ASTM's plastic standards are instrumental in specifying, testing, and assessing the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of a wide variety of materials and products that are made of plastic and its polymeric derivatives. During processing, these synthetic or semisynthetic organic solids have a very malleable characteristic that allows them to be molded into an assortment of shapes, making them very suitable for the manufacture of various industrial products. These plastic standards allow plastic manufacturers and end-users to examine and evaluate their material or product of concern to ensure quality and acceptability towards safe utilization.