This recommended practice provides procedures for testing well cement slurries and cement blends for use in a deepwater environment or wells drilled in areas with a low seafloor temperature or areas where low well temperatures exist. For the purposes of this document the term "deepwater" includes areas where low seafloor temperatures exist, independent of water depth.

The procedures contained in this document serve as guidance for the testing of well cement slurries used in deepwater well construction. Additionally, testing methods contained in this document (most notably at mudline conditions) may also be used in those circumstances where low seafloor temperatures are found at shallow water depths. These conditions are found in areas including the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Caspian Sea, and Black Sea.

The test methods contained in this recommended practice, though generally based on API 10B-2, take into account the specialized testing requirements and unique wellbore temperature profiles found in deepwater wells or wells in areas with low seafloor temperatures. This document does not address the mitigation of shallow water flow zones in deepwater wells, which is addressed in API 65, Cementing Shallow Water Flow Zones in Deepwater Wells.