DEAS 911: 2023  
ICS 65.080   
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                          Second  Edition 2023  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Fertilizer s — Ammonium Sulphate ( Sulphate of Ammonia)  — 
Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 911: 2023  
ii © EAC  2023  – All rights reserved  
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 DEAS 911 : 2023  
© EAC 2023  – All rights res erved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of th e 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 encountered w hen 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 representatives 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 key 
stakeho lders 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 development of East African S tandards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
Africa n 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 020, Agriculture and 
agrochemicals.  DEAS 911: 2023  
iv © EAC  2023  – All rights reserved  
  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 911: 2023  
 
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  1 
 Fertilizer s — Ammonium Sulphate  (Sulphate of Ammonia) — 
Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard specifies  requirements, sampling and test methods for ammonium sulphate 
fertilizer.  
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 referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
AOAC  965.08, Water (free) in fertilizers — Vacuum -desiccatio n 
ISO 2993,  Ammonium sulphate for industrial use — Determination of free acidity — Titrimetric method  
ISO 5314 , Fertilizers — Determination of ammoniacal nitrogen content — Titrimetric method after d istillation  
ISO 8157 , Fertilizers , soil conditioners  and beneficial substances  — Vocabulary  
ISO 8397 , Solid fertilizers and soil conditioners — Test sieving   
ISO 10084 , Solid fertilizers — Determination of mineral acid -soluble sulphate — Gravimetric meth od 
ISO 17318 , Fertilizers and soil conditioners — Determination of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and 
mercury contents  
ISO 14820 -1, Fertilizers and liming materials - Sampling and sample preparation - Part 1: Sampling  
 ISO 148 20-2, Fertilizers and liming  materials - Sampling and sample preparation - Part 2: Sample preparation  
ISO 7409, Fertilizers  -Marking - Presentation and declarations  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purpose s of this  document , the terms and definitions given in ISO 8157  apply.  
ISO and I EC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
  
2 © EAC  2023  – All rights reserved  
 4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1 Ammonium s ulphate fertilizer shall be in the form of a free -flowing granules or crystals, free from foreign 
matter and impurities. The colour of the fertilizer shall be uniform.  
4.1.2 When tested using  ISO 8397, At least  90 % by weight of the material shall be of p articles in the size 
range of 1 mm to 4 mm for crystal s and 2  mm to 4 mm for granules.  
4.2 Specific requirements  
Ammonium sulphate fertilizer shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1  when tested in 
accordance with the test methods pres cribed therein . 
Table 1 ― Specific r equirements for ammonium sulphate fertilizer  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Ammoniacal nitrogen (as N) , % by 
mass, min . 20 ISO 5314  
ii.  Free acidity (as H 2SO 4), % by mass, 
max. 0.03 ISO 2993  
iii.  Sulphur (as S) % by mass, min . 23 ISO 10084  
iv.  Moisture content, %  by mass , max.  1 AOAC 965.08  
 
5 Contaminants  
Heavy metal contaminants in ammonium sulphate fertilizer  shall conform to the limits given in Table 2  when 
tested in accordance with the test methods prescribed therein . 
Table 2 — Requirements for heavy metal contaminants in ammonium sulphate  fertilizer  
S/N Heavy metal  Requirement  
mg/kg, max.  Test method   
i.  Arsenic  (As) 20 
ISO 17318  ii.  Cadmium  (Cd) 7 
iii.  Mercury  (Hg) 0.1 
iv.  Lead  (Pb) 30 
v.  Chromium  (Cr) 500 
 
7 Packaging  
Ammonium sulp hate fertilizer  shall be packaged in materials that are clean and non -defective that protect s the 
product from physical, chemical and moisture contamination and withstand multiple stages of handling 
(transportation and storage).   
© EAC 2023  – All rights res erved  3 
 8 Labelling  
Each package  shall be legibly and indelibly labeled in accordance with ISO 7409 in English and/or any other 
official language in the destination country with the following information:  
a) name of the fertilizer ; "Ammonium Sulphate  Fertilizer ”  
b)  brand name  if any ; 
c) name and address of the manufacturer /importer;  
d) nutrient contents;  
e) net content by mass in metric units ; 
f) handling instructions  – including the words “Use No H ooks”;  
g) production date and expiry date;  
h) country of origin ; 
i) batch number ; and  
j) storage conditions . 
9 Sampling  
Sampling and sample preparation of ammonium sulphate  fertilizers shall be carried out as prescribed in ISO 
14820 -1 and ISO 148 20-2 respectively . 
 
 DEAS 911: 2023   
 
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved