DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
GDC 4 (107 6) DTZS Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for packaging 
liquids products -Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TANZANIA BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
 
 
 
© TBS 2022 — all rights reserved                                   1st Edition  
 
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF  GDC 4 (107 6) DTZS POLYETHYLENE 
TEREPHTHALATE (PET) BOTTLES FOR PACKAGING LIQUIDS PRODUCTS -
SPECIFICATION  
This draft Tanzania standard specifies requirements, method of sampling and test for 
bottles made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) intended for the packaging of 
liquids.  
This standard does not cover PET bottles for packing pharmaceutical products.  
It is anticipated that this draft Tanzania Standard will be made COMPULSORY i n its 
appli cation.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
NATIONAL FOREWORDS  
 
0.1 The Tanzania Bureau of Standards is the statutory national standards body for 
Tanzania, established under the Act.No.3 of 1975, amended by Act.No.2 of 2009.  
 
This draft Tanzania Standard has been adopted by Packaging Technical committee, 
under the supervision of the General Techniques Standards Divisional Committee 
(GTDC) and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Bureau.  
 
Polyethylene Terephthalate popularly know n as PET bottles are popular for packaging 
of different liquids including foodstuffs. Their glass like clarity, lightness and better 
barrier properties for moisture and air permeation and excellent organoleptic property 
make them popular for food packing i ndustry. PET can be used in pure form without 
any additive. Due to this, there is no organoleptic quality of food packed in PET bottles. 
However, to ensure the compatibility and suitability of PET bottles for their shelf life a 
compatibility test has been included for this standard. Hence due these reasons and 
increasing use of PET containers for packaging of liquid foodstuff and other products 
in our country has led to the formulation of this standards.  
 
In formulating this standard, considerable informati on was derived from the following 
documents:  
IS 2798 Methods of test for plastic containers . 
IS 13123 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottles for Packing of Liquid Pesticides . 
IS 12887  Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottles for Packaging of Edible Oils .  
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from this source.  
 
0.2 Terminology and conventions  
 
Some terminology and certain conventions are not identical with those used as 
Tanzania Standard; attention is drawn to the following:  
 
The comma has been used as decimal marker for metric dimensions. In Tanzania, its 
current practice to use a full point on the baseline as decimal marker.  
 
Whenever the words “International Standard” appear, referring to this draft Tanzania 
Standard, they shoul d read as “Tanzania Standard”.  
 
 
 
 
  
  
1. Scope  
 
This draft Tanzania standard specifies the requirements, method of sampling and 
testing for removable head or open head drums, manufactured from galvanized or 
ungalvanized steel sheets.  
2.  Normative references  
 
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 reference d 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
          ISO 3574:2012 Cold -reduced carbon steel sheet of commercial and drawing 
qualities  
ISO 3573:2012 Hot -rolled carbon steel sheet of commercial and drawing 
qualities  
ISO 228 -1:2000 Pipe threads where pre ssure -tight joints are not made on the 
threads — part 1: dimensions, tolerances and designation  
ISO 15750 -3:2002 Packaging — steel drums — part 3: inserted flange -type 
closure systems  
3. Terms and definitions  
 
For the purpose of this document, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the 
following addresses:  
            IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/  
            ISO Online browsing platfo rm: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1 chimb  
projecting edge rim or brim at the ends of a drum. Also used to refer to the depth of 
the end stamping of a drum  
3.2 drum  
cylindrical packaging made of steel, the bottom end of which is permanently fixed to 
the body and the top end can be removed as a lid and closed by means of a closing 
ring 
 
     NOTE : The top end may have additional openings for filling and venting.  
3.3 round seam  
seam consisting of six or more layers of steel  
  
 3.4 nominal capacity  
capacity, in litres, which by convention is used to represent a class of drums of similar 
brimful capacities  
 
3.5 total capacity  
volume of water, in litres, held by the drum when filled completely, i.e. following the 
removal o f any air trapped in the drum, the drum being closed and having a lid fitted 
with closures  
 
3.6 strap handle  
handle formed of strip metal with cranked ends, riveted, soldered or welded to the 
head of the container  
 
4. Materials  
 
4.1 Body and ends shall be of steel sheet CR1 (commercial quality) for cold -reduced 
steel, according to ISO 3574, or of steel sheet HR1 (commercial quality) for hot -
rolled steel according to ISO 3573. Steel of higher strength is permitted.  
 
4.2 Closure flanges shall be manufactured from metal, a nd closure plugs from metal 
or plastic materials.  
 
5. Requirements  
 
5.1 General requirements  
 
5.1.1  Construction  
5.1.1.1  Body and heads shall be constructed of steel of thickness specified in this 
standard in relation to the intended use.  
5.1.1.2  The longitudinal seam of the body shall be welded.  
5.1.1.3  The body and bottom end shall be permanently fixed by round seaming us ing 
a non -hardening seaming compound, or other joining methods (e.g. welding).  
5.1.1.4  Two rolling hoops (beads) expanded or rolled into the body shall be located as 
shown in Figure 1.  
5.1.1.5  Constructions of rolling hoops other than those shown are allow ed including a 
third rolling hoop (bead), or replacement of the beads by small corrugations.  
         NOTE: The preferred drum type is the drum with two rolling hoops only.  
5.1.1.6  The removable top end shall be fitted with a gasket of suitable material.  
5.1.1.7  The construction of the closing ring shall be such that the tightness of the drum 
is not jeopardized.  
5.1.1.8  If additional closures are provided in the top end, the following are applicable:   
 a) The closures shall be positioned in the top end, diametri cally opposed 
as indicated in Figure 1.  
 
