scope:

The purpose of this document is to establish requirements and procedures for selecting, identifying and classifying essential design characteristics required for government acceptance of products. C of C (Classification of Characteristics) is established for use by producing activities in the development of test and inspection plans, and also for use by government quality assurance personnel who are required to review those plans and monitor producing activities quality programs. By providing information necessary to evaluate product quality, C of Cs assist decision-making and reduce judgement demands on government inspectors, indicate essential inspection requirements, facilitate effective allocation of inspection effort, guide the use of sampling, provide information useful for dispositioning nonconforming material and facilitate delegation of waiver and dispositioning responsibilities. C of Cs also encourage more complete design disclosure, promote concern for quality and production requirements by designers, and serve as a means of identifying and transmitting design information from the design activity for use in the production activity as essential inspection characteristics.

This document establishes requirements and defines responsibilities, procedures and methods for classifying characteristics appearing in drawings and specifications of equipments.

The provisions of this document are applicable to procurements of shipboard systems, equipments, and components (e.g., expendable and nonexpendable weapons, ships machinery, sonar, radar, command and control) when imposed by the applicable work authorization document or contract. It is for use by the organization having design responsibility for the item procured; that is, the organization responsible for preparing drawings, specifications and standards. The appendices to this document are presented for purposes of technical guidance.