ISO 18886:2016 specifies the procedures for the preparation of test pieces from refractory materials by wet gunning at ambient temperatures. The test pieces are for the determination of properties on wet-gunned products prepared under either "standard conditions" (as required for quality assurance or product development) or "site conditions". In the case of "site conditions", the purpose of the testing is to establish the properties pertaining to a given installation or a given set of installation conditions. In this case, the gunned panel is obtained during the on-site installation. Such parameters as activator addition (type, amount, method of addition), conveying pressure and curing conditions (temperature, orientation of the panel) applying during the preparation of the panel are as near as possible to the same parameters pertaining to the site installation.

This procedure applies to refractory materials that can be transported through a gunning hose after having been mixed with the total water requirement for material placement. The consistency of these materials (see 7.5) is typically such that they would be suitable for placement by casting were they not to be transported through the gunning hose and applied by spraying.

Refractory materials that are pneumatically conveyed in the "dry" state through a gunning hose, even after mixing with a portion of the total water requirement (the bulk of the water being added at the nozzle) are dealt with in ISO 20182.

ISO 18886:2016 does not apply to the gunning of plastic refractory materials (refer to ISO 1927‑1).