MSS SP-112-2016

Quality Standard for Evaluation

of
Cast Surface Finishes

Visual and Tactile Method

Standard Practice
Developed and Approved by the
Manufacturers Standardization Society of the
Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc.
127 Park Street, NE
Vienna, Virginia 22180-4602
Phone: (703) 281-6613 www.msshq.org
Fax: (703) 281-6671
E-mail: standards@msshq.org
MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

This MSS Standard Practice was developed under the consensus of the MSS Technical Committee 304 and the
MSS Coordinating Committee. The content of this Standard Practice is the resulting efforts of competent and
experienced volunteers to provide an effective, clear, and non-exclusive standard that will benefit the industry
as a whole. This MSS Standard Practice describes minimal requirements and is intended as a basis for common
practice by the manufacturer, the user, and the general public. The existence of an MSS Standard Practice does
not in itself preclude the manufacture, sale, or use of products not conforming to the Standard Practice.
Mandatory conformance to this Standard Practice is established only by reference in other documents such as a
code, specification, sales contract, or public law, as applicable. MSS has no power, nor does it undertake, to
enforce or certify compliance with this document. Any certification or other statement of compliance with the
requirements of this Standard Practice shall not be attributable to MSS and is solely the responsibility of the
certifier or maker of the statement.

“Unless indicated otherwise within this MSS Standard Practice, other standards documents
referenced to herein are identified by the date of issue that was applicable to this Standard Practice
at the date of approval of this MSS Standard Practice (see Annex A). This Standard Practice shall
remain silent on the validity of those other standards of prior or subsequent dates of issue even though
applicable provisions may not have changed.”

By publication of this Standard Practice, no position is taken with respect to the validity of any potential claim(s)
or of any patent rights in connection therewith. MSS shall not be held responsible for identifying any patent
rights. Users are expressly advised that determination of patent rights and the risk of infringement of such rights
are entirely their responsibility.

In this Standard Practice, all text, notes, annexes, tables, figures, and references are construed to be essential to
the understanding of the message of the standard, and are considered normative unless indicated as
“supplemental”. All appendices, if included, that appear in this document are construed as “supplemental”. Note
that supplemental information does not include mandatory requirements.

Substantive changes in this 2016 edition are “flagged” by parallel bars as shown on
the margins of this paragraph. The specific detail of the change(s) may be determined
by comparing the material flagged with that in the previous edition.

Non-toleranced dimensions in this Standard Practice are nominal unless otherwise specified.

Excerpts of this Standard Practice may be quoted with permission. Credit lines should read ‘Extracted from
MSS SP-112-2016 with permission of the publisher, Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and
Fittings Industry'. Reproduction and/or electronic transmission or dissemination is prohibited under copyright
convention unless written permission is granted by the Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and
Fittings Industry Inc. All rights reserved.

Originally Approved: January 1993

Originally Published: March 1993
Current Edition Approved: October 2016
Current Edition Published: November 2016

MSS is a registered trademark of Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc.

Copyright ©, 2016 by
Manufacturers Standardization Society
of the
Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc.
Printed in U.S.A.

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

FOREWORD

One of the MSS Cast Surface Comparators, as described in Section 4 and Figure 1, is included with the
purchase of the printed version of this Standard Practice because it is a necessary and normative part of
the Standard Practice. However, the Comparator is a “necessary and normative” part of the Standard
Practice whether purchased in printed form or electronically. Those purchasing this Standard Practice, in
electronic format, may submit a receipt to MSS within 30 days of payment and receive a Comparator at
no charge. Additional MSS Cast Surface Comparators may be purchased through our web site or by
contacting the home office.

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

PURPOSE .................................................................................................................................. 1
1 SCOPE ....................................................................................................................................... 1
2 DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................... 1
3 CAST SURFACE FINISH ......................................................................................................... 1
4 MSS CAST SURFACE COMPARATOR ................................................................................. 2
5 PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................ 2
6 ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION ............................................................................................. 2

FIGURE

1 MSS Cast Surface Comparator (Illustrative only) ..................................................................... 3

ANNEX

A Referenced Standards and Applicable Dates ............................................................................ 4

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

QUALITY STANDARD FOR EVALUATION OF CAST SURFACE FINISHES

VISUAL AND TACTILE METHOD

PURPOSE
a) To establish an easy "sight and feel" method for the quality evaluation of cast surface finishes.
b) To make available a Cast Surface Comparator with MSS surface rating numbers 1 through 10, to be
used to monitor surface finish by a visual and tactile method.
c) To provide guidance on surface finish by "sight and feel" to minimize misunderstandings which may
occur between purchaser and manufacturer.

