This standard describes the material, application, and field-procedure requirements for protective exterior coatings consisting of heat-shrinkable cross-linked polyolefin coatings. ANSI/AWWA C216 also describes the application of protective exterior coatings to special sections, connections, and fittings to be used in underground and underwater steel water pipelines.

Heat-shrinkable cross-linked polyolefin coatings may be field or shop applied as provided in this standard. This standard describes only heat-shrinkable coatings that consist of a cross-linked polyolefin backing that has been coated with an adhesive. These coatings are referred to as heat-shrinkable coatings throughout the remainder of this standard.