b) The nominal pitch diameter and pitch of the closures shall be as defined 
in ISO 228 -1, threads G 3/4 and G 2.  
 
c) The closures should be as specified in ISO 15750 -3, unless otherwise 
agreed between the purchaser and manufacturer.   
 
d) Gaskets/washers or other sealing elements shall be used with the 
closures unless the fittings are inherently leak proof.  
 
e) The metal or pl astic plugs shall be fitted with washers/gaskets of suitable 
materials.  
 
 5.1.1.9 The nature of the internal and external finishes shall be agreed between the 
purchaser and manufacturer.  
5.1.1.10  If materials used for the body, heads and fittings are not in themselves 
compatible with the contents to be transported, suitable internal protective coatings or 
treatments shall be applied. These coatings or treatments shall retain their protective 
properties under normal conditions of transport.  
   
  
D1- Internal diameter                                             h1- Depth of top  
D2- External diameter over rolling hoops           h2- Clearance from floor  
D3- Diameter over bottom chimb                          h3- Distance between beads  
D4- Diameter over closing ring                             h4-  Distance between  
H1- Total drum height                                           p1- Centre -to-centre distance 
of closures  
             H5- Height with cover off                       
p2- Location of G2 (50 mm) closure to outside body, measured approximately 
50 mm from top  
 
 
 
  
 
5.2 Specific requirements  
 
5.2.1  Drop impact strength  
The drum shall show no sign of rupture or leakage when tested in accordance with the 
method described in Annex A.  
5.2.2  Internal air pressure  
The drum when subjected to an internal air pressure of 40 kPa shall show no leakage 
when tested in accordance with the method described in Annex B.  
5.2.3  Handle pull strength  
The handle of t he drum shall show no permanent distortion or damage on the handle 
retaining lugs or rivets or welding on the handle seat when tested in accordance with 
the method described in Annex C.   
5.2.4  Thickness  
 
5.2.4.1  Thickness of the steel sheet   
The thickness of the shee t metal used for the body and the ends shall be between 0.6 
mm and 1.6 mm, with tolerances according to ISO 3573 or ISO 3574.  
5.2.4.2  Thickness of the handle  
The minimum nominal sheet thickness of the strap handle shall be 0.5 mm, and the 
wire thickness of the wire handle shall be 5 mm.  
6. Marking  
The drums shall be marked indelibly or embossed with the following information on 
top or bottom ends:  
a) Manufacture's name or identification mark.  
b) Year of manufacture.  
c) Nominal capacity.  
d) Use /or use restrictions e.g., f or chemicals only, food safe, not for 
corrosive materials etc.  
 
7. Sampling  
 
7.1 The drum shall be type tested for the requirements given in clauses 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 
5.2.3 and 5.2.4. Any change in design, material or capacity makes it necessary for 
the new drums to  be tested in accordance with all the tests specified.  
 
7.2 The frequency of sampling and the number of samples are deemed to the matter 
of agreement between the purchaser and supplier. Nevertheless, the sample size 
given in the test methods namely, drop impac t, handle strength and internal  
 pressure shall be used as these are the minimum necessary to obtain meaningful 
test results regardless of the batch size under consideration.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 Annex A  
 
(Clause 5.2.1)  
 
Drop Impact Test  
 
A1. The drums shall be subjected to the drop tests detailed in A2 and A3.  
 
A2. Fill the drum to 98 percent of its total capacity with water, close the drum 
properly and keep its diagonal in a vertical position. Drop the drum four times from 
a height of one metre on a concrete floor, drops shall be arranged in such a manner 
that the following four points of the drum strike the floor on each drop -in turn:  
 
 
a) The bottom rim near its junction with the side seam;  
b) The top rim near its junction with the side seam;  
c) The bottom rim diametrically opposite to the position at (a); 
and 
d) The top rim diametrically opposite to the Position at (b).  
 
A3. The drum shall not show any sign of leakage. Empty the drum after the 
conclusion of the four drops.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
Annex B  
 
(Clause 5.2.2)  
 
Air Pressure Test  
 
B1. The drums shall be subjected to the drop tests detailed in B2 and B3.  
B2. The drum when required for packing liquid products, shall be subjected to an 
internal air pressure of 40 kPa while fully immersed und er water or coated over with 
soap water.  
B3. The drum shall show no sign of leakage.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 Annex C  
 
(Clause 5.2.3)  
 
Handle Pull Test  
 
C1. The handle of the drum shall be subjected to the gradual pull as given below, 
distributed uniformly over the length of the handle for a period of two minutes.  
 
Nominal Capacity  Pull load ,kg  
Up to 10 Litres  30 
Above 10 Litres  72 
 
C2. After removal of the load, no permanent distortion or damage shall be observed 
on the handle retaining lugs or rivets or welding on the handle seat.