DEAS 127 -2: 2022  
ICS 71.100.40 
© EA C 2022                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2022   
 
  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD   
Synthetic detergent powder  — Specification — Part 2: Machine wash   
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 127 -2: 2022  
ii  © EAC 2022  – 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 development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmit ted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for p ermission to reproduce 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  2022 — All rights reserved  
East African Community  
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Arusha  
Tanzania  
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  Violators 
may be prosecuted  EAS 127 -2: 2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page  
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  3 
5 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 3 
6 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  4 
7 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
Annex A (informative)  List of suggested builders and additives  ................................ ........................  5 
Annex B (normative)  Determination of non -detergent organic matter  ................................ ...............  6 
B.1 Principle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  6 
B.2 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 6 
B.3 Reagents  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 6 
B.4 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 6 
B.5 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 7 
Annex C (normative)  Determination o f matter insoluble in water  ................................ .......................  8 
C.1 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 8 
C.2 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 8 
Annex D (normative)  Test method for determination of perborate  ................................ .....................  9 
D.1 Method  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  9 
D.2 Calculation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 9 
Annex E (normative)  Test method for foam  ................................ ................................ .........................  10 
E.1 Foaming  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 10 
E.2 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 10 
E.3 Preparation of standard hard water (50 ppm as calcium carbonate)  ................................ .... 10 
E.4 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 10 
Annex F (normative)  Sampling procedure for detergent powder ................................ ......................  12 
F.1 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  12 
F.2 Scale of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  12 
F.3 Preparation of gross samples, test sample and reference sample  ................................ ....... 13 
F.4 Number of tests  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  13 
F.5 Criteria for conformity ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  13 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  15 
 DEAS 127 -2: 2022  
iv  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 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 ba rriers that are encountered when goods and services are excha nged 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) and other deliverab les. 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 Technic al Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders inc luding 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 inco rporated before finalization of standards, in accordance 
with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standards and other deliverables are subject t o 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 Techn ical Committee EASC/TC 074, Surface active agents  
Attention i s 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.  
This second  edition cancels and replaces the first edition (EAS 127 -2:2013), which has been technically revised.  
EAS 127 consists of the following parts, under the general title Synthetic detergent powders — Specification   
⎯ Part 1: Household hand use  
⎯ Part 2:  Machine wash  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 EAS 127 -2: 2022  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
There are two main groups of  detergents, namely, the soaps and synthetic detergents. In order to guide the 
production of synthetic detergents of well -defined quality and also to safeguard consumer interests, it has been 
felt desirable to formulate this standard.  
Synthetic detergents are of three types: anionic, cationic and non -ionic. Anionic synthetic detergents of the alkyl 
aryl type, such as dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, are now produced in fairly Iarge quantities  and hence priority 
has been given for the standardization of this ma terial.  
It has been discovered that equally good cleaning can be achieved at relatively low detergent levels. With the 
advance of technology, other equally effective, environmentally safe  and cheaper builders can be used instead 
of Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) which is currently being used. Phosphates have been known to bring 
eutrofication in water bodies and companies world over are doing away with them and encouraging use of 
alternativ e builders such as zeolites and carbonates, and therefore for this re ason the requirement for levels of 
STPP are being progressively phased out in the standard with a view of eliminating them in the near future.  
The standard is more composition based than  performance based and for that reason performance measures 
for clean ing efficiency and detergency tests have been included. This edition emphasizes on the 
biodegradability of the surfactants used to manufacture detergent powders and a method for determini ng the 
same has been developed.  EAS 127 -2 2014   
 
© EAC  2015  – All rights reserved  
  
 Synthetic detergent powder  — Specifi cation — Part 2: Machine wash  
1 Scope  
This Draft  East African Standard specifies the requirements , sampling  and test methods for synthetic detergents 
powder for machine wash . It does not cover hand  wash powders and industrial detergent powders . 
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) ap plies.  
EAS 814 , Determination of biodegradability of surfactants — Test method   
ISO 672,  Soaps — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content — Oven method  
ISO 673, Soaps — Determination of content of ethanol -insoluble matter  
ISO 862, Surface acti ve agents  — Vocabulary  
ISO 2870,  Surface active agents — Detergents — Determination of anionic -active matter hydrolysable and non -
hydrolysable under acid conditions  
ISO 2871 -1, Surface active agents — Detergents — Determination of cationic -active matter co ntent — Part 1: 
High-molecular -mass cationic -active matter  
ISO 2871 -2, Surface active agents — Detergents — Determination of cationic -active matter content — Part 2: 
Cationic-active matter of low molecular mass (between 200 and 500)  
ISO 4313 , Washing powde rs — Determination of total phosphorous (v) oxide content — Quinoline 
phosphomolybdate gravimetric method  
ISO 4316, Surface active agents — Determination of pH of aqueous solution — Potentiometric method  
ISO 4317,  Surface -active agents and detergents — Determination of water content — Karl Fischer methods  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, terms and definitions given in ISO 862 and the follow ing 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   
2  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 3.1  
detergent  
product specially formulated for cleaning through the process of detergency  
3.2 
active ingredient  
organic surface -active material present in the d etergent  
3.3  
builder   
material added to the detergent formulation that enhances or maintains the cleaning efficiency of the  surfactant, 
principally by inactivating water hardness either by sequestration, precipitation or ion exchange  
3.4  
defect  
non-conformance with a requirement of the standard  
3.5  
defective  
detergent or package that fails in one or more respects to comply  with the relevant requirements of this standard  
3.6  
package  
unit in which the detergent is stored, which is labelled , and distrib uted for individual sale  
3.7  
manufacturer  
person or organization actually engaged in or being principally responsible for m anufacturing or producing the 
laundry detergent  
3.8  
sequestering agent  
material that suppresses the hardness of water and improve s the effectiveness of surface active agents  by 
removing metal ions or molecules from the water  
 
3.9 
batch  
material from a single mix or, in the case of a continuous production process, the material from a single day's 
production  
3.10 
lot 
quantity of a de tergent bearing the same batch identification,  from one manufacturer, and submitted at any one 
time for inspection and testing  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements   
4.1.1 Synthetic detergent powder  shall:  
a) be homogenous, free flowing  powder , free from v isible impurities, abrasives and organic solvents and 
shall be readily soluble in water;  
b) not be irritating to the normal skin and shall not contain any ingredients in a quantit y that is toxic to 
human beings; and  
c) not give an objectionable  odour .   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  3 
 4.1.2 The active ingredients used include salt of alkylaryl sulphonic acid, soap and non -ionics . The formulation 
may contain one or more of the builders or additives given in Annex A.  
4.1.3 The active ingredient used shall be biodegradable when tested according to EAS 814.  
4.1.4 A solution of the synthetic detergent powder  in hot water (at 60 °C ± 2 °C) shall not have objectionable 
odour.  
4.1.5 If perfume  is added , it shall not change the product fragrance nor develop an objectionable odour during 
storage at ambien t temperature .  
4.1.6 If synthetic detergent powder  is coloured, the colouring shall be uniform and shall not change 
appreciably during storage  
4.2 Specific requirements   
4.2.1 Synthetic detergent powder  shall also comply with the  specific requirements giv en in Table 1, when tested 
in accordance with the  method prescribed  therein . 
Table 1 — Specific r equirements for machine wash synthetic detergent  powder   
S/No Characteristic  Requirement  Method of test  
i)  Moisture and volatile matter content at 105 °C, % m/m, max .  13 ISO 672  
ISO 4317  
ii)  Active ingredient, % m/m, min . 10 ISO 2870  
ISO 2871 -1 
ISO 2871 -2 
iii)  Matter insoluble in alcohol, % m/m, max . 90 ISO 673 
iv)  Phosphate (expressed as sodium tripoly -phosphate), % by 
mass of matter insoluble in alcohol, max . 15 ISO 4313  
v)  pH of 1 % solution (m/v), at 25  °C ± 2 °C  9 - 11 ISO 4316  
vi)  Non-detergent organic matter, % m/m, max.  1.0 Annex B  
vii)  Matter insoluble in water , % m/m, max.  
• phosphate based synthetic detergent powders  
• Non-phosphate based synthetic detergent 
powders   
5.0 
15.0 Annex C  
viii)  Available O 2 as sodium perborate, %  m/m, max  10 Annex D  
 
4.2.2 Storage properties   
When stored or transported under normal conditions in its original container, the powder shall not cake into 
lumps.  
5 Pack aging  
Synthetic d etergent powde r shall be pack aged  in containers that are strong enough to withstand normal 
handling , storage  and transportation and that will prevent leakage and contamination of the product.   
4  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 6 Labelling  
Each container each bulk package shall be in prominent, legibly a nd indelibly labelled either in English, Kiswahili 
or French or combination or any other langu age as agreed between the manufacturer and supplier with the 
following information : 
 
a) name of the product as “Synthetic detergent powder ”; 
b)  indicat e that the produ ct is for machine wash  
c) manufacturer’s name and physical address;  
NOTE  The name, physical address of the distributor/supplier and trade mark may be added as required.  
d) batch or lot number ;  
e)  list of ingredients  
f) net content;  
g) country of origin ; 
h) instructions f or use ; 
i) date of manufacture  and best before date ; and  
j) indicate mode of disposal of containers/packages  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with Annex F.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  5 
  
 
 
Annex A  
(informative)  
 
List of suggested builders and additives  
 
The following is a list  of suggested builders and additives:   
a) trisodium phosphate ; 
b) sodium carbonate ; 
c) sodium suifate ; 
d) tetrasodium pyrophosphate ; 
e) sodium tripolyphosphate ; 
f) sodium hexametaphosphate ; 
g) sodium carboxy methyl cellulose ; 
h) sodium silicate ; 
i) optical brighte ners; 
j) lather booste rs; 
k) hydrotopes ; 
l) perfumes ; 
m) preservatives ; 
n) chelating agents (sequestering agents) ; 
o) colours ; 
p) perborates ; 
q) enzymes ; 
r) bactericides ; 
s) zeolites ; 
t) common salt ;  
u) urea;  
6  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 v) magnesium sulphate ;  
w) polymers ; and  
x) any other internationally accepted builder cleared by the nationa l standards body in the respective 
country . 
Annex B  
(normative)  
 
Determination of non -detergent organic matter  
B.1 Principle  
The term non -detergent organic matter includes hydrocarbons, fatty alcohols and perfumes. Using petro leum 
ether and under the condi tions prescribed, non -detergent organic matter only is extracted leaving any 
alkylolamide present in the material.  
B.2 Apparatus  
B.2.1 Evaporating basin  
B.2.2 Separating funnels, 1 000 -ml capacity  
B.2.3 Wide mouthed flat -bottomed flask, 200-ml capacity  
B.2.4 Buchner flask, 500-ml-capacity  fitted with a sintered glass filter funnel (porosity 4)  
B.2.5 Vacuum pump  
B.3 Reagents  
B.3.1 Ethyl alcohol, 50 %, 70 %,  90 % and 96  % (by volume)  
B.3.2 Petroleum ether,  boiling range 40 °C - 60 °C non -volatile residue at 80 °C maximum 0.001  % 
B.3.3 Acetone,  non-volatile residue at 80 °C maximum 0.001 %  
B.4 Procedure  
B.4.1 Weigh accurately about 5 g of the material in a 150 -ml squat beaker. Extract with 5 0 ml of hot 90 % 
ethanol by heating on the steam bath for about 2 min  stirring and breaking up any hard lumps with a glass rod 
flattened at the end.  
B.4.2  Allow the solid matter to settle and decant the hot aIcoholic solution through a sintered glass filter funn el 
(porosity 4) fitted to a 500 -ml Buchner flask to which sucti on is applied. Repeat the extraction in a similar manner 
with five further consecutive 30 -ml quantities of boiling 90 % ethanol. Pass each extract in turn through the filter 
into the flask.  
B.4.3 Transfer quantitatively all the combined filtrate from the B uchner flask to a 1 -L separating funnel and rinse 
the flask four times with 40 -ml quantities of distilled water, transferring each wash in turn to the separating 
funnel. Add 100 ml of petroleum  ether, swirl gently to ensure adequate mixing and allow the tw o phases to 
separate. Run off the aqueous alcoholic layer into a second separating funnel, and extract with 75 ml of 
petroleum ether. Repeat the extraction of the aqueous alcoholic phase in the  third separating funnel with a 
further 75 ml of petroleum ethe r. Combine the three ether extracts in the first separating funnel. Rinse each of 
the two empty funnels with a few millilitres petroleum ether and add the rinsing to the combined ether extracts .  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  7 
 B.4.4 Wash the combined ether extracts and rinsing (see B.4.3) with four successive 50 -ml portio ns of 70 % 
ethyl alcohol, shaking and removing the alcoholic phase each time. Transfer the ether layer in stages to a pre -
weighed flask and recover the solvent. Add 10 -ml of acetone and evaporate off the solvent using a s tream of 
nitrogen. Rotate the flask  on a steam bath during the operation. Cool the flask to about 60 °C to 65 °C, gently 
blow out the last traces of solvent with a current of dry air, cool in a desiccator and weigh.  
B.5 Calculation  
The n on-detergent organ ic matter  is expressed as follows:  
Non- detergent organic matter  (on dry basis), % m/m = 100  𝑚2−𝑚1
𝑚×100
(100 −moisture ) 
where  
m1 is the mass, in grams, of empty flask  
m2 is the mass, in grams, of the flask with residue  
m is the mass, in grams , of material tak en for the test.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
8  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
  
 
Annex C 
(normative)  
 
Determination of matter insoluble in water  
C.1 Procedure  
C.1.1 Starting with a fresh portion of the material , weigh accurately about 5 g of the material into a beaker, and 
digest with 50 ml of ethyl alcohol by heating on a steam bath for about 2 min. Stir and break up any hard lump 
with a glass rod flattened at one end.  
C.1.2 Allow the solid matter to settle and d ecant the hot alcoholic solution through a dried and pre -weighed 
sintered glass filter f unnel fitted to a Buchner flask, to which suction is applied  
C.1.3 Repeat the alcoholic digestion in a similar manner with five further consecutive 30 ml portions of bo iling 
ethyl alcohol. Filter each extract in turn through the same sintered glass funnel and, finally, wash the residue 
several times with hot ethyl alcohol to remove all the alcohol soluble matter.  
C.1.4 Even after digestion with five 30 ml portions of bo iling ethyl alcohol, the alcohol insoluble portion may 
sometimes be found to be sticky. In that case treat it further with more boiling ethyl alcohol until it is free from 
active matter and the alcohol insoluble portion is no longer sticky   
C.1.5  Dry the s intered glass funnel with the residue in an air -oven at a temperature of 105 °C ± 2 °C f or 1 h. 
Cool in a desiccator and weigh.  
C.1.6 Repeat the process in C.3.6  for 30 min until a constant weight is obtained.  
C.1.2 Even after digestion with five 30 -Ml portions of boiling ethyl alcohol, the alcohol insoluble portion may 
sometimes be found to be sticky. In that case, treat it further with more boiling ethyl alcohol until it is free from 
active matter and the alcohol insoluble portion is no longer sticky.  Do not dry or weigh the matter insoluble in 
alcohol. After filtering and washing the res idue thoroughly with hot ethyl alcohol, change the receiver, extract 
the residue with successive portions of distilled water at about 60 °C, and wash the residue several times to 
remove all the water solubles. Dry the sintered glass funnel with the residue  in an air -oven at a temperature of 
105 °C ± 2 °C until a constant mass is obtained . 
C.2 Calculation  
The m atter insoluble in water  is expressed as follows:  
Matter insolub le in water, % by mass  (on dry basis), % m/m = 100  𝑚2−𝑚1
𝑚×100
(100 −moist ure) 
where  
m1 is the mass, in grams, of empty sintered glass filter funnel  
m2 is the mass, in grams, of sintered glass filter funnel with residue  
m is the mass, in grams, of material taken for the test.  
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  9 
  
 
Annex D 
(normative)  
 
Test method for determina tion of perborate  
 
D.1 Method  
Weigh 1.5 g - 2 g of sample, dissolve in water and transfer into a 250  ml volumetric flask and make up to volume with water. 
Take an aliquot of 25 ml for titration and add 20 ml of 0.1 M sulphuric acid. Titrate immediately wi th standard 0.1 N potassium 
permanganate until a faint pink colour persists.  
D.2 Calculation  
The avail able oxygen shall be expressed as follows:  
% available  oxygen = 
𝑎×8×𝑁
𝑊 
where  
a is the titre; 
N is the normality of potassiu m permanganate ; 
W is the weight of material  taken . 
NOTE  When fresh contains approximately 95  % corresponding to 9.9  % available oxygen.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
10  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
  
Annex E 
(normative)  
 
