This European Standard specifies an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry routine method for the analysis of unalloyed and low alloyed steels, whose iron content shall be at least 95 %.This method is applicable to the elements listed in Table 1 within the ranges shown.Table 1 - Application ranges(...)In all cases, the ranges specified can be extended or adapted (after validation) for the determination of other mass fractions, provided that the iron content in the samples under concern is above 95 %.Other elements may be included. However such elements and their mass fractions should be carefully checked, taking into account the possible interferences, the sensitivity, the resolution and the linearity criteria of each instrument and each wavelength.Depending also on the sensitivity of each instrument, suitable dilutions of the calibration and the test sample solutions may be necessary.Moreover, even if the method described is "multi elemental", it is not absolutely necessary to carry out the determination of all the elements of its scope simultaneously: the measurement conditions have to be optimised by each laboratory, depending on the performances of each apparatus available.NOTE 1The accuracy of the method is unsatisfactory for phosphorus contents from 0,05 to 0,1 %.NOTE 2The trueness of the method couldn't be checked for vanadium contents below 0,05 %.NOTE 3The precision of the method is unsatisfactory for aluminium (total) contents below 0,02 %.