Founding - Examination of surface condition

This document specifies methods for the examination of surface condition (roughness and surface discontinuities) of castings on surfaces that remain as-cast.
This document is applicable to all cast metals and all casting processes except die casting.
This document is not applicable to machined surfaces.

Gießereiwesen - Bewertung des Oberflächenzustandes

Dieses Dokument legt Verfahren zur Untersuchung der Oberflächenqualität (Rauheit und Oberflächenungänzen) bei Gussstücken fest, die im gegossenen Zustand verbleiben.
Dieses Dokument ist anwendbar auf alle Gussmetalle und alle Gießverfahren außer Druckguss.
Dieses Dokument ist nicht auf bearbeitete Oberflächen anwendbar.

Fonderie - Contrôle de l'état de surface

Le présent document spécifie les méthodes de contrôle de l’état de surface (rugosité et discontinuités de surface) des pièces moulées sur des surfaces brutes de coulée.
Le présent document est applicable à tous les produits moulés et à tous les procédés de moulage, à l’exception du moulage sous pression.
Le présent document n’est pas applicable aux surfaces usinées.

Livarstvo - Preiskave hrapavosti površine

General Information

Status
Not Published
Publication Date
12-Aug-2026
Current Stage
5020 - Submission to Vote - Formal Approval
Start Date
23-Apr-2026
Due Date
06-Apr-2027
Completion Date
23-Apr-2026

Relations

Effective Date
02-Feb-2023

Overview

FprEN 1370: Founding – Examination of Surface Condition is a European draft standard developed by CEN, specifying standardized methods for examining the surface condition of as-cast metal components. This document applies to all cast metals and casting processes, except die casting, and focuses on surfaces as they remain after the casting process, excluding machined surfaces. The standard details procedures for assessing surface roughness and identifying surface discontinuities, helping to ensure consistent quality and performance in a wide variety of cast products.

Key Topics

  • Surface Roughness Assessment
    The standard outlines methods for evaluating the roughness of as-cast surfaces. Surface roughness impacts the mechanical properties, aesthetics, and suitability for further processing or coating.

  • Use of Comparators
    Examination involves tactile and visual comparators-standardized reference surfaces-such as BNIF and SCRATA types, which represent various casting and finishing methods for different metal types.

  • Surface Discontinuities
    Clear procedures are described to visually classify and judge surface imperfections like inclusions, gas porosities, laps, cold shuts, scabs, inserts, and welds by both measurable dimensions and comparator-based severity levels.

  • Documentation and Reporting
    The standard specifies record-keeping requirements, emphasizing traceability and repeatability. Records cover casting identification, examiner details, comparator references, severity levels, and results.

Applications

  • Quality Control in Metal Foundries
    Foundries use FprEN 1370 to examine as-cast surfaces, ensuring products meet customer requirements for mechanical integrity and visual appearance before delivery or additional processing.

  • Supplier and Customer Agreements
    The standard supports clear communication between manufacturers and purchasers regarding required surface quality. Orders can specify acceptable severity levels for surface roughness and types of discontinuities, as well as which areas to inspect.

  • Process Selection and Improvement
    Evaluating as-cast surface condition guides selection of moulding, fettling, or finishing techniques, helping optimize processes for downstream applications or specific end-use requirements.

  • Inspection of All Cast Metals
    The procedures are applicable to a broad range of casting materials-including steel, iron, and non-ferrous metals-and accommodate the unique surface characteristics inherent to each.

  • Exclusion of Die Casting and Machined Surfaces
    FprEN 1370 is not intended for die castings or surfaces altered by machining, focusing instead on surfaces directly resulting from casting or simple fettling.

Related Standards

  • EN 1559-3 - Founding - Technical conditions of delivery - Part 3: Additional requirements for iron castings. Provides acceptance criteria relevant to the iron casting industry.
  • EN 13018 - Non-destructive testing - Visual testing - General principles. Outlines visual examination best practices, complementing the inspection methods in FprEN 1370.
  • BS 7900:1998 - Specification for examination of the surface texture of precision steel castings. Offers detailed methods related to SCRATA comparators referenced within FprEN 1370.
  • BNIF 359 - Characterization of surface condition of castings using standard specimens, applicable for a variety of metals.
  • SCRATA Comparators - Industry-recognized surface comparators for steel, iron, and precision castings.

Practical Value

Implementing FprEN 1370 promotes standardized, reliable assessment of as-cast surfaces, reducing disputes and enhancing the consistency of cast metal products across Europe. By standardizing how roughness and discontinuities are measured and reported, manufacturers can demonstrate compliance, facilitate customer trust, and streamline quality assurance processes within the foundry sector.

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Frequently Asked Questions

FprEN 1370 is a draft published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Its full title is "Founding - Examination of surface condition". This standard covers: This document specifies methods for the examination of surface condition (roughness and surface discontinuities) of castings on surfaces that remain as-cast. This document is applicable to all cast metals and all casting processes except die casting. This document is not applicable to machined surfaces.

