ASTM D 4271 : 1988 : R1994

1.1 This practice serves as a guide for preparing statements on sampling in methods of test for textiles. Illustrative texts are included which, with suitable modification, can be used as starting points for writing statements on sampling for any of the usual forms in which textiles are shipped.

1.2 Since the primary purpose of ASTM test methods is to evaluate some characteristic of a material being transferred from a supplier to a purchaser, the procedures for sampling in this practice are directed to the acceptance testing of commercial shipments of a product. Test methods which are not recommended for use in acceptance testing of commercial shipments or which are only intended for ranking products for developmental purposes, may require modifications in the format of the appropriate illustrative text, such as the omission of any reference to lot samples.

1.3 ASTM standards are developed by a consensus process that considers the interests of producers, consumers, and the general public. Committee D13, therefore, recommends giving preference to methods of selecting sampling plans, such as the two-point plans in the annexes in Practice D3777, that require conscious consideration of both the producer's risk and the consumer's risk. The consumer's risk can be determined for the sampling plans in MIL-STD-105D and MIL-STD-414 but those military standards tend to focus attention on the producer's risk rather than on both the producer's and consumer's risks.

1.4 This practice makes no attempt to develop any theoretical basis for sampling. The theoretical basis for sampling is discussed in a number of standard statistical texts (1-5) as well as in Practice E105. Procedures for developing simple two-point single sampling plans for acceptance testing are given in Practice D3777.

1.5 This standard includes the following sections: