This International Standard describes general types of surface-finishing processes and provides avocabulary that defines terms related to these processes. Emphasis is placed on practical usagein surface-finishing technology in the metal-finishing field. The vocabulary does not include definitionsand terms for porcelain and vitreous enamel, thermally sprayed coatings and hot-dip galvanizingfor which specialized vocabularies and glossaries exist or are in preparation. For the most part, basicterms that have the same meaning in surface finishing as in other fields of technology, and thatare defined in handbooks and dictionaries of chemistry and physics, are not included.