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ISSUED FOR COMMENTS ONLY 
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
 
 
 
FINAL DRAFT  
 
BELIZE STANDARD  
 
SPECIFICATION FOR UNLEADED GASOLINE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES  
 
 
 
 
 
ooooooooooooooooooooo  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is a draft and sh ould not be regarded or used as Belize Standard.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date of Issue: 25/04/2017  Closing Date for Comments: 30 /06/2017  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Belize Bureau of Standards  
Ministry of Works Compound  
Power Lane  
P.O. Box:  430  
Belmopan City, Cayo District  
Belize, C.A.  
Telephone:  501 -822-0446/0447  
Fax:  501 -822-2571  
Email:  tbtenquiry -belize@bbs.gov.bz 
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FINAL DRAFT BELIZE NATIONAL STANDARD  
 
SPECIFICATION FOR UNLEADED GASOLINE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES  
 
Committee Representation  
 
 
The preparation of this standard for the Standar ds Advisory Council established under the Standards Act 
1992, was carried out under the supervision of the Bureau’s Technical Committee for Fuels and Lubricants, 
which at the time comprised the following members:  
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE  
 
CHAIRMAN  REPERESENTI NG 
 
Mr. Freddy Flores  Puma Energy Ltd.  
 
MEMBERS  REPERESENTING  
 
Mr. Edgar Eck  Department of Environment  
 
Mr. Ryan Cobb  Ministry of Energy, Science &   
Technology and Public Utilities  
 
Mr. John Mencias  Office of the Prime Minister  
 
Mr. Carlos Escobar  Uno Petr ol Ltd  
 
Mr. Michael Hall  Sol Belize Ltd  
 
Mr. Rufino Lin  Sol Belize Ltd.  
 
Ms. Maria Guerrero  Belize Natural Energy Ltd  
 
Mr. Jeffrey Locke  Belize Electricity Ltd.  
 
Mr. Israel Marin  Belize Diesel & Equipment Co.   
Ltd. 
 
Mr. Andrew Burrowes  ALBA PetroCaribe Bel ize Energy   
Ltd. 
 
 
 
Technical Secretary  
 
Mr. Lloyd Orellano  
 
Belize Bureau of Standards   
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Table of Contents   
0 FOREWORD .................................................................................... ..........................................................................  4 
1 SCOPE ............................................................................................... .........................................................................  5 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES ................................................................................. .................................................  5 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................ ...........................  6 
4 LABELLING ............................................................................................................................. ............. ....................  7 
5 REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................. ................. .......  7 
 5.1 General requirements ............................................................................................................................. .............  7 
 5.2 Grade designations and requirements for anti -knock values ..............................................................................  7 
Table 1 — Anti-knock values for grades of gasoline .........................................................................................................  8 
Table 2 — Reproducibility of RON t est method ................................................................................................................  8 
Table 3 — Reproducibility of MON test method .................................. .............................................................................  8 
 5.3 Colour coding ................................................................................. ....................................................................  9 
Table 4 — Colour coding .............................................................................................................. .....................................  9 
6 TEST METHODS ............................................................................................................................. .........................  9 
 6.1 General ............................................................................................................................. .............. .....................  9 
 6.2 Test for detecting adulteration ....................................................................................................................... ..... 9 
Table 5 — Specification limits and test methods for all grades of unleaded gasoline .....................................................  10 
Annex A  ............................................................................................................................. ...............................................  11 
(normative) ............................................................................................................................. ..........................................  11 
Sampling of gas oline ............................................................................................................................. ...........................  11  
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DRAFT BELIZE NATIONAL STANDARD  
 
SPECIFICATION FOR UNLEADED GASOL INE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES  
 
 
0 FOREWORD   
0.1 The Belize Bureau of Standards has recommended that this standard be declared 
a compulsory standard, to protect the consumer or user against danger to health, 
to protect the environment, and to ensure a product of accept able quality for use 
in Belize.  
 
