DEAS 1048: 2021 
ICS 85.080.20  
 
© EAC 2021                                                                                                                              First Edition 2021  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Medical tissue paper towel — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1048: 2021 
ii © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
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Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1048: 2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Classification of the product  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  2 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5.2 Requirements for materials and manufacture  ................................ ................................ ....................  3 
5.2.1  Cleanliness  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  3 
5.2.2  Chemicals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
5.2.3  Material of the core  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
5.2.4 Paper  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  3 
5.3 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5.3.1  Physical and chemical requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 3 
5.3.2  Microbiological limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  4 
5.3.3  Dimensional requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
5.3.4   Freedom from holes  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  5 
5.3.5  Constructions of rolls  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
6 Wrapping, packaging and labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 5 
6.1  Wrapping  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
Medical tissue paper towel roll shall be wrapped completely  ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
6.2 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
6.3 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
6.3.1  Labelling on the unit package  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  5 
6.3.2  Labelling on the bulk packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  6 
7 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of perforation ratio  ................................ ................................ ...............  7 
A.1 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  7 
A.2 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  7 
A.3 Results  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  7 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  8 
 
 DEAS 1048: 2021 
iv © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Develop ment of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are enc ountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of represen tatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of k ey 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are  discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for develop ment of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the E ast 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 065, Paper and Paper 
Products.  
Attention is  drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 1048: 2021 
 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  1 
 Medical tissue paper towel — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East Af rican Standard spec ifies the requirements , sampling  and test methods  for medical tissu e 
paper towel supplied in rolls  used in medical establishment s. 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that s ome 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.  
ISO 186, Paper and board — Sampling to determine average quality  
ISO 287 , Paper and board — Determination of moisture content of a lot — Oven -drying method  
ISO 2470 -1, Paper, board and pulps — Measurement of diffuse blue reflectance factor — Part 1: Indoor 
daylight conditions (ISO  brightness  
ISO 6588 -1, Paper, board and pulps — Determination of pH of aqueous extracts — Part 1: Cold extraction  
ISO 8784 -1, Pulp, paper and board — Microbiological examination — Part 1: Enumeration of bacteria and 
bacterial spores based on disintegratio n 
ISO 11093 -4, Paper and board — Testing of cores — Part 4: Measurement of dimensions  
ISO 12625 -4, Tissue paper and tissue products — Part 4: Determination of tensile strength, stretch at break 
and tensile energy absorption  
ISO 12625 -5, Tissue paper and ti ssue products — Part 5: Determination of wet tensile strength  
ISO 12625 -6, Tissue paper and tissue products — Part 6: Determination of grammage  
ISO 12625 -8, Tissue paper and tissue products — Part 8: Water -absorption time and water -absorption 
capacity, bas ket-immersion test method  
ISO 29681 , Paper, board and pulps — Determination of pH of salted water extracts  
3 Terms and definitions   
The following documents are 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.  
3.1  
cross -direction (CD)  
direction in the plane of a paper perpendicular to the machine direction    
2 © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
 3.2  
Machine  direction (MD)  
the direction of a paper corresponding to the direction of flow of the stuff on the paper machine  
3.3  
sheet  
the portion of Medical tissue paper towel  between consecutive rows of perforations on a roll ir respective of 
whether the its single -ply soft or strong or double -ply soft  
3.4  
hole 
an area in a sheet void of fibres and having a diameter that exceeds 4 mm  
3.5  
defective  
a roll of Medical tissue paper towel or a group of rolls of Medical tissue paper t owel whose average property 
has been determined, that  fails in one or more respects to comply with the relevant requirements  
3.6  
lot 
rolls of Medical tissue paper towel of the same grade and color which have been manufactured from the same 
base  material a nd under essentially the same conditions  
3.7  
ply 
layer of single sheet  
3.8  
Virgin  tissue paper  
tissue made from bleached chemical virgin pulp  
3.9  
recycled tissue paper  
tissue made from recycled pulp  
3.10  
blended tissue paper  
tissue made from a mixture of pure and recycled pulp  
3.11  
medical tissue paper towel  
a tissue paper towel for medical hygiene purposes  made from creped and non -creped paper with one or 
several plies, each ply of one or several layers, prepared as rolls, embossed or un embossed, wit h or without 
lamination, printed or unprinted  
Note 1 to entry  
creped paper is paper that has been subjected to creping . It is a highly elastic  paper produced by crowding the web sheet 
over a roll with a doctor blade  
4 Classification of the product  
Classifi cation of medical tissue paper towel shall be in accordance with t he kind of paper and as follows:  
a) Virgin tissue paper towel  
b) Recycled tissue paper towel; and   
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  3 
 c) blended tissue paper towel  
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1  The medical tissue paper  towel comprises long, single or double ply tissue paper evenly and firmly 
wound on a stiff cylindrical tubular core.  
5.1.2  The width of the wound paper shall be equal to the length of the core.  
5.1.3  During winding, the paper shall be kept stretched to pr event formation of creases.  
5.1.4  The medical tissue paper towel , if perforated  shall be perforated  across the full width along the length 
of the roll. The perforation shall be such that they are in line for both plies and each sheet could be readily torn 
off along the perforations without causing damage to itself or to the neighbouring sheet.  
5.1.5  The sides of each roll shall be neatly cut.  
5.1.6  There shall be no breaks or splices in a roll.  
5.2 Requirements for materials and manufacture  
5.2.1  Cleanlines s 
Medical tissue paper towel shall not at any time during the manufacture and packing be exposed to conditions 
that do not conform to good hygienic practice.  
5.2.2  Chemicals  
All chemicals including dyes used in manufacture of medical tissue paper towel sh ould not cause irritation of 
the skin.  
5.2.3  Material of the core  
The material of the core shall be such that the core is rigid enough not to collapse under normal conditions of 
transportation and usage.  
5.2.4 Paper  
5.2.4.1 The paper shall be free from de leterious defects (e.g. fibre bundles, wood splinters) and from 
defects that may impair its use.  
5.2.4.2  The paper shall be white or colored and shall comply with the requirements give n in T ables 1 and 
2 when tested in accordance with the test methods spec ified therein . 
5.3 Specific requirements  
5.3.1 Physical and chemical requirements  
When tested in accordance with the methods given, the medical tissue paper towel shall compl y with the 
requirements given  in Table 1. 
  
