DEAS 1053 :2021 
ICS 87.040  
 
 
© EA C 2021                                                                                                                             First Edition 2021  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Etch  primer s (Single pack and two -pack)  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1053 :2021  
ii © EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards devel opment process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for permission to re produce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2021 — All rights reserved  
East African Community   
P.O. Box 1096 , 
Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: + 255 27 2 162100  
Fax: + 255 27 2162190  
E-mail: eac@eachq.org  
       Web: www.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be pr osecuted . 
 DEAS 1053 :2021  
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development 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 encountered 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 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 
stakeholders includin g 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 incorpora ted before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards a re 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 070, Paints, varnishes and 
related products.   
Attention is drawn t o 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 1053 :2021  
 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  1 
 Etch primer  (single pack and 2 -pack)  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African  specifies the requirements , sampling  and test methods, for single pack and two -pack 
etch primers intended for pre -treating metal surfaces to improve the adhesion of paint system applied to them.  
2 Normative references  
The following documents are r eferred 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 ame ndments) applies.  
ASTM F735 -17, Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Transparent Plastics and Coatings Using 
the Oscillating Sand Method  
ISO 1514,  Paints and varnishes — Standard panels for testing  
ISO 1524 , Paints, varnishes and printing ink — Determination of fineness of grind  
ISO 2431, Paints and varnishes — Determination of flow time by use of flow cups  
ISO 2811, (all parts),  Paints and varnishes — Determination of density  
ISO 3251,  Paints varnishes and plastics — Determination of non - volati le matter content  
ISO 3856 -6, Paints and varnishes — Determination of "soluble" metal content — Part 6: Determination of total 
chromium content of the liquid portion of the paint — Flame atomic absorption spectrometric method  
ISO 4618, Paints and varnishes  — Terms and definitions  
ISO 6503 , Paints and varnishes — Determination of total lead — Flame atomic absorption spectrometric 
method  
ISO 9 117-1, Paints and varnishes — Drying tests — Part 1: Determination of through -dry state and through -
dry time  
ISO 9227, Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres — Salt spray  tests  
ISO 11127 -4, Preparation of steel substrates before application of paints and related products — Test 
methods for non -metallic blast -cleaning abrasives — Part 4: Assessment of hardness by a glass slide test  
ISO 11890 -1, Paints and varnishes — Determ ination of volatile organic compound (VOC) content — Part 1: 
Difference method  
ISO 15528 , Paints, varnishes and raw materials for paints and varnishes — Sampling  
ISO 17132,  Paints and varnishes — T-bend test  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of thi s document , the definitions given in ISO 4618 and  the following  apply:  DEAS 1053 :2021  
2 © EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  
 3.1 
component  
term used to describe each of two parts of the paint, which,  when mixed  together form single pack or two 
pack etch pr imers  
3.2 
pot life 
the maximum  time during which a coating material suppli ed as separate  componen ts shou ld be used  after 
they have b een mixed to gether  
3.3 
Volatile  organic  compound  content  
the mass  of the volatile  organ ic compounds present in a coating  material,  as determined  under  specified 
conditions  
3.4 
volatile organic compo und (VOC ) 
fundam entally, any organ ic liquid and/or solid that e vaporates spontane ously at  the prevaili ng temperature  
and press ure of the atmos phere with wh ich it is in c ontact  
3.5 
ready for use  
the state of a product, when it is mixed i n accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in the correct 
proportions and thinned, if required, using the correct thinners so that it is ready for application by the  
approved method  
4 Types  
The etch pri mers shall be of two types:  
4.1 Type 1 
Single -pack etch pri mer. 
4.2 Type 2 
2-pack etch prim er. 
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1 Composition  
The mat erial shall be of s uch a comp osition so as to satisfy the r equirements of this stan dard. 
5.1.2 Odour  
The odour of the etch primers in the conta iner, during and after application shall not be abnormally pungent, 
offensive or disagreeable.  
5.1.3 Condition of material in container  
5.1.3.1  When visually examined, etch primers shall be free from skins and lumps. The container shall be free 
from rust a nd moulds.  DEAS 1053 :2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  3 
 5.1.3.2 When the compon ents of Type  2 primers are mixed  in the recommend ed proportion  as specified by 
the manuf acturer, and the  product is manually incor porated, a product of uniform co nsistence shall result.  
5.2 Specific requirements  
5.2.1 Wet coat 
The wet mixed material ready for use shall also comply with the requirements given in the Table 1  when 
tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 1 — Requirem ents for the etch primers  
 
 
 