0.2 This standard introduces two grades of unleaded gasoline; Premium and Regular 
as defined by Section 5.2 – Table 1. Consideration has been given to the 
properties of gasoline that are affected by climatic conditions, and the  limits 
specified for these properties are the appropriate limits for this country.  
 
0.3 Automotive gasolines are essentially blends of hydrocarbons derived from 
petroleum and may contain selected additives that impart specific features to the 
finished gasolin e. The hydrocarbons are derived from fractional distillation of 
crude oil, and associated processes that increase either the amount or the quality 
of the gasoline obtained. The resulting components vary from individual 
hydrocarbons such as, normal butane, to products that contain hundreds of 
different hydrocarbons. The properties of commercial gasolines are influenced by 
the refinery practices employed and the nature of the crude oils from which they 
are produced. Finished gasolines encompass a boiling rang e of about 30 °C to 
225 °C.  
 
0.4 In preparing this standard, assistance was derived from:  
 
a) RTCA 75.01.20:04 - Petroleum Products, Specification for Super Gasoline, 
Central America.  
 
b) RTCA 75.01.20:04 - Petroleum Products, Specification for Regular Gasoline, 
Central America.  
 
c) TTS 269: 2007 (1st Revision) - Unleaded Gasoline for Motor Vehicles - 
Specification, Trinidad & Tobago.  
 
d) NOM -086-SEMARNAT -SENER -SCFI -2005 - Specification for fossil fuels 
for protection of the environment, Mexico.  
 
e) DGNTI COPANIT 71 -381-2008 - Petroleum and its derivatives, 
Specification for gasoline, Panama.  
 
f) Jamaica Quality Control Regulations for Unleaded Gasoline, August 31, 2009.   
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1 SCOPE   
This standard specifies requirements and test methods for two grades of unleaded 
gasoline: Premium and  Regular for use in spark -ignition internal combustion engines in 
Belize.  
 
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 re ferences, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
 
a) ASTM D 86, Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products at  
Atmospheric Pressure;  
 
b) ASTM D 95, Standard Test Method for Water in Petroleum Products an d 
Bituminous  Materials by Distillation;  
 
c) ASTM D 130, Standard Test Method for Corrosiveness to Copper from Petroleum  
Products by Copper Strip Test;  
 
d) ASTM D 235, Specification for Mineral Spirits (Petroleum Spirits) (Hydrocarbon 
Dry Cleaning Solvent);  
 
e) ASTM  D 323, Standard Test Method for Vapour Pressure of Petroleum Products  
(Reid Method);  
 
f) ASTM D 381, Standard Test Method for Gum Content in Fuels by Jet Evaporation;  
 
g) ASTM D 525, Standard Test Method for Oxidation Stability of Gasoline (Induction  
Period Met hod);  
 
h) ASTM D 1266, Standard Test Method for Sulphur in Petroleum Products (Lamp  
Method);  
 
i) ASTM D 1298, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density (Specific  
Gravity), or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Products by 
Hydrometer Met hod; 
 
j) ASTM D 1319, Standard Test Method for Hydrocarbon Types in Liquid Petroleum  
Products by Fluorescent Indicator Adsorption;  
 
k) ASTM D 2533, Standard Test Method for Vapor -Liquid Ratio of Spark -Ignition  
Engine Fuels;  
 
l) ASTM D 2699, Standard Test Method for  Research Octane Number of Spark -
Ignition  Engine Fuel;  
 
m) ASTM D 2700, Standard Test Method for Motor Octane Number of Spark -Ignition  
Engine Fuel;  
 
n) ASTM D 3227, Standard Test Method for (Thiol Mercaptan) Sulphur in Gasoline,  
Kerosine, Aviation Turbine and Di stillate Fuels (Potentiometric Method);  
 
o) ASTM D 3231, Standard Test Method for Phosphorus in Gasoline;   
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p) ASTM D 3237, Standard Test Method for Lead in Gasoline by Atomic Absorption  
Spectroscopy;  
 