4 © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
 Table 1 — Physical and chemical require ments  for medical tissue paper towel  
S/N Property  Requirement  Test method  
i) Grammage  
g/m2,Min.  
Per ply of 
2 ply 
product  Virgin fibre  19 ISO 12625 -6 
 Blended fibre 19 
Recycled fibre 19 
Per ply of 
1 ply 
product  Pure  (virgin)  tissue  38 
Blended fibre 38 
Recycled fibre 38 
ii) Dry tensile strength N/m of 
width, M in. 
 MD  Single ply  600  
ISO 12625 -4 Multiple  ply  350 
CD Multiple  ply 40 
Single ply  107 
iii) Wet Tensile strength N/m 
of width, M in. MD Single ply  33 ISO 12 625-5 
 CD Single ply  17 
iv) Water absorption, mm/min, M in. 20 ISO 12625 -8 
v) pH value  4.4- 10.0 ISO 29681  
ISO 6588 -1 
vi) Moisture content , m/m, % . 4.0 - 7.0 ISO 287  
vii) Brightness of white paper, %, M in. 73 ISO 2470 -1 
viii) Perforation ratio,  Min. 0.85 Annex A  
 
5.3.2 Microbiological limits  
Medical tissue paper towel shall comply with microbiological requirements given in  Table 2  when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 2  — Microbiological limits for medical tissue  paper towel  
S/No  Characteristic  Limit Test method  
i) Total plate count, cfu/g, M ax. 300  
 
ISO 8784 -1 ii) Pseudomonas aeruginosa , cfu/g  Not detected in 1 g of the 
product  iii) Staphylococcus aureus , cfu/g  
iv) Candida albicans , cfu/g  
v) Escherichi a coli , cfu/g  
 
5.3.3 Dimensional  requirements  
Medical tissue paper towel s hall comply with dimensional  requirements given in  Table 3  when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein  
  
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  5 
 Table 3  — Dimensional requirements for medical tissue  paper towel and sheets  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Tolerance  on the 
declared value  Test method  
i) Internal diameter of the core,  mm, Min. 40  3  
 
ISO 11093 -4 ii) Length of the core, mm . 540  2 
iii) Width of each sheet,  mm,. 540  2 
iv) Length o f each sheet  (if perforated) , mm,  
Min. 250 2 
v) Length or roll, m, M in. 10 - 
vi) Number o f sheets, M in. 40 in multiples of 40  Declared number of 
sheets  shall be  2 Visual  
5.3.4  Freedom from holes  
The average number of holes in the sheets of a roll  shall not exceed 5 per hundred sheets.  
5.3.5 Constructions of rolls  
The paper shall be evenly and firmly wound on a cylindrical core. The number of malformed sheets at the core 
end of a roll shall not exceed two.  
6 Wrapping, packaging and labelling  
6.1  Wrapping  
Medical tissue paper towel roll shall be wrapped completely  
6.2 Packaging  
6.2.1 Medical tissue paper towel shall be packed in suitable material that does not negatively affect its 
quality during handling, transportation and storage  
 6.2.2 When pack ed in groups of individual rolls, each roll shall be individually wrapped and the number in 
each group shall be in accordance with good commercial practice.  
6.2.3 Medical tissue paper towel same size , length and color shall be packed together.  
6.3 Labellin g 
6.3.1 Labelling on the unit package  
Each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled in either  English, Kiswahili or French or a combination 
with the following information   
a) name and address of the manufacturer and/or trade mark;  
b) name of the product " Medical tissue paper towel "; 
c) colour of the Medical tissue paper towel if opaque;  
d) the words ” virgin ”, “blended “ or “recycled fibre”;  
e) the word “perforated” or “non -perforated”   
6 © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
 f) length of the roll;  
g) number  of sheets of each roll  (if perforated) ;  
h) instruction s for correct use and disposal; and  
i) country of origin or manufacture.  
6.3.2 Labelling on the bulk packag e 
Each bulk package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled in either  English, Kiswahili or French or combination 
with the following information  
a) name an d address of the manufacturer and/or trade mark;  
b) name of the product  " Medical tissue paper towel "; 
c) number of unit packages;  
d) batch number/identification code;  
e) gross weight  
f) colour of the Medic al tissue paper towel  
g) the words ” virgin, “blended ” or “recycled  fibre”;  
h) the word “perforated” or “non -perforated”  and 
i) country of origin or manufacture.  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 186  
  
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of perforation ratio  
A.1 Apparatus  
Appropriate measuring device, such as a metre rule graduated with 0.5 mm interval  
A.2 Procedure  
Using a metre ruler , measure the perforations of one perforation line. The sum of the perforations divided by 
the width of the paper gives the rati o of perforations to the width.  Measure the perf oration of five lines and take 
the mean of the ratio.   
A.3 Results  
The mean ratio shall not be less than that specified in Table 1. 
  
8 © EAC  2021 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
KS 2665:2017, Medical tissue paper towel — Specification   
 DEAS 1048: 2021   
 
© EAC 2021 – All rights re served