Industrial Maintenance Coating VOC Limit for Concrete Masonry

First, I have to say that I don't know how GBCI would rate the documentation and I have not personally seen the LEED Online documentation program. A non-flat coating category (gloss wall paint) would not make sense for a high-performance IM coating. From the regulatory side, it is up to the manufacturer to categorize the product based on its properties and uses. The marketing literature and label are legally enforceable documents and companies marketing in SCAQMD are required to register and do annual reporting on VOC content and sales volume. The Industrial Maintenance Coating category is defined in SCAQMD Rule 1113. In the case of LEED 2009, it is tied to the limit and definition as it existed on January 1, 2004. An IM coating can be applied to any substrate where the enhanced durability properties are required. As an example, a non-sacrificial anti-graffiti coating for concrete and masonry is typically slotted in the IM category due to the ability to resist chemicals (graffiti removers) and repeated scrubbing and abrasion. If I were looking at a submittal, I would want to see a clear indication on the manufacturer's cut sheet on the VOC category or at least clear indication of its intended purpose. IM coatings had higher category limits based on specialized properties as defined by regulation - those being based Best Available Control Technology (BACT) technical assessments. Again, the categorization (and limit) depends on the labeled marketing claims and that is what GBCI would see. On your initial question, a basic IM coating would be subject to a 250 g/L limit (look at the 1/1/04 effective date column). The other two categories are very specialized. For that you should look at the definitions or request additional clarification from the manufacturer. That is probably a longer answer than you were looking for, but it might be helpful for anyone from USGBC staff or GBCI that might run across this post. I do regulatory compliance for a living and provide technical guidance through membership in the IEQ TAG.