ISO 15011-5:2011 specifies procedures for obtaining information about thermal degradation products generated when welding, cutting through, preheating and straightening metal treated with coatings composed wholly or partly of organic substances, e.g. shop primers, paints, oils, waxes and inter‑weld materials such as adhesives and sealants. It is aimed primarily at test laboratories performing such procedures. The data generated can be used by coating manufacturers to provide information for inclusion in safety data sheets and by occupational hygienists to identify thermal degradation products of significance in the performance of risk assessments and/or workplace exposure measurements. The data cannot be used to estimate workplace exposure directly.

ISO 15011-5:2011 is applicable to all coatings composed partly or wholly of organic materials that can be heated, during welding and cutting, preheating and straightening to temperatures at which thermal degradation products are generated and where it is not apparent what those degradation products are.