Reference number  
DRS 301: 2016  
© RBS yyyy 
© RSB 2016  
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
301 
 
First edition  
2016 -mm-dd 
 
Plastic e mulsion paints — Specification  — 
 
  DRS 301 : 2016  
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  ii 
 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
Standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB2016  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
Tel. +250 252 586103/582945  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  DRS 301 : 2016  
iii                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Contents  Page 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Term s and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Types  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  4 
4.1 Class  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  4 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  5 
5.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  6 
6 Packaging and marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  7 
6.1 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  7 
6.2 Marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  7 
Annex  A (Informative)  Method of determination of epoxide equivalent of epoxy compounds  ................  8 
A.1 Principle  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  8 
A.2 Reagents  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  8 
A.3 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  9 
A.4 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  10 
A.5 Expression of results  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  10 
A.6 Test report  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  11 
 DRS 301 : 2016  
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  iv 
 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard sareprepared by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task o f technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adopted by Technical committ ees are ratified by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment as Rwanda Standards.  
DRS 301  was prepared by Technical Co mmittee RSB/TC 024, Chemical s and consumer products . 
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard s: 
1) IS 15489 : 2004, Paint, plastic emulsion — Specification  
2) IS 1303: 2001, Glossary of terms relating to paints  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Chemical s and consumer 
products  (RSB/TC 024) in the preparation of this standard.  
Amaco Paints Company Ltd  
AMEKI COLORS Ltd  
Crown Paints Rwanda Ltd  
Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Education of Kibungo (INATEK)  
Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center — Kicukiro Campus (IPRC — Kicukiro Campus)  
Ministry of Health (MINISANTE)  
Nationa l Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA)  
Rwanda Plastic Industries (RPI)  DRS 301 : 2016  
v                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Shalom Paints Ltd  
SIGMA PAINTS  
The City of Kigali  
University of Rwanda — College of Education (UR — CE) 
University of Rwanda  (UR) — College of Science and Technology (UR — CST)  
Rwanda  Standards Board (RSB) – Secretariat  
 DRS 301 : 2016  
1                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Plastic e mulsion paints  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Rwanda Standard prescribes the requirements and methods of sampling and test for plastic emulsion 
paint used for interior and exterior protection and decoration of building surfaces after surface preparation and 
priming.  
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 an y amendments) applies.  
ISO 20340: 2009 Paints and varnishes — Performance requirements for protective paint systems for offshore 
and related structures  
ISO 2 9601 : 2011Paints and varnishes — Corrosion protection by protective paint systems — Assessment of 
porosity in a dry film  
RS ISO 15184: 2012 Paints and varnishes — Determination of film hardness by pencil test  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply  
3.1 
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)  
volatile matter content minus water co ntent in plastic emulsion paint  
3.2 
Matt finish  
having gloss values from 0 to 10, when viewed at 60° 
3.3 
egg shell/ satin finish  
having gloss values fr om 11 to 25 , when viewed at 60°  
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  2 
 
 3.4 
semi-glossy finish  
having gloss values fr om 26 to 70 , when viewed at 60° 
3.5 
glossy finish  
having gloss values 71 and above, when viewed at 60° 
3.6 
paint 
pigmented material, which when applied in a liquid form to  a surface, forms after a time a dry adherent film. 
The following main types are reco gnized:  
a) oil paint - paint that contains drying oil or oil varnish as the basic vehicle ingredient;  
b) water paint (emulsion paint) - A paint that contains a water emulsion or dispersion as the vehicle; and  
c) paste paint - A paint in which the pigment is suffici ently concentrated to permit a substantial reduction 
with vehicle before use.  
3.7 
emulsion paint  
generally, a paint in which the medium is an ‘emulsion’ or an emulsion -like dispersion of an organic binder in 
water. Industrially, the name is mainly restrict ed to those paints in which the medium is an ‘emulsion’ of a 
synthetic resin. The medium may also be tailed a latex  by analogy with a natural rubber latex; polyvinyl 
acetate emulsion paint is  a typical example  
3.8 
ambient temperature  
temperature between 21ºC and 38 ºC  
3.9 
colour  
aspect of the appearance of objects which depends up -on the spectral composition of light reaching the retina 
of the eye and upon its te mporal and spatial distribution  DRS 301 : 2016  
3                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 3.10 
ageing  
change, if any, occurring in a coating on standing  under defined conditions  at or near ambient temperature  
3.11 
rust 
coating of red or yellow oxides of iron produced when iron and steel is exposed to a humid atmosphere. Not to 
be confused with ‘White Rust’ which is a term loosely used to describe corrosio n products of certain non -
ferrous metals  
3.12 
latex p aint 
paint based on pigm ent emulsion of synthetic resin  
3.13 
anti-condensation paint  
paint designed to minimize the effects of condensation of moisture under intermittently dry and humid 
conditions. Such  a material normally has a matt textured finish and frequently contains cork or some other 
heat insulating materials as a filler  
3.14 
anti corrosive  
general term used to describe material used for preventi ng corrosion  
3.15 
coat 
paint, varnish or lacquer ap plied to a surface in a single application to form a properly distributed film when 
dry. A paint system usually consists of a number of coats separately applied in a predetermined order at 
suitable intervals to allow for drying. It is possible with certain  types of material, to build -up paint systems 
ofadequate thickness and opacity by a more or less continuous process of application, namely wet on wet 
spraying. In this case no part of the system can be defined as a separate coat in the above sense. The 
following types are recognized:  
a) full coat, as thick a coat of paint, varnish or lacquer as can be applied in one operation (brush or spray) 
consistent with the production of a film of uniform appearance, satisfactory hardness, etc, when dry ; 
b) glaze coal - a translucent or semi -transparent coating, sometimes coloured. It may be either an 
intermediate or the final coat of a paint system. It is frequently applied thinly with the object to modify 
but not obscure the ground colour ;  
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  4 
 
 c) ground coat - a coat of paint havi ng good opacity which is applied before a glaze coat or stumble. The 
final colour effect when glazed is dependent on the mutual influence of the ground coat and the glaze 
coat; 
d) guide coat - a very thin coat of loosely bound paint applied over a continuous coating of surface or filler, 
prior to rubbing down. It is completely removed during the rubbing operations but, as it first disappears 
from the higher spots and ridges, it serves as a guide to the -operator in producing a smooth surface ; 
and 
e) mist coat - it can be of two types:  
i) i) a very thin coat applied by spraying, more particularly in connection with cellulose lacquers. In 
some cases it may form a ‘fogged’ coat or no n-continuous film;  
ii) ii) a thin coat of volatile thinners, with or without a small amount of lacquer, which is sometimes 
sprayed over a dry lacquer film to imp rove the smoothness and lustre;  
iii) round coat - A full coat of a heavy bodied paint or varnish;  and 
iv) sharp coat -- A coat of w hite lead in oil thinned liberally with turpentine or white spirit. A sharp 
coat used for treating new plaster following the trowel is frequently referred to as ‘sharp 
colour’ . 
3.16 
coating  
liquid, liquefiable for mastic composition, that is converted to a  solid protective, decorative or functional 
adherent film after application as a thin layer  
4 Types  
Plastic emulsion paint shall be of two types:  
a) type 1: for interior use, and  
b) type 2: for exterior use.  
4.1 Class  
There shall be the following four classes of produ cts: 
a) matt finish,  
b) egg shell/satin finish,  
c) semi -glossy finish, and  DRS 301 : 2016  
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 d) glossy finish.  
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1  Composition  
The material shall consists of pigments and if required suitable extenders in appropriate proportion in a 
medium consisting of any stable synthetic polymer emulsion in water with other suitable ingredients as may be 
necessary to produce a material so as to satisfy the requirements of this standard.  
5.1.2  Conditions in the container  
The material shall be free from odour of putrefaction. It shall be free from lumps, skins and the conditions 
ofthe material shall be such that settling, if any, maybe easily incorporated on stirring.  
5.1.3  Thinning  
When suitably thinned with water, the material shall mix readily with minimum amount of foaming to asm ooth 
and homogeneous state. The foaming, if any, shall dissipate rapidly.  
5.1.4  Application properties  
The material after recommended thinning shall be suitable for application by brush, spray or roller. The 
resulting film shall not show pigment flocculation, co arseness or other undesirable characteristics.  
5.1.5  Recoating properties  
When three successive coats of the material, after suitable thinning with water, are applied on a dry asbestos 
cement sheet at an interval of 4 h for classes A and B material and 8 h for c lasses C and D material between 
coats, there shall be no lifting of the underlying coats. The paint shall not exhibit colour separation, sagging, 
pitting, flaking or cracking.  
5.1.6  Consistency  
Insert a clean metal rod or palette knife into the original containe r and examine the nature of settling. The 
material shall not cake hard inside the container and shall be in such a condition that stirring easily produces a 
smooth uniform paint suitable for application by appropriate method after recommended thinning.  
5.1.7  Mass in kg  
The mass in kg of the material, shall not differ by more than ±3 sample percent from that of the approved 
sample .  
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  6 
 
