5.1 This guide is intended to provide guidance for developing ASTM unit specifications for nontraditional masonry units. The user of this guide is encouraged to review the Form and Style for ASTM Standards as well as the referenced unit specifications and test methods. Note that not all items presented in this guide are necessarily applicable or appropriate in all cases.

5.2 ASTM specifications are not intended for proprietary products, but rather for a class of products that multiple manufacturers can produce, and are intended to ensure performance using those constituent materials or processes. Therefore, specific attributes that only relate to a specific brand should be avoided.

5.3 This guide does not identify the complete range of considerations that may be required for a masonry unit manufactured using a non-traditional material. Traditional masonry units possess intrinsic properties that are commonly associated with masonry including but not limited to strength, fire resistance, durability, thermal and acoustical attributes.

5.4 Non-traditional masonry unit products may meet all the physical property requirements of an existing ASTM standard unit specification, when tested using ASTM standard test methods. Nevertheless, performance of non-traditional masonry units is not assured since the intrinsic properties that are associated with traditional masonry units and assemblies may not be specifically evaluated through testing for specification compliance. Additionally, compliance with the physical properties in existing unit specifications does not mean that non-traditional units are in compliance with those specifications as traditional unit standards are only applicable to units produced with those materials and processes defined within that specification (refer to Appendix X1).