q) ASTM D 3606, Standard Test Method for Determination of Benze ne and Toluene in  
Finished Motor and Aviation Gasoline by Gas Chromatography;  
 
r) ASTM D 4052 , Standard Test Method for Density and Relative Density of Liquids 
by Digital Density Meter;  
 
s) ASTM D 4057, Standard Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and 
Petroleum  Products;  
 
t) ASTM D 4294, Standard Test Method for Sulphur in Petroleum and Petroleum  
Products by Energy Dispersive X -Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry;  
 
u) ASTM D 4814, Standard Specification for Automotive Spark -Ignition Engine Fuel;  
 
v) ASTM D 4815, Standard Test Method for Determination of MTBE, ETBE, TAME,  
DIPE, tertiary -Amyl Alcohol and C1 to C2 Alcohols in Gasoline by Gas 
Chromatography; and  
 
w) ASTM D 5191, Standard Test Method for Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products  
(Mini Method).  
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS   
For the purpose of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1 additive means a substance added to gasoline usually in small quantities, to 
impart  desirable properties to or prevent deterioration of the gasoline.  
 
3.2 adulteration means the  blending of a higher grade gasoline with lower grades or  
solvents.  
 
3.3 anti-knock index (A.K.I.) means a calculated value obtained by adding the  
Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON), and 
dividing the sum by two.  
 
NOTE 1 Anti-knock I ndex is also referred to as Octane Index (O.I.).  NOTE 2 
A.K.I. = (RON + MON)/2.  
 
3.4 gasoline means a volatile mixture of liquid hydrocarbons, generally containing  
small amounts of additives, suitable for use as a fuel in spark -ignition internal 
combustion eng ines. 
 
3.5 knock means a characteristic high -pitch metallic noise, or pinging sound that  
occurs when the unburnt gases ahead of the flame front spontaneously ignite, 
resulting in an excessive rate of pressure rise.  
 
3.6 motor octane number (MON) means the octane n umber determined by the Motor  
Method under more severe conditions than those used in the Research Method, that 
is, high temperature in the entry mixture and relatively high engine speed.  
 
3.7 octane number means a measure of the anti -knock characteristics of g asoline.   
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3.8 oxygenate means an oxygen -containing ashless, organic compound, such as an  
alcohol or ether, which may be used as a fuel or fuel supplement.  
 
3.9 research octane number (RON) means the octane number arrived at by the  
Research Method which measures t he anti -knock behaviour of a gasoline under 
slightly severe conditions of operation or rather low temperature in the entry 
mixture or blend and relatively low revolutions in the motor.  
 
4 LABELLING   
The following information shall be legibly marked on each d ispensing pump and each 
storage tank of unleaded gasoline intended for sale to the public:  
 
a) the nominal RON value of the unleaded gasoline; and  
 
b) the grade designation and/or associated registered trademark that is registered 
with the Belize Bureau of Stand ards.  
 
5 REQUIREMENTS  
 
5.1 General requirements   
5.1.1 When tested in accordance with clause 6.2 there shall be no adulteration 
of gasoline.  
 
5.1.2 When sampled in accordance with Annex A and tested in accordance 
with the methods given in Table 5, the gasoline shall comply with the 
limiting requirements given in that table.  
 
5.1.3 The gasoline shall be visually free of water, sediment, and suspended 
matter; it shall be clear and bright.  
 
5.1.4 Adulteration of gasoline is not allowed. It shall be detected by the use of 
an approved identi fying agent or marker by the Belize Bureau of 
Standards.  
 
5.2 Grade designations and requirements for anti -knock values   
5.2.1 Gasoline shall be designated as Premium or Regular, depending on the 
nominal RON.  
 
5.2.2 When sampled in accordance with Annex A, and tested in a ccordance 
with ASTM D 2699 or ASTM D 2700, the values for each grade 
expressed as RON shall be not less than the minimum values given in 
Table 1 for the respective grade.  
 
