CARC Paint Explained: The Full Chemical Agent Resistant Coating System

CARC stands for Chemical Agent Resistant Coating. It is the paint system on most US military ground equipment, and it shows up on drawings for brackets, panels, enclosures, frames and covers that go onto that equipment. If you are a buyer or engineer at a prime, a subcontractor or a machine shop, this guide explains what the CARC callout on your drawing actually asks for, so you can specify it cleanly and judge whether a finisher understands it.

If you already know the system and need parts painted, our mil-spec and CARC painting service covers how we quote and run the work.

What CARC is and why the military uses it

The Defense Department’s Gulflink background paper describes CARC as essentially a low-gloss version of an automotive-grade polyurethane. Three properties make it different from ordinary industrial paint:

• It resists absorbing chemical warfare agents. Agents stay on the surface instead of soaking in, which makes decontamination much easier.
• It is flat and camouflaged. The low gloss cuts glare, and the colors are formulated for near-infrared reflectance. Green 383, for example, uses pigments whose infrared reflectance mimics living foliage.
• It holds up outdoors. It resists solvents, chemicals and sunlight.

The Army developed the first CARC in 1974, and in 1983 it directed that combat and tactical vehicles, aircraft and essential ground support equipment be painted with it. It is now the largest category of paint on US military equipment.

The CARC system, layer by layer

CARC is a system, not a topcoat. A 2006 PCI Magazine article by Jon Pollina of Hentzen Coatings lays it out as four steps: clean, pretreat, prime and topcoat, with only qualified products used along the way. A typical callout stacks up like this:

Cleaning and pretreatment

Every later layer depends on clean, properly pretreated metal. When a spec calls for an abrasive-blasted profile, film thickness is measured over the peaks of that profile, which affects how much paint the part needs.

Masking also happens here. Threads, bores, mating faces and electrical bonding points need to be called out on the drawing before anything is sprayed. Our prep and masking service explains how those callouts translate to the shop floor.

Epoxy primer: MIL-DTL-53022 or MIL-DTL-53030

Both primers are lead- and chromate-free, corrosion-inhibiting epoxies. MIL-DTL-53022 is solvent-borne and is the standard primer under CARC; its Type IV is HAPs-free. MIL-DTL-53030 is water-based and is the lower-VOC option. Manufacturers list which topcoats their primer is suitable under. Sherwin-Williams, for example, lists its 53022 Type IV primer under 53039 and 64159 CARC topcoats.

Older drawings may show earlier prefixes, such as MIL-P-53022 or MIL-P-53030. If your drawing calls an old designation or revision, ask your buyer or engineering group what the PO allows today.

CARC topcoat: MIL-DTL-53039 or MIL-DTL-64159

These two topcoats are the ones most drawings call out, and many drawings allow either. The practical differences:

Both specs have types, and the type matters. PCI Magazine reported in 2007 that Type I products with silica flattening agents had poor scuff and mar resistance, while Type II products using beaded (polymeric) flattening technology had superior scuff, mar and impact resistance, with better flexibility and color and gloss retention. Newer types have been added since; current 53039 products cite types such as Type IX. The type on your drawing is part of the callout, not a detail the painter picks.

MIL-DTL-53072: how CARC is applied and inspected

MIL-DTL-53072 is not a paint. It is the detail specification for the application and inspection of CARC systems on military equipment. It is used to select the right materials and procedures for the surface being painted, and it supplies the application, inspection and quality-control requirements for the cleaning, pretreating and coating specs it references.

In practice, 53072 drives the inspection plan:

• Dry film thickness. The spec sets DFT for each layer. Articles citing 53072 put the primer minimum around 1.0 to 1.5 mils and the exterior topcoat minimum around 1.8 mils, because that is where the topcoat develops its chemical agent resistance. More is not better. Excessive build slows dry-to-handle times and invites intercoat adhesion problems and blisters. Always use the table in the revision on your contract.
• Adhesion. The spec calls for tape adhesion testing of the applied system.

Color is verified separately, against an individual AMS-STD-595 chip for the number on the callout.

Revision letters on 53072 have changed several times, and public sources disagree on which one is current. Confirm the active revision on ASSIST before you write it on a new drawing, and flow down the one your contract actually requires.