This document specifies methods for the examination of surface condition (roughness and surface discontinuities) of castings on surfaces that remain as-cast. This document is applicable to all cast metals and all casting processes except die casting. This document is not applicable to machined surfaces.

FprEN 1370 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 17.040.20 - Properties of surfaces; 77.180 - Equipment for the metallurgical industry. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

FprEN 1370 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to EN 1370:2011. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.

FprEN 1370 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2025
Livarstvo - Preiskave hrapavosti površine
Founding - Examination of surface condition
Gießereiwesen - Bewertung des Oberflächenzustandes
Fonderie - Contrôle de l'état de surface
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 1370
ICS:
17.040.20 Lastnosti površin Properties of surfaces
77.180 Oprema za metalurško Equipment for the
industrijo metallurgical industry
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 1370
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
July 2025
ICS 17.040.20; 77.180 Will supersede EN 1370:2011
English Version
Founding - Examination of surface condition
Fonderie - Contrôle de l'état de surface Gießereiwesen - Bewertung des Oberflächenzustandes
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 190.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 1370:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

prEN 1370:2025 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Comparators . 5
5 Requirements . 5
5.1 General. 5
5.2 Surface roughness examination . 6
5.2.1 General. 6
5.2.2 Surface roughness examination by visual tactile comparators . 8
5.2.3 Surface roughness examination by contact (stylus) instruments or non contact
(optical) instruments . 8
5.3 Visual examination of surface discontinuities . 8
5.3.1 General. 8
5.3.2 Classification of surface discontinuities by dimensions . 9
5.3.3 Classification of surface discontinuities for steel and iron castings by visual tactile
comparators. 10
6 Documentation . 11
Annex A (informative) Significant technical changes between this European Standard and
the previous edition . 13
Bibliography . 14

prEN 1370:2025 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 1370:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 190 “Foundry
technology”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 1370:2011.
prEN 1370:2025 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to EN 1370:2011:
— Clause 2 and Clause 3 were added;
— modification of Table 4 for the discontinuities Laps and cold shuts and Inserts;
— editorial modifications.
Annex A provides details of significant technical changes between this European Standard and the
previous edition.
prEN 1370:2025 (E)
Introduction
The surface roughness of a casting is influenced by the manufacturing process (moulding, grinding,
finishing, etc.), the moulding materials used (sand, coating, etc.), the production equipment available and
the alloy cast.
Depending on the applications of the casting, the surface requirements are related to mechanical
loadings, appearance, surface treatment, etc.
Since cast surfaces do not exhibit the same cyclic character as machined surfaces it is difficult to evaluate
their roughness using conventional mechanical, optical, or pneumatic devices. Other optical/electronic
means are now available for measuring surface roughness of cast surfaces. For the ease of use, visual
tactile comparators are preferred.
Moreover, in order to take into account the irregularities on as-cast surfaces, ground surfaces or other
means of finishing of castings, comparators should have relatively large dimensions in order to make
them more reliable and their results repeatable and consistent.
Two sets of comparators are in widespread use:
— “BNIF 359 Recommandation technique du Bureau de Normalisation des Industries de la Fonderie.
Caractérisation d'états de surface des pièces moulées — Utilisation des échantillons types
de 110 × 160 mm”, available from CETIM, 44 avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92310 Sèvres, France [1];
— “SCRATA comparators for the definition of surface quality of steel and iron castings”, ASTM A 802
Shorter Set, available from Castings Technology International, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel
Way, Rotherham, S60 5WG, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom [2].
A third set of comparators, for precision steel castings, is also available:
— “SCRATA surface comparators for the definition of surface texture of precision steel castings”,
precision set, available from Castings Technology International, Advanced Manufacturing Park,
Brunel Way, Rotherham, S60 5WG, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom [3].
This document also specifies 8 levels of surface imperfections based on maximum dimensions to be
detected by visual examination.
The SCRATA comparators shorter set [2], can also be used for the classification of surface discontinuities
on steel and iron castings.
BNIF N°359 comparators can be used for all cast metals.

100 mm × 150 mm for SCRATA comparators; 110 mm × 160 mm for BNIF comparators.
prEN 1370:2025 (E)
1 Scope
This document specifies methods for the examination of surface condition (roughness and surface
discontinuities) of castings.
This document is applicable to all cast metals and all casting processes except die casting.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
4 Comparators
The comparators are essentially positive replicas of actual casting surfaces: as-cast or after further
fettling treatment such as shot blasted or ground.
Full size photographs of the comparators can be used to assist in making a rapid evaluation of the overall
roughness of the comparators. These can give preliminary information for the appropriate selection of a
moulding or finishing process.
It is emphasized however that the comparators, and not the photographs, shall be used to form the basis
of an agreement between the manufacturer and the purchaser.
An overview and a comparison of the different categories and levels of the three sets of comparators are
given in Tables 1, 2 and 4.
5 Requirements
5.1 General
When examination of surface conditions is required, the following shall be as agreed at the time of
ordering:
— category and severity level required;
More than one severity level can be specified for different surfaces of the same casting. This shall be
clearly indicated on the drawing.
— any types of discontinuities which are unacceptable;
— areas of the castings which a
...

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