Book excerpt: The first volume of this six-volume compendium contains guidelines for determining the properties of polymer matrix composite material systems and their constituents, as well as the properties of generic structural elements, including test planning, test matrices, sampling, conditioning, test procedure selection, data reporting, data reduction, statistical analysis, and other related topics. Special attention is given to the statistical treatment and analysis of data. Volume 1 contains guidelines for general development of material characterization data as well as specific requirements for publication of material data in CMH-17. The primary purpose of this volume of the handbook is to document industry best-practices for engineering methodologies related to testing, data reduction, and reporting of property data for current and emerging composite materials. It is used by engineers worldwide in designing and fabricating products made from composite materials. The Composite Materials Handbook, referred to by industry groups as CMH-17, is a six-volume engineering reference tool that contains thousands of records of the latest test data for polymer matrix, metal matrix, ceramic matrix, and structural sandwich composites. CMH-17 provides information and guidance necessary to design, analyze, fabricate, certify and support end items using composite materials. It includes properties of composite materials that meet specific data requirements as well as guidelines for design, analysis, material selection, manufacturing, quality control, and repair.