5.2.3 Where there is only one determination of an anti -knock value which is 
less than the nominal value, then the product shall be considered to have 
failed the specification limit, with 95% confidence, only if the 
determination X is such that:  
 
X < A - 0.84 x R   
√ 2  
where:  
 
- X is the anti -knock value;   
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- R is the reproducibility of the test m ethod given in Tables 2 and 
3; and  
 
- A is the minimum RON or MON for the grade.  
 
 
NOTE 1 Reproducibility is a quantitative expression of the random error  
associated with operators working in different laboratories, each 
obtaining a single result on a portio n of the same sample. It is the 
difference between two such single and independent results that 
would be exceeded in the long run in only one case in twenty in the 
normal and correct operation of the test method. This is known as 
the 95% probability level.  
 
NOTE 2 Extensive data obtained from consumer and producer  laboratories 
over a number of years for many samples of conventional 
gasolines have shown that the reproducibility of fuel ratings 
between laboratories varies with octane number level.  
 
Table 1 — Anti -knock values for grades of gasoline  
 
    Grade  Test method   
 
Property    designation   
     
        
  Premium   Regular    
         
 RON  95.0  83.0  ASTM D 2699   
         
 MON  85.0  78.0  ASTM D 2700   
        
  Table 2 - RON limit of premium  gasoline    
         
  Limit    RON   Reproducibility, R   
         
  Max.    95.0  0.7  
  Min.    92.0  0.7  
       
  NOTE  The reproducibility of the test method as specified in Table 2 is   
   based on information contained in ASTM D 2699 -06a.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
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Table 3 — Mon limit of regular gasoline  
   
    
Limit  MON  Reproducibility, R   
    
Max.  85.0 0.9  
Min.  82.0 0.9  
    
 
NOTE  The reproducibility of the test method as specified in Table 3 is 
based on information contained in ASTM D 2700.  
 
5.3 Colou r coding  
 
 
5.3.1   Each grade of gasoline shall be coloured as specified in Table 4.  
 
Table 4 — Colour coding  
 
Grade designation  RON  Coloura 
Premium  95.0 Red 
Regular  85.0 Orange  
    a Great precision in colour matching is not required as the colour has no effect on the performance of 
the gasoline. The gasoline is coloured to aid identification by the customer.  
 
 
 
 
6 TEST METHODS  
 
6.1 General   
Tests for the properties outlined in Tables 1 and 5 shall be performed using the 
corresponding test methods given in those tables.  
 
6.2 Test for detecting adulteration   
Adulteration of Premium gasoline shall be tested by the following method:  
 
5 ml of a reagent which consists of 50% glycerine, 45% water and 5% sodium 
hydroxide shall be added to 95 ml of premium gasoline. This shall be left to 
stand for approximately two minutes, against a white background. A purple 
colour will be observed if there is adulteration.   
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Table 5 — Specification limits and test methods for all grades of unleaded gasoline   
Property Description  ASTM Test  Units  Regular  Premium  Method       
      
Additives   - - Report  Report  
      
Color   Visual  - orange  red 
      
Lead Content   D-3237  mg /L  13 max  13 max  
     
Copper Strip Corrosion (3h  
D-130 - No. 1 max  No. 1 max  at 500C)  
Oxidati on stability   D-525 minutes  240 min  240 min  
      
Total sulfur content   D-2622  % mass  0.10 max  0.10 max  
      
Doctor test or   D-4952  ( - ) Negative  Negative  
Mercaptan sulfur   D-3227  % mass  0.003 max  0.003 max  
     
Reid vapour pressure @  
D-323 kPa (p si) 69 (10) max  69 (10) max  37.8 0C  
API Gravity @ 15.56  0C D-287/    
(600F)  0 API Report  Report   D-1298  
     
      
Density @ 15 0C  D-1298  kg/m3 Report  Report    
      
Existent gum   D-381 mg/100ml  4 max  4 max    
      
Dist. 1 0% evap.   D-86 0C 65 max  65 max  
Dist. 50% evap.   D-86 0C 77-121 77-121 
Dist. 90% evap.   D-86 0C 190 max  190 max  
Final boiling point   D-86 0C 225 max  225 max  
Residue      2 max  
  D-86 % vol  2 max   
     