Test method for fo am 
E.1 Foaming  
Foaming capacity of detergents is an important property. In some instance , a high foam is required and in others 
no foam at all or a  very low foam is desirable.  It is necessary to standardize the following factors : 
a) concentration of active water ;  
b) type of water to be used ;  
c) temperature of solution ; and  
d) period of aging . 
E.2 Apparatus  
E.2.1 500-ml glass measuring cylinder  
E.2.2 250-ml glass separating funnel  
E.2.3 50-ml glass pipette  
E.2.4 250-ml glass cylinder  
E.3 Preparation of standard hard water (50 ppm as calcium carbonate)  
E.3.1 Reagents  
E.3.1.1  Analar calcium chlori de dihydrate,  CaCl 2.2H 2O 
E.3.1.2  Analar  magnesium sulphate heptahydrate , MgSO 4.7H 2O 
E.3.1.3  Deionized water  
E.3.2 Method  
Dissolve 0.0440 g Analar calcium c hloride  dihydrate  and 0.0492  g Analar magnesium sulphate  heptahydrate  in 
deioniz ed water.  Mak e up the volume to 1 L with deioniz ed water.  
E.3.3 Preparation of test solution  
Prepare a  solution containing 6 g of the detergent per litre  in standard hard water.  
Warm  the solution to the temperature of 60 ºC and allow  to ‘age” at this temperature for 10 min. 
E.4 Procedure  
Draw 50 ml of the solution into a 50 -ml pipette.   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  11 
 Hold the pipette against the upper inside portion of the  500-ml glass measuring cylinder and  allow the solution 
to run into the cylinder, moving the pipette so that it revolves around the compl ete circumference of the cylinde r 
so that the solution w ets the walls of the cylinder. The solution remains in the cylinder.  
Into the 250 -ml glass cylinder, pour in 200 ml of the solution and pour this into the separating funnel.  Clamp into 
position the se parating funnel so that its spou t points to the centre of the 500 -ml cylinder and is level with the 
rim of the 500 -ml measuring cylinder (see Figure E .1). The positioning is such that the stream of liquid will 
impinge only on the surface of the liquid.  
Open the stopcock fully to allow th e solution to fall onto the liquid  
The moment the flow ceases , read the volume  of the foam ( V1). 
 
Figure E .1 — Measurement of foam  
 
After 5 min read the foam volume  again ( V2). 
• foaming power = V1 - 250 ml (the amount of li quid in cylinder) ; and  
• foaming stability = – V2- 250 ml; 
replace A and B with V1 and V 2 
For example, foaming power = 350 - 250 
       = 100 
For comparison of efficacy in hard and soft water, the whole method can be repeated usin g deionized water 
instead of  the standard hard water.  
 
 
 
 
12  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 Annex F 
(normative)  
 
