The purpose of a laminate orientation code is to provide a simple, easily understood method of describing the lay-up of a laminate. The laminate orientation code is based largely on a combination of industry practice and the codes used in the NASA/DOD Advanced Composites Design Guide, MIL-HDBK-17-2F, and ISO 1268-1.

The braiding orientation code provides similar information for a two-dimensional braid, based largely on Standard Test Methods for Textile Composites.

1.1 This practice establishes orientation codes for continuous-fiber-reinforced composite materials. Orientation codes are explicitly provided for two-dimensional laminates and braids. The laminate code may also be used for filament-wound materials. A method is included for presenting subscript information in computerized formats that do not permit subscript notation.