 5.1.8  Opacity  
The material, when tested as detailed in Annex B shall pass the test.  
5.1.9  Keeping properties  
5.1.9.1 The material shall conform to  all the requirements as mentioned in 5.2 to 5.9 and 5.11 (including 
requirements given in Table 1), when tested after one year from the date of manufacturing. The material shall 
be stored in original sealed container under normal atmospheric condition.  
5.1.9.2 The material shall also comply with the requirements given in Table 1.  
5.1.9.1 The product shall conform to the requirements for quality and performance prescribed under 5.1.1 
to 5.1.1 0. 
5.2 Specific requirements  
Table 1 — Requirement for plastic emulsio n paint  
S/No Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
1 Drying time, Max   A D 1.1 and 1.2  
Surface dry   
Class A and B  45 min  
Class C and D  90 min  
Hard dry  5.3.1  
Class A and B  4h 
Class C and D  8h 
2 Finish  Smooth and uniform  D 1.3  
3 Gloss at 60º    
 Class A  0-10 
 Class B  11-25 
 Class C  26-70 
 Class D  71 and above  
4 Colour  Close match to  
colour specified  
by the purchaser  E 
5 Fastness to light  To pass the test  
(tested on white  
unglazed art  
paper)   
6 Resistance to alkali  To pass the test F 
7 Washabiity and  cleanability  To pass the test  G DRS 301 : 2016  
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 8 Temperature stability  To pass the test  H 
 
5.2.1 The product shall contain not more than 5 %, by mass  of volatile organic compounds (VOC ). 
5.2.2 The product shall not contain more than 0.1 percent  by mass (as metal), of any toxic metalssuch as 
lead, cadmium, chromium (VI) and their compounds when tested by the relevant AtomicAbsorption 
Spectrophotometric methods.  
5.2.3 The product shall not be manufactured from any carcinogenic ingredients.  
6 Pack aging and marking  
6.1 Pack aging 
The material shall be pack aged in sound clean and dry , containers as agreed to between the manufacturer 
and the purchaser.  
6.2 Marking  
The containers shall be marked with the following information:  
a) name and type of the material;  
b) type and grade;  
c) mass of the material;  
d) month and year of manufacture;  
e) production date;  
f) best before use  
g) batch No. or lot No. in code or otherwise; and  
h) name of the manufacture and/or any recognized trade -mark.   
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  8 
 
 Annex  A 
(Informative)  
 
Method of determination of epoxide equ ivalent of epoxy compounds  
A.1 Principl e 
A.1.1  Method A  
Epoxide groups react with nascent hydrogen bromide produced by the action of a standard 0.1 mol/1solution 
of perchioric acid on tetraethyl ammonium bromide. The end -point is determined either by using crystal v iolet 
as indicator or, for dark -coloured products, by a potentiometric method. This method is recommended for 
normal reactive epoxy resin.  
A.1.2  Method B  
The amino nitrogen of the epoxyamine is titrated with a standard solution of perchloric acid. The value thus  
obtained is used as a correction in the calculation of the epoxide equivalent as obtained in Method A. This 
method is recommended for slow reactive epoxy resin.  
NOTE — Safety goggles and safety screen may be used while carrying out tests through the above  methods.  
A.2 Reagents  
A.2.1  Acetic Acid, Glacial  
A.2.2  Acetic Anhydride.  
A.2.3  Suitable Solvent for Solution of the sample — for example, chloroform, dibutyl phthalate, 
chlorobenzene.  
A.2.4  Potassium Hydrogen Phthalate — Dry the potassium hydrogen phthalate for 2 h at 120 °C before use.  
A.2.5  Crystal Violet, Indicator Solution — Dissolve 100 mg of crystal violet in 100 mL of acetic acid.  
A.2.6  Perchloric Acid, 0.1 mol/1 Standard Solution — To 8.5 mL ofa 70 percent (m/m) aqueous solution of 
perchloric acid, add 300 mL of acetic acid followed by 20 mL of acetic anhydride. Dilute to 1 Iitre with acetic 
acid and mix thoroughly, standardize this solu tion by titrating it against 200 mg of potassium hydrogen 
phthalate dissolved in 50 m L of acetic acid, using the crystal violet indicator solution ( see Note 1 ).Use 4 to 6 
drops of the crystal violet indicator solution and continue the titration until a s table green colour is obtained. 
Note the temperature, t s, of the solution of perch loric acid at the time of standardization (see Note 2). The 
concentration, C, in mol/1 of the standard perchloric acid solution, is given by the formula  
c
𝑚
𝑉𝑋0.204  22 DRS 301 : 2016  
9                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Where,  
m = is the mass ( in g ) of potassium hydrogen phthalate, and  
V= is the volume ( in ml ) of perchloric acid used in the titration.  
NOTE 1 — If a potentiometric method is used, it is necessary to standardize the perchloric acid in t he same way as used 
for the test.  
NOTE 2 — The use of a correction factor is necessary if the temperature of the perchloric acid at the time of its 
standardization is different from that at the time of the test. This is because of the significant coefficie nt of expansion of the 
standard perchloric acid solution ( 1.07x 10-3 ºC-1 ), which corresponds to a volume variation of 0.1 percent ºC.  
A.2.7  Tetraethylammonium Bromide Reagent Solution – Dissolve 100 g of tetraethylammonium bromide in 
400 mL of acetic ac id. Add a few drops of the crystal violet indicator solution; if it changes colour, bring it back 
to the original colour with the perchloric acid standard solution.  
NOTE — For some epoxy compounds of low reactivity, the use of tetrabutylammonium iodide is advised, either as the 
solid or as a 10 % solution in chloroform; in this case, light should be excluded as much as possible. Solutions of tetrabutyl 
ammonium iodide in chloroform are unstable and should be freshly prepared for each titration.  
A.3 Apparatus  
A.3.1  Balance — Accurate to within 0 .1 mg.  
A.3.2  Conical Flask — 100 mL or 200 mL, with ground glass neck and ground glass stopper.  
A.3.3  Micro -burette — of capacity 10 mL.  
A.3.4  Magnetic Stirrer — With polytetrafluorethylene coated bar.  
A.3.5  Thermometer —Calibrated to permit temperature measurements to within± 0.1 °C.  
A.3.6  Pipette, One -mark, 10 mL Capacity. In addition the following apparatus is required if a potentiometric 
end-point is to be used.  
A.3.7  pH-millivoltmeter — Preferably of the compensating type.  
A.3.8  Glass and Calomel Reference Electrodes — The electrode system shall have a salt bridge of lithium 
chloride in glacial acetic acid. If the electrodes are not in constant use, wash the glass electrode with 
butanone, rinse with water, soak the ele ctrode for at least 10 min in a solution of dilute hydrochloric acid (9 mL 
of hydrochloric acid made up to 100 mL with water ) and rinse again with water and butanone. If the 
electrodes are in constant use, it is sufficient to soak the electrodes in water between carrying out tests.   
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  10 
 
