DEAS 159: 2023 
ICS 75.160.20  
 
© EAC 2022                                                                                                                              Second  Edition  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Engine oils — Specification   
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 
 
 
 
  DEAS 159: 2023 
ii © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
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 DEAS 159: 2023 
© EAC 2023 – 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 E ast African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchang ed 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committ ee (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 including government, academ ia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circul ated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalizat ion of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standa rds. XXXXXX.  
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 068 , Petroleum a nd 
petroleum Products . 
This second  edition cancels and replaces  the first edition ( EAS 159 :2000 ), which has been techni cally revised.  
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 paten t rights.  DRAFT EAS T AFRIC AN STANDARD  DEAS  159: 2 023 
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 Automotive Engine oils — Specification   
1 Scope   
This Draft  East African Standard specifies performance requirements, sampling and test methods for  
automotive type internal combustion  engine oil meeting or exceeding API service  category  “SJ”for gasoline 
engines and "CH-4" for diesel engines  
This standard does not cover the chemical requirements for oils as these vary with the type of additive  used in 
the formulation of a particular oil for a particular category.  
NOTE   Requirements that should be specified b y the purchaser  and those that should be agreed upon are listed 
Annex A.  
2 Normative references   
The f ollowing documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content consti tutes 
requirements of this document.  For d ated refer ences, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced doc ument (including any amendments) applies.  
API Publication 1509 , Engine service classificat ion system and guide to crank case oil  selection  
ASTM D287 , Test for API gravity for crude petroleum products by hydrometer method  
ASTM D 445 , Test for dynamic viscosity for petroleum products  
ASTM D 874 , Test for sulfated ash from lubricati ng oils and additives  
ASTM D 2896 , Determinatio n of TBN  
ASTM D 4485, Specification for performance requirements for automotive engine oils  
ASTM D 4628 , Analysis of Ba, Ca, Mg, and Zn in unused lubricating oils by Atomic Absorption  
Spectropho tometry  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of  this document, the following t erms and definitions apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at  http://www.is o.org/obp  
3.1 
acceptable  
in re lation to th e certification mark and to consignment inspections carried out by and acceptable to  the 
National Bureau of Standards.  DEAS 159: 2023  
2 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 3.2 
additive  
material added to the lubricant for the purpose of imparting new properties or enhancing existing properties  
3.3  
API Service Categor y 
Internal combu stion engine service classification, as defined in API 1509  
3.4 
S 
prefix are intended for use in automotive gasoline application such as passenger cars,  light trucks an d vans  
3.5 
C 
prefix are intended for use in diesel powered vehicle  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General Requirements  
4.1.1  Engine oil shall consi st of base oil complying with EAS 1103  mixed with functional additives  
4.1.2  Engine oil  shall remain homogen eous  free from water, suspended matter, sediment, and other 
impurities  
4.1.3 When so required by the purchaser, the ash content or the phosphorus conte nt or both s hall not 
exceed the value agre ed upon between supplier and purchaser.  
4.1.4 Engine oil shall be of mono -grade or multi -grade  
4.1.5 If double specificatio n is considere d both performance  level shall meet the minimum perfo rmance of 
this standard  
NOTE: For an oil that is formulated f or diesel engine applications and meets both C and S Categories, the C Service 
Category should be put first so th at the consumer  can recognize that the oil is primarily a diesel engine oil but also meets 
S Service Category requirements. For an oil that is formulated for passenger car motor oil applications and meets both S 
and C Service Categories, the S Service Cate gory should be put first so that the consumer can recognize that the oil is 
primarily a passenger car motor oil but also meets C Category requi rements . 
4.2 Specific requirements  
Specific requirements for monograde petrol and diesel engine oil shall be a gi ven in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with test method specified  therein.  DEAS 159: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 Table 1 — Specific requirements for monograde Petrol and Die sel engine oil  
 SAE Grade  0W 5W 10W 15W 20W 25W 5 10 15 20 30 40 50 60 Test Method  
Characteristic  Requirements  
Kinematic 
viscosity 
at 100oC, 
mm2/s  Min 3.8 3.8 4.1 5.6 5.6 9.3 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.6 9.3 12.5 16.3 21.9 ASTM D 445  
Max             9.3 9.3 9.3 9.3 12.5 16.3 21.9 26.1 ASTM D 445  
Viscosity index  Min 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 ASTM D 2270  
Sulfated ash, %wt  
Max 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 ASTM D 874  
Total Base Number, 
mgKOH/g  Min 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 ASTM D 2896  
Pour Point, oC Max -30 -30 -30 -21 -21 -18 -30 -30 -21 -21 -18 -9 -9 -9 ASTM D 97  
Flash Point, oC Min 180 180 204 210 213 213 180 204 210 213 218 224 232 235 ASTM D 92  
Phosphorous % m/m  
Max 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 ASTM D 5185  
ASTM D 4951  
Note: In the event of a missing viscosity grade classification, plea se refer to the latest SAE J300.  
 
  
2 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Table 2 ― Specific requirement for m ulti-grade engin e oils 
SAE Grade  5W20 0W30 5W30 5W40 10W30 10W40 15W40 20W40 25W40 20W50 25W50  Test Method  
Characteristic  Requirements  
Kinematic 
viscosity 
at 100 °C, 
mm2/s  min. 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.1 5.6 5.6 9.3 5.6 9.3 ASTM D 445  
max. 9.3 12.6  12.6  16.3  12.6  16.3  16.3  16.3  16.3  21.9  21.9   
Viscosity index , min. 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 ASTM D 2270  
Sulfated ash, %wt  , 
max. 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 ASTM D 874  
Total Base Number, 
mgKOH/g  min. 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 ASTM D 2896  
Pour Point, °C ,max. -35 -35 -30 -30 -30 -30 -21 -21 -18 -18 -9 ASTM D 97  
Flash Point,  °C, min. 180 204 190 204 204 204 210 213 213 213 213 ASTM D 92  
Phosphorous % m/m , 
max. 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 ASTM D 5185           
ASTM D 4951  
Note: In the event of a missing viscosity grade classification, please refer to the latest SAE J300.  
 
 DEAS 159: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 5 Pack aging 
5.1 Engine oil shall be pa ckaged in suitable containers that will safeguard their quality during transportation 
and storage.   
5.2 Only containers of the same size filled w ith the pr oduct from the sa me batch shall be pack aged 
together.  
6 Labelling  
6.1 The following information shall  be legibly and i ndelibl y labelled  on each con tainer  
a) product name as ‘‘Petrol Engine oi l or Diesel Engine oil  or both ’’ 
b) name and ph ysical address of the manufacturer , trade mark or distributor  
c) API service cl assificati on 
d) SAE viscosity grade  
e) net content  
f) batch number  
g) date of manufacture and expiry  
h) country of origin  
6.2 For bulk transportation , the above infor mation shall be in the docum entation a ccompan ying the pro duct.  
6.3 Engine oil pack aged in bulk tankers, the batch identi fication shall be marked on the consignment  
documents:  
6.4 Engine oil recommended for use in both petro l and diesel engine s, shall m eet the minimum  
requirements for  both categories or types of oils stipulated in this standard.   
2 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
EAS159, Engine  oils specification . 
 
 WDEAS 159: 20 23   
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved