DEAS 1195 :2024 
ICS 65.160  
© EAS 2024                                                                                                                             First Edition 2024 
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Fine-cut smoking tobacco (Roll your own)  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1195: 2024    
 
© EAC  2024 – All rights reserved  
  
 Introduction  
 
Unprocessed tobacco also known as Fine-cut smoking tobacco is a common name to describe loose -leaf 
tobacco used as self -made products . Characterised by narrowly cut leaves, the majority of fine -cut tobacco 
(FCT) has a width of less than 1.5 mm. FCT is mainly used in hand rolled(roll -your-own) cigarettes and make 
–your-own cigarettes, this depends on whether it is rolled by hand using pa per and tobacco, or whether it is 
made using a cigarette -tube filling machine.  
The objective of this standard is to ensure safety and quality of unprocessed tobacco (roll your own) produced 
or traded in the  region . DEAS 1195: 2024  
© EAC 2024 – All rights reserved  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 s ervices are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
The Committee is composed of representativ es of the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner S tates. The comments 
received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community.  
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 013, Tobacco and tobacco 
products .  
Attention is dr awn 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.  
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1195: 2024  
   
Fine-cut smoking tobacco (Roll your own) - Specification  
1 Scope  
This d raft East African S tandard prescribes the requirements, methods of test and sampling for Fine-cut 
smoking tobacco including Roll -Your -Own (RYO) and Make -Your -Own (MYO).  This standard does not include 
unprocessed tobacco  
2 Normative references  
The following  referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.  
EAS 110 Cigarettes  – specification  
 
ISO 15152 Tobacco and tobacco products -Determination of the content of total alkaloids as nicotine —
Continuous -flow analysis method  
 
ISO 15592 -1 Fine-cut tobacco and smoking articles made from it — Methods of sampling, conditioning and 
analysis — Part 1: Sampling  
 
ISO 20193  Tobacco and tobacco products — Determination of the width of the strands of cut tobacco  
 
ISO 2817Tobacco and tobacco products Determination of silicate residues insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses: — ISO 
Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp   
3.1 unprocessed tobacco  
raw whole plant, leaves at natural states, cured or fermented leaves  
3.2 fine-cut tobacco FCT  
 
Tobacco which has been trimmed or cut, into pieces /strips  used by consumers for making their own smok ing 
articles by means of rolling or tubing.  
 
3.3 wrapper  
material specially prepared and supplied in a form suitable for enclosing FCT so as to produce a fine -cut 
smoking article  
 
3.4 fine-cut smoking article  
article, suitable for smoking, produced by comb ining FCT with a wrapper  
 
3.5. tobacco additive  DEAS 1195: 2024  
© EAC 2024 – All rights reserved  means any substance, other than tobacco leaf and other tobacco plant parts, that is intentionally added to a 
tobacco product during manufacture in accordance with products specifications and is still present and having 
a function in the finished product. This includes flavors, preservatives and humectants  
 
3.6. retail unit packet  
the smallest individual packaging of the tobacco products that is placed on the market for sale.  
4 REQUIREMENTS  
4.1 General require ments  
4.1.1  The raw tobacco used shall be free from insect, infestation, mould and should not be contaminated with 
foreign substance such as straw, feathers, wooden or metallic materials during the manufacturing process.  
 
4.1.2  Humectants used in the prepa ration of fine cut tobacco  products shall be food grade.  
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Fine-cut smoking tobacco (roll your own) shall conform to the requirement specified in the Table 1 when 
tested in accordance with the methods specified therein;  
Table  1: Specific requirement for Fine-cut smoking tobacco (roll your own) . 
S/N CHARACTESTICS  REQUIREMENT  METHOD OF TEST  
I Moisture content, percent by mass   11 - 24 Annex form EAS 110  
II Nicotine content, percent by mass, (on 
dry basis) max  2.5 
 ISO 15152  
III Tobacco cut width (mm)  0.2-1.5 ISO 20193  
IV Acid insoluble ash,(silica) percent by 
mass, (on dry basis) max  5  ISO 2817  
4.2.2 Harmful substances and additives  
The materials shall not contain any substances injurious to health as covered in respect ive tobacco control 
regulation and Act. Any added substance shall be of a nature and purity, which are suitable for use as food 
additive, medicinal, or pharmaceutical products in proportions of proved harmlessness.  
5. Sampling.  
The method of representing s amples of the material and the criteria for conformity shall be done as prescribed 
in ISO 15592 -1  
6. Packaging, marking and labelling.  
6.1 Packaging.  
6.1.1 . The retail unit packet shall be packed using a suitable tight sealed packaging material to avoid 
contamination and help maintain moisture of the tobacco. Fine-cut smoking tobacco (roll your own) shall be 
packed in pouches, tins, bags, buckets or other types of appropriate sealed package.  
6.1.2.  The weight of the retail unit packet shall be from 10 gram s minimum up to 1kg maximum. Deviations of 
net weight from the nominal weight indicated on the pack unit shall be not more than: - 
a) 10% for retail unit packets from 10g to 100g  
b) 5% for retail unit packets from 101g to 300g and  
c) 3% for retail unit packets abov e 301g  DEAS 1195: 2024  
  6.2 Marking and labelling  
Each retail unit packet shall be marked with the following  
a) Name of the product Fine-cut smoking tobacco (Roll-Your -Own (RYO) or Make -Your -Own (MYO).  
b) Name and address of the manufacturer  
c) Brand name or trade name if any  
d) Net weight (in grams)  
e) Batch number  or code  
f)  Manufacturing and expiry date  
g)  Maximum blend nicotine content  
h) A Health Warning imprint on the package as prescribed in the respective partner state  tobacco 
control ( regulation) act . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1195: 2024  
© EAC 2024 – All rights reserved  BIBLIOGRAPHY  
TZS 2590:2019  Fine - Cut Smoking tobacco – General Requirements.