Overview
ISO 1811-1:1988 - "Copper and copper alloys - Selection and preparation of samples for chemical analysis - Part 1: Sampling of cast unwrought products" specifies standardized methods for selecting and preparing samples from cast, unwrought copper and copper-alloy refinery shapes (cakes, billets, wire bars and ingots). The standard is intended to ensure representative sampling for chemical analysis to determine compliance with composition requirements. ISO 1811-1 is part of the ISO 1811 series and replaces ISO Recommendation R 1811:1971.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and materials: Applies to cast unwrought products (refinery shapes) such as cakes, billets, wire bars and ingots.
- Lot definition: A lot normally corresponds to products from a single furnace charge or a 24-hour run of a continuous melting furnace; differing shapes, sizes or furnaces are separate lots.
- Sampling frequency:
- For single furnace charges: take three sampling units - at the beginning, middle and end of the casting period.
- For continuous casting: take units representing each 3-hour casting period.
- Unit selection and cleaning: Sampling units must be clean and free from scale, dust, oil or grease; cleaning agents (ether/acetone, ethanol) and mechanical/chemical removal of scale are addressed.
- Sampling methods:
- Drilling, sawing, milling, filing or cutting depending on shape and segregation risk.
- For many cast forms, drill five equidistant holes (or mill/file comparable sections) to obtain representative material.
- Tools: carbide-tipped tools are recommended; ferrous contamination precautions (magnetization/inspection) are specified.
- Sample preparation and subdivision:
- The gross sample (sample brut) should weigh at least four times the total analytical requirement.
- Divide into four equal laboratory samples: producer, buyer, referee (if required) and reserve.
- Special procedures for oxygen determination and large units (mass > 450 kg) require prior agreement between producer and purchaser.
- Theory: Annex A contains the normative sampling theory and guidance on heterogeneity and segregation.
Applications and users
- Practical use: quality control, contractual compliance testing, incoming inspection, arbitration sampling and metallurgical laboratories.
- Typical users: copper producers, smelters/refiners, foundries, testing laboratories, purchasing/quality teams, and standards auditors who require reliable copper sampling and sample preparation methods for chemical analysis.
Related standards
- ISO 1811-2: Sampling of wrought and cast fabricated products (rolled and molded products)
- ISO 1811-3: Sampling of cathodes (published later)
- ISO 197-1 and ISO 197-2: Terminology and definitions for copper and copper alloys
Keywords: ISO 1811-1:1988, copper sampling, cast unwrought products, sample preparation, chemical analysis, sampling methods, lot definition.