5.2.2 Dry coat 
Table 2 — Requirem ents for the dry coat  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Total l ead content,  ppm, max . 90 ISO 6503  
ii.  Solids content, 
%,m/m, min.  Type 1  24 ISO 3251  
Type 2  15 
iii.  Skin formation   Shall show no skin 
formation  Annex A  
iv.  Viscosity at 25 
oC, s, max.  Type 1  20 ISO 2431  
Type 2  
v.  Pot life,  h, for type 2 , min. 4. Annex B 
vi.  Flash  point, °C, min. 30  ISO 1523  
vii.  Specific gravi ty 
at 25 oC Type 1  0.90 ± 0.02 ISO 2811  
Type 2  0.95 ± 0.02 
viii.  Flexibility and adh esion on 12 mm 
mandrel There  shall be no visible 
dama ge or detach ment of 
film ISO 17132  
ix.  Volatile organic  content, g/l, max.  750 ISO 11890-1 
x.  Fineness of dispersion,  /Fineness of 
grind Hegman -Type Gage,  µm, max. 30 ISO 1524  
xi.  Scratch hardness using 15 N  No  such  scratches  shall 
produce a b are metal  ISO 11127 -4 
xii.  Hard drying time 
at 25 ˚C ± 2 ˚C, 
h, max.  Type  1 ISO 9117 -1 
Type 2  1/2 
xiii.  Chromium, ppm in dried paints, max . 5 ISO 3856 -6 DEAS 1053 :2021  
4 © EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  
 i.  Dry film thickness per coat , µm 15 - 25  Mikro test method  
ii.  Finish  Matt Visual examination  
iii.  Scratch hardness using 15 N  No such scratch es shall 
produce a bare metal  ASTM  F735 -17 
iv.  Flexibility and adhesion using  12 mm 
mandrel  There shall be no visible 
damage  or detachment  
of film after 48 h  ISO 17132  
v.  Salt spray test  The film shall not show 
signs of blistering, 
staining, loss of adhesion 
or creep of corrosion from 
scratch  ISO 9227  
 
5.2.3 Quantity of material  
The quality of material s hall not be less than the declared volume at 25 °C + 2  °C when tested in accordance 
with Annex C. 
6 Packaging and marking  
6.1 Packaging  
The paint shall be packed in suitable containers that prevents it from deterioration during storage, 
transportation and normal handling . 
6.2 Marking  
6.2.1 Marking on the container  
6.2.1.1  The marking shall be  either in English, Kiswahili or French or in combination as agreed between the 
manufacturer and the supplier. Any other language shall be optional . 
6.2.1.2  Each container shall be marked legibly and indelibly with the following:  
a) the name of the product  as “Etch primer Single pack ” or “Etch primer Single 2-pack) ”; 
b) manufacturer’s name and physical address  
NOTE  The name, physical address of the distributor/supplier and trademark may be added as required . 
c) net content  in L; 
d) date of manufacture;  
e) instructions for use;  
f) pot-life life at 25 °C for type 2 ; and 
g) an indication of flammability.  
 DEAS 1053 :2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  5 
 6.2.2 Marking on the label of the container  
Each label of the container shall be marked legibly and indelibly with the following:  
a) Date of manufacture;  
b) Instructions for use;  
c) Pot-life for type 2 ; 
d) Shelf life;  
e) Colour;  and 
f) Batch number.  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 15528.  DEAS 1053 :2021  
6 © EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Examination of skin formation  
A.1 Apparat us 
The following apparatus  are required: 
A.1.1  Container, one metal  container of 250 ml with a tight fitting lid. 
A.1.2  Spatula  
A.2 Test conditions  
The test shall be carried out at a temperature of 23 ºC ± 2 ºC and a relative  humidity  of 65 ± 2 per cent. 
A.3 Procedure 
The procedure shall be as follows: 
A.3.1  Stir and pour 125 ml to 130 ml of the paint into the container, place the lid on tightly and 
momen tarily invert the container  to seal the lid. 
A.3.2  Allow the container to stand upright for 7 days. 
A.3.2  Open the container and test the surface of the paint with a spatula f or any skin formatio n. 
Exami ne the walls and the lid for the presence of the skin.  DEAS 1053 :2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex B  
(normative)  
 
Determination of pot life  
B.1 General  
The time taken to double the viscosity from the original value shall be considered the pot life of the material . 
B.2  Apparatus  
Test panels , complying to ISO 1514 . 
B.3 Reagents  
Component parts, i.e. base and hardener or catalyst.  
B.4  Procedure  
B.4.1 Thoroughly mix component parts in the ratio specified by the paint manufacturer to give a sample of 
200 mL by volume . 
B.4.2 Within 10 min of mixing, determine the viscosity using a rotating paddle  viscometer.  
B.4.3 Allow the mixed sample of paint to stand in a suitable airtight container and determine viscosity at the 
end of the specified time.  
B.5 Report  
Report whet her viscosi ty has doubled at 25 °C within 6 h.  DEAS 1053 :2021  
8 © EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  
 Annex C  
(normative)  
 
Determination of the quantity of material  
C.1 Apparatus  
C.1.1 Graduated measuring cylinder  
C.1.2 Empty container  
C.2 Procedure  
Measure out the volume of the paint by pouring it into the measuring cyl inder  and emptying the paint into an 
empty container. Measure out until all the paint is finished and record the total volume of the paint by adding 
up the volume.  
C.3 Calculation  
The measured volume shall be expressed as follows:  
% of volume measured is  = 
100
V1VV  
where  
V1 is the total measured volume; and  
V is the declared volume.  DEAS 1053 :2021 
© EAC 2021 – All rights reserved  9 
 Bibliography  
KS 1985-7:2007 , Marine paints — Specification — Part 7: Etch primers (single pack and two -pack)  
 DEAS ….. :2021    
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved