DEAS 851:2023 
ICS 87.040  
 
 
© EA C 2023                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2023 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Matt emulsion paint for interior and exterior use — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  ii 
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 DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has bee n 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 i n 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 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 finaliz ation of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of Ea st African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
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 070, Paints, varnishes and 
related products.   
This second edition cancels and replac es the first edition (EAS 851: 2016) and amendment 1: 2019 which has 
been technically revi sed. 
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 851:2023 
 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  1 
 Matt emulsion paint for interior and exterior use — 
Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for matt emulsion paint 
for interior and exterior use.  
 
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 (includi ng any amendments) applies.  
EAS 31, Laundry soaps ― Specification  
ISO 591 -1, Titanium dioxide pigments for paints — Part 1: Specifications and methods of test  
ISO 1524, Paints, varnishes and printing ink — Determination of fineness of grind  
ISO 2811 (all parts), Paints and varnishes — Determination of den sity 
ISO 2813, Paints and varnishes — Determination of gloss value at 20 degrees, 60 degrees and 85 degrees  
ISO 3251, Paints varnishes and plastics — Determination of non - volatile content  
ISO 4618, Paints and varnishes — Terms and definitions  
ISO 6503 , Paints, and varnishes — Determination of total lead — Flame atomic absorption spectrometric 
method  
ISO 6504 -3, Paints and varnishes — Determination of hiding power — Part 3: Determination of contrast ratio 
of light coloured paints at a fixed spreading rate  
ISO 9117 -3, Paints and varnishes — Drying tests — Part 3: Surface -drying test using ballotini  
ISO 9117 -4, Paints and varnishes — Drying tests — Part 4: Test using a mechanical recorder  
ISO 15528, Paints, varnishes and raw materials for paints and varnishes — Sampling  
ISO 21207, Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres — Accelerated corrosion tests involving alternate 
exposure to corrosion -promoting gases, neutral salt -spray and drying  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the terms and  definitions given in ISO 4618 shall apply.  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  2 
 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 platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp   
4 grades  
Matt emulsion paints shall be classified as follows:  
a) Grade 1 (Premium);  
b) Grade 2 (Trade); and  
c) Grade 3. (Economy)  
5 Requirements  
5.1 Gene ral requirements  
5.1.1  Composition  
5.1.1.1  The paint shall be a medium consisting of any stable synthetic polymer emulsion in water 
containing pigments and suitable ingredients  
5.1.1.2 - The paint shall contain a suitable level  of an effective non -mercurial or non -phenolic fungicide that 
shall not render the finish or its film hazardous to health.   
5.1.2  Condition  of the paint  in the container  
5.1.2.1  The paint shall have no irritating or offensive odour and shall be free from lumps and skins.  
5.1.2.2  If any settling of the paint occurs, it shall be easily incorporated on stirring.  
5.1.3  Application properties  
When the paint is suitably applied, the resulting film shall show no pigment flocculation, coarseness or other 
undesirable characteristics.  
5.1.4  Thinning  
Ready -to-use paints, if thinned, shall not contain more than 15% (v/v) of water. The pai nt shall easily blend 
into a smooth, homogeneous state with minimal foaming. Any foaming that occurs shall dissipate quickly -  
5.2 Specific requirements  
The paint  shall comply with the requirements specified in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods therein.  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 — Specific requirements for matt emulsion paint  
6 Packaging  
The paint shall be packaged in a suitable container that prevents it from deterioration during storage, 
transportation and normal handling.  
7  Labelling  
7.1 The labelling 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.  
7.2 The paints shall be packaged in containers that are legibly and indelibly marked with the following  
information:  S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test 
method  
Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  
i.  Quantity of paint, %, of declared 
volume at 25 ºC ± 2 ºC.  ± 2 Annex E  
ii.  Specific gravity at 25 ºC ± 2 ºC* 1.1– 1.5  
 ISO 2811  
iii.  Opacity in contrast ratio, %, min.  90 
 85 
 80 
 ISO 6504 -
3 
iv.  Fineness of grind, µm, max  25 30 40 ISO 1524  
v.  Solids contenta, % (m/m), min.  50 ISO 3251  
vi.  Drying time  
• Surface drying time, at 25 
°C, minutes, max.  
• Hard drying time at 25 °C, 
h, max.   
30 
 ISO 9117  
vii.  Colour  To pass test  Annex C  
viii.  Temperature stability at 20 ± 1 ºC  
and 60 ± 2 ºC at 48h.  To pass test  Annex D  
ix.  Gloss  at 60  ° for at least  16 h , %,  
max.  8 ISO 2813  
x.  Resistance to accelerated 
weathering  The paint film shall not exhibit any flaking, cracking, 
chalking or colour fading.  ISO 21207  
xi.  Recoating properties  To pass test   Annex A  
xii.  Fungal resistance  To pass test  To pass test  Not applicable  Annex B  
xiii.  pH 8 – 9 Annex F  
xiv.  Resistance to wet abrasion, cycles, 
min. 4000  2000  15 Annex G 
xv.  Titanium dioxide contentb, % (m/m) 
(for white paints), min.  18 13 5 ISO 591 -1 
xvi.  Lead content, ppm, max.   90  90 90 ISO 6503  
aFor dark colors , solids content, % (m/m), min shall be 30 
bWhen titanium dioxide is used as a single opacifier, the above limits in the table shall apply.  
*  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  4 
 a) name of the product as ”Matt emulsion paint ”; 
b) manufacturer’s name physical address and/or registered trade mark;  
c)  indication of colour/colour code;  
d) grade  
d)  date of manufacture;  
e)  net content;  
f)  batch  or lot number  
g) country of origin;  
h) best before date; and  
i)  instructions for use ,  safety  and disposal  
8 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 15528.  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of recoating properties  
A.1 Apparatus  
A.1.1  Aluminium metal , flat sheets of size 300 mm x 100 mm x 4 mm  
A.1.2  Soft hair brush , a clean soft hair brush with a width of about 1 cm and a hair length of about 2 cm  
A.1.3  Glass stirrer , long enough to stir the paint without dipping the hands into the paint  
A.2  Procedure  
Suitably thin the paint where necessary and apply one coat of the paint onto a dry panel and leave to dry for 2 
h at ambient temperature. By a step -coating method, apply a second coat and examine for recoating 
properties after drying for 30 min. Figure A.1 shows how step coating is applied.  
 
Figure A.1 — Suitable method of step coating  
 
Annex A.3   
Results: The paint shall be deemed to have passed the test if the paint show no any lifting or softening of the 
underlying coat and exhibit no colour se paratio n, sagging, pitting, flaking or cracking . 
 
 
DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  6 
 Annex B  
(normative)  
 
Determination of fungal resistance  
B.1  Principle  
Aluminium metal panel is evenly coated with two coats of the paint by brushing and then air -dried for a 
specified period. The panel is exposed on an exposure rack for a specified period and the intensity of fungal 
growth is observed.  
B.2  Apparatus  
B.2.1   Exposure rack shall usually support the panels at an angle of 45º to the horizontal.  
B.2.2   The rack shall be so situated that the spec imens a re not protected or overshadowed by neighbouring 
objects.  
B.2.3   The construction of the racks shall be such that the backs of the specimens are freely exposed to the 
atmosphere and such that water drainage does not occur from one panel to the other.  
B.2.4  Specimens shall not be in electrical contact with metals, nor as far as possible in direct contact with 
wood or other porous material. A suitable method of mounting panels is shown in Figure B.1. If panels are 
supported in grooves, the suitable dra inage h oles shall be provided to prevent accumulation of water.  
B.3 Procedure  
Apply two coats of the paint by brushing on a 300 -mm x 150 -mm x 4 -mm clean, dry, aluminium panel with ½ h 
drying between coats. The edges and back of the panels shall be coated with protective paint. Expose the 
panels on the exposure rack and examine the fungal growth on the panels monthly, for six months.  
 
Figure B.1 — Suitable method of mounting panels  
 
DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  7 
 B.4 Results  
The paint shall be deemed to have passed the test if the paint p anels a re free from surface fungal growth . 
 DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  8 
 Annex C  
(normative)  
 
Determination of colour  
C.1 Principle  
The colour of the paint applied on a white unglazed art paper is compared visually in diffused daylight with that 
of the standard.  
C.2 Procedure  
C.2.1  Apply the paint using a film applicator to g ive a  wet film thickness of 50 μm on a 150 -mm x 150 -mm 
white unglazed art paper. Air -dry the film for 4 h  in a well -ventilated room in a horizontal position. When the 
film is dry, apply a second coat of the paint to give again a combined wet film thickness  of 50 mm and air dry.  
After 16 h, compare the colour of the film with that of the standard colour visually in diffused daylight.  
C.2.2  The paint shall be deemed to have passed the test if the colour of the paint matches with the standard 
colour.  
 
