds or other toxic
hydrolysable chlorine derivatives. The use of any toxic substance must be in accordance with all
applicable federal statutes.

4.2 Labeling: Stamp pad ink containers shall be labeled to comply with the “Federal Hazardous
Substances Regulations”, 16 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1500.

4.3 Material Safety Data Sheets: Safety data sheets shall be furnished in accordance with Fed-Std-313.
The pertinent government mailing addresses for submission of data are listed in appendix B of Fed.
Std. 313.

5. Quality Assurance Requirements:

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5.1 Contractor Certification: The contractor shall certify and maintain substantiating evidence that the
product offered meets the salient characteristics of this commercial item description, and that the
product conforms to the producer’s own drawings, specifications, standards, and quality assurance
practices. The government reserves the rights to require proof of such conformance prior to first
delivery and therefore as may be otherwise provided for under the provisions of the contract.

5.2 Examination and Testing:

5.2.1 Suppliers are encouraged to use quality control (QC) techniques that exhibit control over their
processes (e.g. (Statistical Process Control) SPC Techniques) as defined in American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) Z1.1, Z1.2, and Z1.3 / American society for Quality Control (ASQC) B.1,
B.2, B.3 that systematically reduce excess variations. If used, objective evidence shall be available
that demonstrates overall measurement adequacy techniques and controls. These techniques shall
ensure quality levels equal to, or greater than, those cited in applicable technical document or, herein.

5.2.2 End item inspection/testing may be used by the offeror or the Government representative, as a
means to determine the effectiveness of the in process quality controls. In process controls shall not
be substituted for end item performance testing.

5.2.3 For those characteristics for which there are no such controls, or for end item performance test,
lot by lot sampling for inspection/test shall be required. The sample unit shall be one can, bottle, tube
or container. Sampling shall be in accordance with the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI)/American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) Z1.4, Sampling Procedures and Tables for
Inspection by Attributes.

5.2.4 An inspection lot shall consist of all like items submitted for inspection at one time. The
inspection level for visual examination shall be S-3 with an AQL of 4.0 percent defective. The
inspection level for performance tests shall be S-2 with an AQL of 4.0 percent defective. The
supplier must provide objective evidence (tests and inspection records) that the presented material
meets the requirements of the sampling plan as indicated above.

5.3 Performance Tests:

5.3.1 Drying Opacity (Hiding Power): The dried films of the types I, II and IV stencil inks, shall be
applied at a wet-film thickness of 0.002 inch. The type III ink shall be sprayed to a dry film thickness
of 0.001 inch. All types shall show the minimum contrast ratios indicated for the respective colors
listed in table I, when tested in accordance with ASTM D 2805.

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Color 1 / ______________ Minimum Contrast Ratios___________

0.90
White (No. 37875) 1.00
Black (No. 37038) 1.00
Gray (No. 36231) 0.80
Red (No. 31136) 0.90
Yellow (No. 33538) 1.00
Green (No. 34108) 1.00
Blue-Dark (No. 35044) 0.95
Blue-Light (No. 35109) 0.95
Orange (No. 32246) 1.00
Maroon (No. 30111) 1.00
Brown (No. 30117) 1.00
Brown (No. 30140) 1.00
Red (No. 31158) 1.00

_1/ The numbers in parenthesis following color names are identified in Fed. Std. 595.

5.3.2 Color (for all types). The color of the stencil inks shall be a general match to the specified color
in table I as determined by visual inspection under illumination in accordance with ASTM D 1729.
The sample for the test shall be prepared in the following manner: Apply a film of the sample ink at
complete hiding to a non-porous panel and allow to dry completely. If the visual inspection described
above proves inconclusive, the color variance of ∆E 1.75 maximum, will be considered acceptable.

5.3.3 Gloss. For types I, III, and IV stencil ink shall be tested on an absorbent surface and, for type II
gloss shall be tested on fiberboard with a maximum gloss reading of 10 being acceptable as tested in
accordance with ASTM D 523.

5.3.4 Solids. The solids for type III shall be a minimum of 53 grams by weight of the filled aerosol
container except black, which shall have a minimum of 45 grams in a nominal one pint container as
tested in accordance with ASTM D 2369.

5.3.5 Stenciling. The stenciling tests below shall be performed upon the inks under two conditions: as
manufactured; and, after storing in an oven for 14 days at 120°F. ‘

In all cases the stencilboard with five letters approximately ¾ inch high shall be used and the ink shall
be stenciled on enameled 7.62 x 15.24 cm (3 x 6 inch, 20 gage) steel panels for types I, III, IV and on
7.62 x 15.24 cm (3 x 6 inch) solid fiberboard panels for types II, III, and IV for the following tests:

5.4 Resistance to Rubbing. Stenciling shall present legible characters of uniform boldness and general
appearance and the ink shall not smear 15 minutes after application at 23°C (70°F) for 4 hours.
Remove from water and air-dry for 1 hour. The stenciled lettering shall be legible, retain its
characteristic color, or smear after vigorous rubbing with fingers nor crack or peel.

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6. Packaging:

6.1 Preservation, packing, and marking shall be specified in the contract or order.

7. Notes:

7.1 Part Identification Number (PIN). The following part identification numbering procedure is for
government purposes and does not constitute a requirement for the contractor.

This example describes a part numbering system for CID A-A-208B:

A-A-208B 4
| Type: 1 – Type I – Non-Porous Surfaces
| (non-pressurized containers)
| 2 – Type II – Porous Surfaces (non-pressurized containers)
| 3 – Type III – Porous or Non-Porous Surfaces
| (pressurized containers)
| 4 – Type IV – Porous or Non-Porous Surfaces (stencil rollers)

7.2 Applicable Documents. Issues of the following documents, in effect on the date of invitation for bids
or request for proposal form a part of this document to the extent specified herein.

7.2.1 Copies of ASTM methods may be obtained at 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

7.2.2 Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

7.2.3 Federal Standards and Specifications may be obtained from the General Services Administration
Specifications Section (3FBO-W) in Suite 8100 at 490 L’Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20407.

7.2.4 ANSI / ASQC Z1.4 may be obtained from the American society for Quality Control, PO Box
3005, 611 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-4606.

7.3 Ordering Information. Purchaser should select the required options permitted herein, and include the
following information in procurement documents.

A. Title, number, and date of this commercial item description.

B. Purchasers shall specify the type and color of ink require.
C. Purchasers shall specify size of container.
D. Purchasers shall specify arrangement for inspection and inspection facilities, if other than
specified (see tests and quality assurance requirements).
E. Purchasers shall specify packaging, packing and special marking.
F. Purchasers shall specify if bar code marking is not required.
G. Purchasers may specify alternative applicator style, if required.

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H. MSDS required, in addition to those required by FED-STD-313.

I. Purchasers shall specify palletization, if required.

Custodians: Preparing activity:

Army – AR Army – AR
Navy – OS (Project 7510-2011-001)
Air Force – 99

Review activities:
Army – GL, MD, SM
Navy – MC
Air Force – 84
DLA – SS
GSA – FAS

NOTE: The activities listed above were interested in this document as of the date of this document.
Since organizations and responsibilities can change, you should verify the currency of the
information above using the ASSIST Online database at https://assist.dla.mil.