1. SCOPE

1.1 This surface quality Standard Practice provides criteria for the visual and tactile evaluation of cleaned
AS-CAST surface finishes of components manufactured from castings.

1.2 This Standard Practice and its supporting MSS Cast Surface Comparator may be applied to surfaces
formed by any casting method.

1.3 This Standard Practice provides visual and tactile criteria for evaluating casting surface finish and
texture, which can be used to develop an acceptable quality level.

1.4 Cast surfaces on materials such as gray iron, ductile iron, bronze, and malleable iron may be
compared with the use of this Standard Practice; however, it is not the intention of this Standard Practice
to limit comparisons to only these types of materials.

1.5 This Standard Practice does not apply to machined surfaces or those surfaces that are intended to be
machined.

1.6 This Standard Practice is limited to "sight and feel" by comparison without measurement. Luster and
color are not part of this Standard Practice.

1.7 This Standard Practice is not intended for use on those castings where burn-in, slag, scabs, etc. so
distort the surface that the comparator cannot be used and the casting may be rejected for other causes.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Refer to ASME B46.1, “Surface Texture (Surface Roughness, Waviness, and Lay)”.

3. CAST SURFACE FINISH

3.1 General There are many methods of measuring cast surface finishes to establish a criteria for quality
acceptance limits. These are primarily by measurement or pictures. See the references listed in Annex A
of this Standard Practice for other inspection methods; including ASTM A802, MSS SP-53, MSS SP-55,
and MSS SP-93.

3.2 Cast surface finishes involve texture, roughness, waviness, lay, and flaws. For definitions and other
actual measurement methods for various surface irregularities refer to ASME B46.1 or any of the other
referenced standards.

3.3 The casting method and material used will influence the surface roughness. Consideration must be
given to the actual acceptable surface finish and its final function. A mutual agreement should be made
between purchaser and manufacturer.

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

3.4 The degree of roughness forms the criteria of this Standard Practice. Through the use of the MSS
Cast Surface Comparator and its 10 three-dimensional tactile surface representations, an acceptable cast
surface finish can be evaluated and agreed upon by purchaser and manufacturer.

4. MSS CAST SURFACE COMPARATOR

4.1 The MSS Cast Surface Comparator is a standardized, economical, durable, and convenient
"pocket size" evaluation tool for the inspection and quality acceptance of cast surface finishes.

4.2 The MSS Cast Surface Comparator was designed and manufactured using actual representative
samples of cast surfaces. Numbers were then assigned to establish the degree of roughness.

4.3 Neither optical magnifiers nor measuring instruments are required to perform the surface
inspection. It is a visual and tactile method. If magnifiers or measuring instruments are used, these shall
not determine acceptance or rejection.

4.4 The MSS Cast Surface Comparator is a molded-plastic three-dimensional tactile representation of
AS-CAST surface finishes, with numbers ranging from 1 through 10, representing smooth-to-rough. The
surface texture roughness of a surface which needs to be qualified is rated by means of comparison to the
MSS Cast Surface Comparator. Visual and tactile comparisons can be made by using this Surface
Comparator and its 10 tactile finish rating swaths. See Figure 1 for an illustration of the actual plastic
MSS Cast Surface Comparator.

4.5 Casting surface roughness acceptance levels can be established through the use of the MSS rating
numbers 1 through 10, regardless of casting method and/or material. A comparison can be designated by
an acceptable MSS number and/or range between numbers. The lower the MSS number, the smoother is
the surface finish.

5. PROCEDURE

5.1 General The quality acceptance level should be established by prior agreement of the purchaser
and manufacturer and be based on the intended use and function of the casting. Requirements for
some areas of the castings may be for cosmetic appearance, rather than function. The MSS number
selected can either be a maximum or a minimum. The cast surface finish required can also be
designated as between two MSS rating numbers.
It may be desirable to establish different MSS numbers for different areas of a casting. This is based on
whether the entire casting should have the same general surface smoothness requirement or if certain
areas are more or less critical than others.

5.2 Cleanliness The cast surface to be inspected should be clean and free of dirt, oil, loose sand, or other
foreign material that would impair an accurate determination of the surface finish.