C.3  Results  
The paint shall be deemed to have passed the test if the colour of the paint matches with the standard colour.  
 DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex D 
(normative)  
 
Determination of temperature stability  
 
D.1 Principle  
The paint is subjected to extremes of temperature and then te sted for thinning and application properties.  
D.2 Procedure  
D.2.1  Fill two clean 500 -mL metal containers with paint leaving the usual ullage and seal tightly. Keep one 
of the containers at 20 ºC ± 1 ºC and the other at 60 ºC ± 2 ºC for 48 h. Keep these two containers at room 
temperature for 24 h thereafter. Subsequently, examine the paint in the two containers.  
D.3 Results  
The paint shall be deemed to have passed this test if it is free from lumps, skins, settling and is capable of 
thinning suitably for app lication by method.  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  10 
 Annex E 
(normative)  
 
Determination of the quantity of paint declared in the container  
E.1 Apparatus  
E.1.1   Graduated measuring cylinder  
E.1.2   Empty container  
E.2  Procedure  
Measure out the volume of the paint by pouring it into the measuring cylinder 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.  
E.3 Calculation  
The measured volume shall be expressed as follows:  
% of volume me asure d is  
 
Where,  
V1  is the total measured volume; and  
V  is the declared volume  
E.4 Results  
The declared volume shall be ± 2%. DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  11 
 Annex F 
(normative)  
 
Determination of pH  
 
F.1 Apparatus and materials  
F.1.1  Beaker, 150 -ml 
F.1.2  pH meter with glass calomel electrodes  
F.1.3  Analytical balance  
F.1.4  Glass rod  
F.1.5  Distilled water  
F.2  Principle  
The paint is mixed with freshly boiled water to remove the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen ion concentration 
is measured using a pH meter.  
F.3  Procedure  
Weigh 5.00 g  ± 0.01 g of the paint. Place it in a 150 -mL beaker and add 50 g, freshly boiled, distilled water.  
Mix well by means of a glass rod and cool to 23 ºC ± 2 ºC. Measure the pH with a pH meter using glass 
calomel electrode by carefully following the instructions of the meter.  
 DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  12 
 Annex G 
(normative)  
 
Determination of resistance to wet abrasion  
 
G.1  Principle  
The painted panels are subjected to wet rubbing in the abrasion test apparatus at a specified speed and load 
of the brush. The panels are examined at the e nd of  the stipulated oscillations for film defects.  
G.2  Apparatus  
Wet abrasion tester, as shown in Figure G.1 and having the following accessories:  
a) Washing unit, of such a construction as to hold the brush in a box or holder, which moves backwards and 
forwards in a straight line across the test panels at the rate of 38 ± 2 strokes per minute. The trays shall 
be watertight to hold the panels;  
b)  Brush a pad made out of polyurethane foam of density 25 kg/m3 and of size 85 mm x 36 mm x 12 mm. 
The total ma ss of  the brush and the holder shall be 500 g; and  
c)  Fractional horse power motor, of suitable speed to regulate the oscillations of the brush.  
G.3 Reagents  
Soap solution, dissolve 0.5 g of laundry soap complying with EAS 31 weighed to the nearest 0.001 g 
(previously dried at 105 ºC ± 2 ºC for 30 min) in distilled water to give 0.5 % (m/v) solution.  
G.4  Procedure  
G.4.1  To prepare the panel, clean a glass panel, 415 mm x 120 mm. Apply a coat of the undercoating 
enamel to give a wet film thickness of 35 µm  - 38 µm and store at 120 ºC for 30 min. Rub down with an emery 
paper and wipe until the gloss is removed completely. Apply a coat of the paint by use of a brush or film 
applicator to give a wet film thickness of 150 µm. Allow this to air dry for 16 h.  
G.4.2  Dip the brush in distilled water at 25 ºC for 30 min. to a depth of 12 mm. Shake off excess water and 
soak in the soap solution for 5 min. Fix the painted test panel in the tray in position with painted surface 
upwards. Mix the brush in its holder, havi ng a total load of 0.5 kg and adjust the stroke in such a way that not 
less than 10 mm of the film is left free on both ends. Start the oscillations of the brush.  Keep the panel wet by 
adding soap solution at the rate of 10 to 12 drops per minute in the path of the brush. Wash with water, allow 
to dry, and examine the film for any defects and note the number of oscillations when these defects start 
showing.  DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  13 
  
Figure G.1 — Wet abrasion tester  
 
 
DEAS 851:2023 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved  14 
 Bibliography  
EAS 851:2016, Matt emulsion paint for interior and exterior use — Specification  
 CDEAS 851:2023   
 
© EAC 20 23 – All rights reserved