Sampling procedure for detergent  powder  
F.1 Requirements  
F.1.1 In drawing preparing, storing and handling samples, the precautions in F.1.2 – F.1.7 shall be observed.  
F.1.2 Samples shall not be taken from places exposed to damp air, dust or soot.  
F.1.3 The sampling instruments shall be clean and dry when used.  
F.1.4 The samples, the material being sampled, the sampling instruments and the containers for samples 
shall be protected from adventit ious contamination . 
F.1.5 The samples shall be placed in clean and dry glass containers. The sample containers shall be of such 
a size that they are almost completely filled by the sample.  
F.1.6 Each container shall be sealed airtight after filling, and ma rked with full det ails of sampling  which 
include , date of sampling, batch or code number, name of manufacturer, and other important particulars of the 
consignment.  
F.1.7 The samples shall be stored in such a manner that the temperature of the material does  not vary unduly 
from the normal temperature, and that they are protected from light.  
F.2 Scale of sampling  
F.2.1 In a single consignment, all the packages containing the product  of the same type and form, and drawn 
from the same batch of manufacture, shal l constitute a lot . If the consignment consists of packages containing 
product  s of different types and forms, then the packages containing products  of the same type , form and batch 
of manufacture shall be grouped together, and such group shall constitute a separate lot.  
F.2.2 For ascertaining the conformity of the lot to the requirements prescribed in this standard, tests shall be 
carried out on each lot separately. The number (n) of packages to be selected for drawing the samples shall 
depend upon the siz e (N) of the lot a nd sha ll be in accordance with Table F.1. 
Table F.1 — Scale of sampling  
No. of packages in the lot  
(N) No. of packages to be selected  
(n) 
4 - 15 3 
16 - 40 4 
41 - 65 5 
66 - 110 7 
111 and above  10 
NOTE  When the size of  the lot is three  packages or less , the number of containers to be selected and 
the criteria for judging the conformity of the lot to the specifications should be as agreed on between the 
purchaser /inspector  and the supplier.  
F.2.3 The packages shall be se lected at random and to ensure ra ndomness of selection, a random number 
table shall be used. In case such tables are not available, the procedure given below  may be adopted.   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  13 
 Starting from any package, count all the pac kages in one order as 1, 2, 3,…  up to r and so on, where r is the 
integ ral part of N/n, (N being the lot size and n the number of packages to be selected). Every rth package thus 
counted shall be withdrawn to give a sample for the purposes of test.  
F.3 Preparation of gross samples, test sample  and reference sample  
F.3.1 Gross  sample  
From each one of the packages selected as in F.2, draw at random one or more containers. The material in the 
containers so chosen shall be nearly thrice the quantity required for purpose of test as indicated in F.4. 
The powder  from the containers s elected shall be disintegrated, if aggregated , and mix ed thoroughly to give the 
gross sample for the package.  
F.3.2 Test sample  
F.3.2.1  Segregate carefully the gross samples of powders. From the gross representing each form of 
synthetic detergent take a sm all but equal quantity of material and mix thoroughly into a composite sample 
which should be of a size sufficient to carry out triplicate testing for all the characteristics specified under F.4. 
The composite samples representing each form and type of syn thetic detergent shall be divided into three equal 
parts, one for the purchaser /inspector , another for the supplier, and the third for the referee.  
F.3.2.2  The remaining portion of the material in each of the gross samples shall be divided into three equal  
pans, each forming an individual sample. One set of i ndividual samples, representing the n selected packages 
shall be for the purchaser /inspector , another for the supplier, and the third for refere nce. 
F.3.2.3  All the composite and individual samples shal l be transferred to separate containers. These 
containers shall then be sealed airtight with stoppers, and labelled with full particulars of identification given in 
F.1.6. 
F.3.3 Refere nce samples  
F.3.3.1  The refere nce samples shall consist of a composite s ample and a set of individual samples. All the 
containers shall bear the seals of both the purchaser /inspector  and the supplier, and shall be kept at a place 
agreed to between the two parties.  
F.3.3.2  Refere nce sam ples shall be used in case of any dispute between the purchaser /inspector  and the 
supplier.  
F.4 Number of tests  
F.4.1 Tests for the determination of active ingredient shall be performed on each of the individual samples.  
F.4.2 Tests for the determination o f other requirements  specified in Table 1 shall be conducted on the 
composite sample.  
F.5 Criteria for conformity  
F.5.1 For individual samples  
F.5.1.1 For the characteristic, which has been determined on the individual sample, the mean (X) and the 
range (R) of test results shall be calculated as f ollows:  
()
resultstestof Numberresultstestof SumMean =X
  
14  © EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  
 Range ( R) is the difference between the maximum and the minimum value of test results.  
F.5.1.2 If the specification limit for the characteristic is given as a minimum, the val ue of the expression (
X
- KR) shall be calculated f rom the relevant test results (see F.5.1.5). If the value so obtained is greater than 
or equal to the minimum limit, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the characteristic.  
F.5.1.3 If the specification limit for the characteristi c is given as a maximum, the value of the expression (
X
+ KR) shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see F.5.1.5). If the value so obtained is less than or 
equal to the maximum limit, the lot sh all be declared as conforming to the requirement f or the characteristic.  
F.5.1.4 If the characteristic has two -sided specification limits, then the values of the expression (
X  ± KR) 
shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see F.5.1.5). If the value so obtained lies between the two 
specificatio n limits, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the characteristic.  
F.5.1.5 The value of the factor K referred to in F.5.1.2 - F.5.1.4 shall be c hosen in accordance with Table 
F.2, depending upon the acceptable quality level, that is, the percentage, of non -conforming packages that may 
be tolerated reasonably.  
Table F.2 — Value of 'K' for achieving diffe rent acceptable quality levels  
Acceptable quality level  Value of 'K'  
Not more than 3.0 % defectives  0.4 
Not more than 1.5 % defec tives 0.5 
Not more than 0.5 % defectives  0.6 
 
F.5.2 For composite sample  
For declaring the conformity of the lot to the requirements of all the remaining characteristics determined on the 
composite sample, the test results for each one of the characteris tics shall satisfy the relevant requirement given 
in Table 1 of this standard . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  15 
 Bibliography  
EAS 127 -2: 20 13 Synthetic detergent powders — Specification — Part 2: Machine wash