QPLs qualify products, not painters

This point is often misunderstood. CARC materials must be bought from manufacturers on the Qualified Products List for the relevant spec, and the QPL documents say the list exists for use by or for the government when buying products covered by the spec. The QPL qualifies the paint. It does not qualify the shop that sprays it, and there is no general “CARC certified” credential for applicators.

A finisher shows it can do CARC work in other ways:

1. It buys QPL-listed primer and topcoat and keeps the manufacturer’s batch certs.
2. It applies and inspects per MIL-DTL-53072 and keeps the readings.
3. It passes whatever your prime requires, such as special-process supplier approval, a first article or source inspection.

We have applied CARC topcoats on subcontract work. We apply QPL-listed CARC materials per MIL-DTL-53072, paint to the specification on your drawing or PO, follow your QC procedure on program work, and provide a Certificate of Conformance on request. You can check any listing yourself on the DLA Qualified Products Database. For the documentation side of onboarding a finisher, see our defense and government page.

CARC colors

CARC colors are written as five-digit AMS-STD-595 numbers (the standard that replaced FED-STD-595C in 2017). The leading 3 means flat or lusterless, which is why CARC numbers start with 3. Common ones:

The color number is the target, not the specification. A commercial paint or powder matched to 34094 is a color match. It is not CARC unless it is a qualified CARC product applied as part of a CARC system. If your part only needs the color, say so on the drawing so nobody quotes a full CARC system you do not need. Our AMS-STD-595 color guide covers how the numbers work and how color is verified against chips.

Safety: isocyanates and cured CARC

Polyurethane CARC contains HDI (hexamethylene diisocyanate). Gulflink identifies it as the only isocyanate in CARC, and inhaling spray mist during application is the main documented hazard. Repeated exposure can cause sensitization, asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and Army and federal directives require respiratory protection during CARC spray painting.

Cured CARC is considered low risk until it is disturbed. Sanding, grinding, welding, cutting or high heat can release dust, fumes, HDI and carbon monoxide. Two practical takeaways for buyers:

• Finish fabrication before paint. Welding, machining and drilling after CARC means stripping or heating a hazardous coating. Plan touch-up areas and post-paint operations into the drawing.
• Ask how the finisher sprays it. CARC should be applied in a spray booth by painters with respiratory protection, and the shop should handle the waste streams (mixed material past pot life, spent thinners, blast media with CARC residue). The Army’s CARC fact sheet also notes that some water-dispersible CARC colors contain trivalent chromium, which affects waste handling.

CARC powder coating: MIL-PRF-32348

MIL-PRF-32348 covers CARC powder coatings for metal on military tactical equipment. Its types include Type I primers for cleaned and pretreated steel and aluminum, Type II one-coat interior primers, and Type III CARC powder topcoats, with at least 2 mils DFT for camouflage performance. Because powder is solvent-free, it is zero VOC.

Two cautions before you specify it:

• QPL status changes. Some QPL-32348 records have shown the list as inactive in recent years, and product approvals have come and gone. Check the current listing on the QPD before you design around a specific product.
• The contract has to allow it. Swapping liquid CARC for powder is an engineering change unless the drawing already permits it.

We coat with Cardinal powders on a batch line. If your drawing calls out CARC powder, send it with the RFQ and we will check whether QPL-listed MIL-PRF-32348 material is available for your color before we quote.

What to put in a CARC RFQ

A complete package gets an accurate quote and avoids a hold at receiving inspection. Include:

1. The full finish callout. Pretreatment, primer spec and type, topcoat spec and type, color number, and the MIL-DTL-53072 reference, with revisions if your contract fixes them.
2. Whether alternates are allowed. For example, 53039 or 64159, and 53022 or 53030. Allowed alternates can shorten lead time.
3. Base material and condition. Steel, aluminum or mixed; bare, plated, conversion coated or previously painted.
4. Masking. Threads, bores, mating faces and bonding points that must stay bare or conductive, marked on the drawing.
5. Inspection and documentation. DFT and adhesion records, color verification, material certs, and whether you need a Certificate of Conformance and what it must show.
6. Quantity and schedule. Lot size, release schedule and due date. Multi-coat systems carry recoat and dry times, so the ship date depends on the stack.
7. Prime requirements. Any special-process approval, first article or source inspection flowed down from your customer.

Our coating callout checklist goes through each item in more detail. When your package is ready, send drawings through the quote request form and we will quote to the spec as written.