 A.4 Procedure  
A.4.1  Method A  
A.4.1.1  Weigh into the flask, to the nearest 0.2 mg, a quantity of samplecontainingfrom0.6 millimolesto 
0.9 millimoles of epoxide groups. ( This corresponds to a mass of between 0.6 x EE mg and 0.9 x EE mg, 
where EE is the epoxide equivalent of the epoxide compound.) Add 10 m L of the solvent chosen for solution 
of the sample; then dissolve the sample by stirring and, if necessary, heat slightly. Cool the solution to room 
temperature. Add 20 m L of the acetic acid  and, with the pipette, 10 m L of the tetraethylammonium bromide 
reagent. Then add 4 to 6 drops of the crystal violet indicator solution. Titrate with the standard perchloric acid 
solution immediately, in a closed system while stirring the contents of the f lask’by means of the magnetic 
stirrer. Continue the titration until a stable green colour is obtained.  
NOTE — The temperature,t, of the standard perchloric acid solution.  
A.4.1.2  At the same time carry out a blank test, omitting the sample. If a potentiometric end point is used, 
carry out the above procedure using the electrodes and omitting the indicator solution. Take the mid -point of 
the inflectionon the titration curve as the end point.  
A.4.2  Method B  
Follow the procedure for Method A, including the  blank test. Also carry out a second test with the sample,but 
without the addition of the tetraethylammonium bromide reagent.  
A.5 Expression of results  
A.5.1  Method A  
The epoxide equivalent, EE, in grams per mole, is given by the formula:  
EE
1000  𝑥 𝑚
(𝑉1− 𝑉0)(1− 𝑡−𝑡𝑠
1000)𝑥𝐶 
Where,  
m = is the mass ( in g ) of the test sample;  
VO= is the volume ( in ml ) of the standard perchloric acid solution used in the blank test;  
V1 = is the volume ( in ml ) of the standard perchloric acid solution use d in the test on the sample;  
t = is the temperature ( in ºC ) of the standard perchloric acid solution at the time of tests;  
ts = is the temperature ( in ºC) of the standard perchloric acid solution at the time of standardization; and  DRS 301 : 2016  
11                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 C = is the concentrat ion( in mol/1) of the perchloric acid solution at the time of standardization.  
The result is sometimes expressed as epoxide index (in moles of epoxide groups per kg) calculated as 
follows:  
𝐸𝑝𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 =1000
𝐸𝐸 
A.5.2  Method B  
The epoxide equivalent, EE, in grams per mole, is given by the formula:  
𝐸𝐸=100  𝑥 𝑚
(𝑉1− 𝑉0) (1−𝑡−𝑡𝑠
1000)𝑥𝐶−𝑡𝑠 
Where,  
m = is the mass ( in g ) of the test sample;  
mI = is the mass ( in g ) of the test sample used in the second test, that is, without the addition of the  
tetraethylammonium bromide reagent;  
VO= is the volume ( in ml ) of the standard perchloric acid solution used in the blank test;  
V1= is the volume ( in ml ) of the standard perchloric acid solution used in the first test on the sample;  
V2= is the volume (  in ml ) of the standard perchloric acid solution used in the second test on the sample, 
that is, without the addition of the tetraethylammonium bromide reagent;  
t = is the temperature ( in ºC ) of the standard perch loric acid solution at the time of the tesls;  
ts=is the temperature (in ‘C) of the standard perchloric acid solution at the time of standardization; and  
C=is tk conccnlmtion (in nlol/1) of the perchloric acid solution at the time of standardization.  
The result is sometimes expressed as epoxide index, expressed in moles of epoxide groups per 
kilogram,calculated as follows:  
 
𝐸𝑝𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥 =1000
𝐸𝐸 
A.6 Test report  
The test report shall include the following particulars:   
©RSB 2016 All rights reserved                  12 
 
 a) a complete identification of the material tested, including type, source, manufacturer’s code numbers 
etc; 
b) the epoxide equivalent;  
c) the solvent used for solutioland the reagent used if is not tetraethylammonium bromide ; 
d) whether a visual or potentiometric end -point was used; and  
e) any other factor likely to have affected the result.  
  DRS 301 : 2016  
13                 ©RSB2016 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 354: 1987 , Methods of sampling and test for resins for paints: Part 4, Special test methods for epoxy 
resins  
[2] IS 1070: 1992 , Reagent Grade Water — Specification (Third Revision)  
  DRS 301 : 2016  
ICS 87.040  
 
 
©RSB2016  All right s reserved