ASTM D8008-15

1.1 This practice covers procedures for obtaining representative field samples of mixed or unmixed waterborne, solventborne, or other liquid traffic paints from drums, totes, or machine striping tanks. Traffic paint samples are often taken from storage containers in the field by paint suppliers or government agencies for laboratory testing to determine product quality and/or for approvals prior to striping. It is important that the samples taken are “representative” (have a composition reflecting the overall composition in the container). Although traffic paints can remain homogeneous for weeks or months, some will stratify over time and become non-homogeneous. Obtaining a representative sample can be challenging particularly in a field environment. The desired method for obtaining a liquid sample is to thoroughly mix the sample until homogeneous and then sample the mixture from the top. If complete mixing can't be verified then an alternative practice is to obtain a sample using a liquid tube sampling device. These devices have the ability to capture a top-to-bottom core of paint from the container. Inner or outer rod tube samplers are recommended for sample extraction. The inner rod tube sampler is the preferred sampler.