ISO 16962:2017 specifies a glow-discharge optical-emission spectrometric method for the determination of the thickness, mass per unit area and chemical composition of metallic surface coatings consisting of zinc- and/or aluminium-based materials. The alloying elements considered are nickel, iron, silicon, lead and antimony.

This method is applicable to zinc contents between 0,01 mass % and 100 mass %; aluminium contents between 0,01 mass % and 100 mass %; nickel contents between 0,01 mass % and 20 mass %; iron contents between 0,01 mass % and 20 mass %; silicon contents between 0,01 mass % and 15 mass %; magnesium contents between 0,01 mass% and 20 mass%; lead contents between 0,005 mass % and 2 mass %, antimony contents between 0,005 mass % and 2 mass %.

NOTE Due to environmental and health risks, lead and antimony are avoided nowadays, but this document is also applicable to older products including these elements.