5.3 Surface Evaluation Place the MSS Cast Surface Comparator (see Section 4) near the surface to be
inspected. By “sight and feel”, compare the casting surface to the comparator surface, utilizing the quality
acceptance level established in Section 5.1. Luster and color should not be a consideration; only roughness.

6. ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION

Based on the surface evaluation in Section 5 and an agreed upon surface roughness level, the cast part
shall be accepted or rejected.

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

SMOOTH ROUGH

Level of Surface Finish

Comparator Material:
Molded Durable Plastic; 1/8 in. Thick; Color is Gray

FIGURE 1
MSS Cast Surface Comparator
(For Visual and Tactile Inspection)

NOTE: Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only. The actual comparator must be utilized for inspection purposes.

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MSS STANDARD PRACTICE SP-112

ANNEX A
Referenced Standards and Applicable Dates

This Annex is an integral part of this Standard Practice and is placed after the main text for convenience.

Standard Name Description

ASME; ANSI/ASME

B46.1-2009 Surface Texture (Surface Roughness, Waviness, and Lay)

ASTM

A802-95(2015) Standard Practice for Steel Castings, Surface Acceptance Standards,

Visual Examination

MSS; ANSI/MSS

SP-53-2012 Quality Standard for Steel Castings and Forgings for Valves, Flanges,
Fittings and Other Piping Components – Magnetic Particle Examination
Method
SP-55-2011 Quality Standard for Steel Castings for Valves, Flanges, Fittings, and Other
Piping Components – Visual Method for Evaluation of Surface Irregularities
SP-93-2014 Quality Standard for Steel Castings and Forgings for Valves, Flanges,
Fittings, and Other Piping Components – Liquid Penetrant Examination
Method

Publications of the following organizations appear in the above list:

ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Two Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016-5990

ASTM ASTM International

100 Bar Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700
West Conshohoken, PA 19428-2959

MSS Manufacturers Society of the Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc.

127 Park Street, NE
Vienna, VA 22180-4602

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 Purchase or View a Full Listing of MSS Standards:
http://msshq.org/Store/PriceList.cfm

MSS Standard Practices (SPs) related to or referenced in this publication:

MSS SP-53 Quality Standard for Steel Castings and Forgings for Valves, Flanges, Fittings and Other
Piping Components – Magnetic Particle Examination Method
ANSI/MSS SP-55 Quality Standard for Steel Castings for Valves, Flanges, Fittings, and Other Piping
Components – Visual Method for Evaluation of Surface Irregularities
MSS SP-93 Quality Standard for Steel Castings and Forgings for Valves, Flanges, Fittings, and
Other Piping Components – Liquid Penetrant Examination Method
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American National Standards Published by MSS, an ANSI-accredited Standards Developer:

ANSI/MSS SP-25 Standard Marking System for Valves, Fittings, Flanges, and Unions
ANSI/MSS SP-44 Steel Pipeline Flanges
ANSI/MSS SP-55 Quality Standard for Steel Castings for Valves, Flanges, Fittings, and Other Piping Components
– Visual Method for Evaluation of Surface Irregularities
ANSI/MSS SP-58 Pipe Hangers and Supports – Materials, Design, Manufacture, Selection, Application, and
Installation
ANSI/MSS SP-96 Guidelines on Terminology for Valves and Fittings
ANSI/MSS SP-114 Corrosion Resistant Pipe Fittings Threaded and Socket Welding Class 150 and 1000
ANSI/MSS SP-134 Valves for Cryogenic Service, including Requirements for Body/Bonnet Extensions
ANSI/MSS SP-135 High Pressure Knife Gate Valves
ANSI/MSS SP-138 Quality Standard Practice for Oxygen Cleaning of Valves and Fittings
ANSI/MSS SP-144 Pressure Seal Bonnet Valves
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About MSS
The Manufacturers Standardization Society (MSS) of the Valve and Fittings Industry is a non-profit technical association organized
for development and improvement of industry, national and international codes and standards for Valves, Valve Actuators, Valve
Modifications, Pipe Fittings, Flanges, Pipe Hangers and Supports, and Associated Seals. Since its establishment in 1924, MSS has
been dedicated to developing standards for national and global applications, in cooperation with other standardizing bodies and
regulatory authorities.
For more information on membership and eligibility requirements, visit: http://msshq.org/Store/Membership.cfm

Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc.

127 Park Street, NE, Vienna, VA 22180-4620 • Phone (703) 281-6613 • Fax (703) 281-6671
“The Technical Voice of the Industry”
TECH MSS SP-112-2016