This document specifies procedures for the removal of corrosion products formed on metal and alloy corrosion test specimens during their exposure in corrosive environments. For the purpose of this document, the term "metals" refers to pure metals and alloys. The specified procedures are designed to remove all corrosion products without significant removal of base metal. This allows an accurate determination of the mass loss of the metal, which occurred during exposure to the corrosive environment. These procedures may, in some cases, also be applied to metal coatings. However, possible effects from the substrate must be considered. NOTE If a significant portion of the substrate is visible after the pickling procedure is completed, the results will be unreliable.