What are Microscratch Reference Plates?

Microscratch Reference Plates comply with EN 438-2 and CEN/TS 16611. They are referred to as Reference Black High Gloss HPL in these standards. Their purpose is part of an internal quality control procedure regarding the scrub materials used in these tests.

Full details can be found in the standards, but below is a basic outline to test each new batch of scrub materials before the batch is put into use:

• Use reference plates instead of test specimens
• Run a test
• Assess the reference plates
• Either accept or reject the scrub materials

The reference plates are not photographs or other replicas of scratching intended to assist grading or assessing.

They are blank and without scratches or any other defects.