DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2551  
First Edition  
2021 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2551 : 2021 
© UNBS 2021   
  
Barkcloth — Specification  
 DUS 2551 : 2021  
ii © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2021  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
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permission from UNBS.  
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Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
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Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2551 :2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Application  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  2 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
5.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
6 Dimensions/sizes/shapes  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
7 Grain/textural aesthetic and shades  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
9.1 Labelling on each bark cloth  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
9.2 Labelling on bulk package  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
10 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  3 
Annex  A (informative)  Test method for porosity ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
A.1 Principle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
A.2 Test pieces  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  5 
A.3 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
A.4 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  5 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  6 
 DUS 2551 : 2021  
iv © UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex  Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated  to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document  is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 311, [Crafts and related 
products ]. 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2551 : 2021  
 
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Barkcloth — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda Standard  specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for bark cloth  produced from 
the wild fig or mutuba tree (Ficus natalensis)  
2 Normative references   
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the  latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
US ISO 105 -X12, Textiles - Tests for colour fastness - Part X12: Colour fastness to rubbing  
US ISO 3801 , Textiles - Woven fabrics - Determination of mass per unit length and mass per  unit area  
ISO 5084 , Textiles — Determination of thickness of textiles and textile products  
US ISO 12947 -2, Textiles — Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the martindale method — 
Part 2: Determination of specimen breakdown  
US ISO 13934 -1, Textiles - Tensile properties of fabrics - Part 1: Determination of maximum force and 
elongation at maximum force using the strip method  
US ISO 13934 -1, Textiles — Tensile properties of fabrics — part 1: determination of maximum force and 
elongation at m aximum force using the strip method  
ISO 16373 -2, Textiles — Dyestuffs — Part 2: General method for the determination of extractable dyestuffs 
including allergenic and carcinogenic dyestuffs (method using pyridine -water)  
ISO 16373 -3, Textiles — Dyestuffs — Part 3: Method for determination of certain carcinogenic dyestuffs 
(method using triethylamine/methanol)  
US ISO 22198 , Textiles - Fabrics - Determination of width and length  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms an d definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
Barkcloth  
a hard non-woven  cloth , fibrous textile that is p roduced from the wild fig or mutuba tree (Ficus natalensis)   
2 © UNBS  2021 – All rights reserved  
 4 Application  
Fabric for clothing, fashion, accessories, home furnishings, Interior designing, car consoles, furniture finishes, 
book covers, canvases for fine art and design , purses, Tablemats, f loor mats etc.  
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1 Any holes or tears in the barkclo th shall  be stitched with a natural fibre, for example, raffia . Stitches if 
used shall present a regular even appearance and shall be free from skips.  
5.1.2 Barkc loth shall be free from any  defects such as  spots and stains  
5.1.3  The edges of the finished barkcloth shall  have a neat finishing.  
5.2 Specific requirements  
5.2.1 Barkcloth  shall conform to the specific requirements in Table 1 when tested in accordance wi th the 
test methods prescribed therein  
Table 1 ─ Specific requi rements for barkcloth  
S/N Parameter  Requirement  Test methods  
1 Mass per unit Area , g/m2 90–380 US ISO 3801  
2 Thickness, mm  0.30–3.50 ISO 508 4 
3 Porosity/ pore volume,%  65.9 – 80.1 Annex A 
4 Dry rubbing c olour fastness , min  3 US ISO 105 -X12 
5 Wet rubbing colour fastness, min  2 US ISO 105 -X12 
6 Abrasion resistance, rubs  700 – 13900  US ISO 12947 -2 
7 Tensile strength , N Up to 114.66  US ISO 13934 -1 
 
5.2.2 Where colora nts have been applied on the ba rkcloth , the dyed barkcloth  shall not contain dyestuffs 
specified in ISO 16373 -2 and ISO 16373 -3  
6 Dimensions/sizes/shapes  
The sizes , shapes , and dimensions of the barkcloth shall be as agreed between the manufacturer/supplier  
and the buyer , if dimensions  are declared, they shall not be less than that indicated on the identification label 
when tested in accordance with US ISO 22198. A tolerance of ±5 percent shall be permitted  
7 Grain/textural aesthetic and shades  
Grain/ textural aesthetic and shades shall be as  agreed between the producer /supplier and the buyer . DUS 2551: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  3 
 8 Packaging  
The barkcloth  shall be suitably packed individ ually or in bulk,  to avoid damage  during handling, storage and 
transportation  
9 Labelling  
9.1 Labelling  on each bark cloth  
Each barkcloth s hall be le gibly and indelibly labelled with the following information:  
a) name of the product as, “barkcloth”;  
b) manufacturer’s name, trademark or any other identification mark;  
c) size or dimensions;  
d) care instructions;  and 
e) country of origin.  
9.2 Labelling on b ulk package  
The follo wing infor mation shall be labelled on each bulk package:  
a) name of the product  as, “barkcloth ”;  
b) manufacturer’s name, trademark or any other identification mark;  
c) number of pieces in the bulk package;  
d) gross weight ; and  
e) country of or igin. 
10 Sampling  
10.1 All the barkcloth of the same species, size and from the same manufacturer shall constitute a lot.  
10.2 The barkcloth  shall be selected at random from the lot.  
10.3 Sample size sha ll be in accordance with Table 2  
Table 2  — Scale of  sampling for conformity for Barkcloth  
Lot size  Sample size  
0 Up to 10  2 
11 ─20 3 
21 ─30 4 
31 ─40 5 
41 ─ Above  6 
  
4 © UNBS  2021 – All rights reserved  
  DUS 2551: 2021  
© UNBS 2021 – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  A 
(informative)  
 
Test method for porosity  
A.1 Principle  
Porosity of barkcloth  is indicated by the amount of water absorbed Water absorption of the sample is 
determined by the amount of water absorbed by boiling the sample in distilled water and finding the increase 
in the mass  
A.2 Test pieces  
Five test pieces from the same test piece shall be cut to get a surface area of about 16 cm2.The test samples  
shall be freshly cut  
A.3 Procedure  
A.3.1 Dry the test pieces to a con stant weight at a temperature between 110˚C and 150˚C and then cool to 
room temperature in a desiccator.  
A.3.2 Weigh the pieces to an accuracy of not less than 0.01g and place in a vessel from which the air can 
be removed maintaining the pressure at less than 3cm of mercury for one hour.  
A.3.3 Admit cold freshly boiled distilled water to the vessel without reducing the vacuum until the pieces are 
covered.  
A.3.4 Then, admit air to the vessel without removing the pieces boil the pieces in distilled water f or not less 
than 20 min. Cool, wipe the pieces with a damp soft cotton cloth to remove adhering surface water and weigh 
quickly  
A.4 Calculation  
Water absorption of the test pieces shall be calculated as follows:  
 
Where:  
𝑊1 weight of the dry test piece, and   
𝑊2 weight of the test piece after treatment  
All the pieces shall show a water absorption as specified in Table 1 
  
6 © UNBS  2021 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 15868 :2008 , Natural fibre geotextiles (jute geotextile an d coir bhoova stra) method s of test  
[2] Material description and p roduct s pecifications: BarkCloth  
 DUS 2551: 2021  
© UNBS 2021  – All rights reserved  7 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction wi th the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 2551: 2021    
 
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