: It can be applied to any solid material—metals, ceramics, or polymers—provided a clear two-dimensional section can be prepared.
The standard provides tables and a formula (based on the binomial distribution) to determine the total number of point-phase hits needed. For a phase present at 10% volume fraction, you may need 1000–2000 total counts; for 50%, fewer counts are needed. astm e562-19e1
: While modern laboratories often use automated image analysis software (governed by standards like ASTM E1245 : It can be applied to any solid