STEEL

SAE-NAMEL CHART.  Offset lithographic wall chart on thick coated paper stock measuring 560 x 910 mm.  Springfield OH: Mill Service 1937.

A rare survival, being a wall chart for identifying steel stock by way of a colouring system devised by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).  This likely would have been used by workers in a steel distribution center for quick reference, with slabs of steel marked with appropriate colours for each stock.  The resulting chart is a delight for both its aesthetic and functional qualities. 

Given the nature of its function, charts such as these are quite rare as they would have been hung in environments hostile toward works on paper.  The present chart is evenly toned with the edges less so as a result of being framed previously.  A moisture stain mars the bottom right margin and the verso has some staining from the paper stock and some rust marks from perhaps being stored on top of something metal at one point in its life. Most importantly, the colours and text on the front remain in fine bright condition.