Motor Octane Number      
(MON)   D-2700  - report  report  
     
Research Octane Number  D-2699  - 88.0 min  95.0 min  (RON)   
     
Octane Index   D-2699/  - 83.0 min  89.0 min  (RON+MON)/2   D-2700      
      
Aromatic content   D-1319  % vol  Report  Report  
      
Olefins   D-1319  % vol  Report  Report  
      
Benzene content   D-3606/  % vol  5.0 max.  5.0 max  
  D-4053     
Oxygen Content   D-4815  % vol  Report  Report  
      
Odor     marketable  
       
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Annex A (normative) 
Sampling of gasoline  
 
 
 
 
A.1 General  
 
A.1.1  For the purpose of this standard, all sampli ng shall be carried out in 
accordance with the relevant procedures of ASTM D 4057and, additionally as 
detailed in A.2.  
 
NOTE Attention is drawn to the special precautions required in obtaining  
samples for the determination of Reid Vapour Pressure (see ASTM  D 
323).  
 
A.2 Sampling from gasoline pumps  
 
A.2.1  Sampling cans  
 
A.2.1.1  Cans for sampling from gasoline pumps shall be of 1l and 5l 
capacities.  
 
A.2.1.2  The construction of the cans shall comply with the appropriate 
safety requirements for cans that are t o hold highly flammable 
material.  They shall be provided with screw caps incorporating 
a petroleum resistant washer in good condition.  
 
A.2.2  Preparation of cans  
 
There shall be cans kept solely for the purpose of taking gasoline samples. 
New cans shall be rinsed with gasoline before being used, to remove any 
residual traces of oil left during manufacturing operations, and then allowed to 
dry. Before use, all cans shall be checked to ensure that they are in sound 
condition and free from leaks.  
 
A.2.3  Samplin g procedures  
 
A.2.3.1  From the pump nozzle, 5l of petrol shall be drawn carefully into  
 a cool 5l can using a clean dry metal funnel.   Immediately  
 afterwards,  this  sample  shall  be  decanted  carefully into  the  
 requisite number of 1l cans, using a funnel and filling the cans  
 within 15 mm of the brim.  
 Note: Plastic funnels shall not be used.  
A.2.3.2  If more than 5l are needed, the operation shall be repeated  
 immediately and before the pump has been used for any other   
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purpose. The screw c aps shall be tightened fully and the cans 
checked to ensure that there are no leaks.  
 
 
NOTE 1 Where practicable, the sampling should not be  carried 
out in direct sunlight because not only is there 
an increased possibility of losing the volatile 
components of the sample, but also the hazard of 
fire or explosion is increased. Changes in fuel 
quality, especially octane number, may also 
occur.  
 
NOTE 2 A quantity of 1l is sufficient for the determination  of 
octane number and certain other tests but it is 
advisab le to provide each laboratory with 2l of 
sample in case further work is needed: it is 
essential that these 2l be of identical material.  
 
A.3 Storage, labelling and transport  
 
A.3.1  Samples shall be kept in a cool place although it is not necessary to keep them 
refrigerated.  
 
A.3.2  Full and legible information relating to the source of the sample shall be 
attached to the can in such a manner that it will not easily become detached.  
 
NOTE 1 Where practicable, the storage of the sample should not be in  direct 
sunlight because not only is there an increased possibility of 
losing the volatile components of the sample but also the hazard 
of fire or explosion is increased. There is also the possibility 
that the cans will ‘balloon’.  
 
NOTE 2 If required, the sample m ay be sealed and labelled to maintain  its 
legal integrity.  
 
NOTE 3 If the sample has to be sent to a laboratory by public transport, it  will be 
necessary to comply with the general regulations covering 
transportation of flammable materials and with the requirements 
of the transport authority concerned. Information on the 
appropriate procedures and the type of packaging required should 
be obtained from the transport authority involved.