5.1 It is important to obtain a truly representative sample of the thermoplastic traffic marking material prior to performing any tests. This can be difficult due to the wide ranges of sizes, shapes, and densities of the individual components that are used in the manufacture of these types of materials. The sample that is obtained using this guide should be representative of the manufactured lot from which it was obtained and can be used for the testing of the chemical and physical properties of the material as required by the governing specification.