DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD         TDC 3 (1148 ) CD 3 
                                                                                                                    First Edition         
 
                                   
©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First edition 2020  
  
Textiles  — Polyvinyl Chloride  (PVC) floor covering  —Specifications  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TANZANIA BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
  
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      Second edition 2020  
              TDC 3 (1148 ) CD 3 
Foreword  
This Draft Tanzania Standard is being developed by the Household  Textile Technical Committee 
under supervision of the Textile and Leather Division Standards Committee and it is in accordance 
with the procedures of the Bureau.  
 This Draft Tanzania Standard has been prepared with assistance drawn from:  
 IS 3462 – Specification for unbacked flexible PVC flooring.  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 1.  Scope  
This Draft Tanzania  Standard specifies requirements  test methods and sampling plan for  unbacked 
homogeneous flexible PVC flooring, including laminated PVC flooring in which the composition of 
each of the laminate is substantially the same.  
2.  Normative References  
For the purpose of this Draft Tanzania Standard the following references shall apply:  
a) TZS 40 Textiles - Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to light: Daylight.  
b) TZS 44 Textiles - Tests Woven or knitted fabrics -  Determination of length and width.  
c) IS 3464  Method tests for plastic flooring and wall tiles.  
d) TZS 532  
e) ISO 105 E04:2013 Textiles  — Tests for colour fastness  — Part E04: Colour fastness to 
perspiration.  TZS 280  
 
3. Terms and  Definitions  
 
For the purpose of this Draft Tanzania Standard the following definitions shall apply:  
3.1 elastic product  
product of the tensile strength (expressed in MN/m2) and the elongation at break (expressed by the 
increase in length as a fraction of the original length).  
3.2 poly (vinyl chloride) floor coverings  
floor covering with all layers produced using poly (vinyl chloride) as base resin.  
4. Materials   
The fle xible PVC flooring shall consist of a thoroughly blended  composition of thermoplastic binder, 
fillers and pigments. The thermoplastic binder shall consist substantially of one or both of the 
following:  
a) Vinyl chloride polymer, and  
b) Vinyl chloride copolymer.  
4.1 The polymeric material shall be compounded with suitable plasticizers and stabilizers.  
5. Requirements  
The PVC floor covering when tested shall comply with requirements as specified in this Draft 
Tanzania Standard . 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 6. Conditioning of test sample  
Unless otherwise stated , all samples shall be conditioned at a temperature of 25 ± 2°C in air for not 
less than 60 minutes and tested at a temperature of 25 ± 2°C.  
7. Dimensions  
7.1 Linear dimension.  
7.1.1 Sheets and Rolls  
Unless otherwise stated, t he standard width of flooring' sheets or rolls in continuous lengths shall be 
1,000 mm, 1,500 mm and 2,000 m m.  
7.1.2 Tiles   
Unless otherwise stated, the tiles shall be 250 mm, 300 mm, 600 mm and 900 m m square.  
7.2 Thickness   
Unless otherwise stated, the standard thickness of the floor covering shall be 1.5  mm, 2.0  mm, 2.5  
mm and 3.0  mm. 
8. Colour and surface characteristics      
The flooring shall have a uniform wearing surface. The colour and also the pattern, marbling or 
mottling, if present, shall extend through the full thickness of the flooring, when the flooring is not 
laminated.  
Table 1 – Requirements of flexible PVC flooring . 
SN Characteristics  Requirements  Test Methods  
    1 Thickness  The means  thickness shall not differ by more 
than 0.13  mm from that specified. The 
variation between any two measurements shall 
not exceed 0.20  mm. IS 3464  
2  
  Width of sheet or roll  
       The mean width  shall not differ by more than 
0.13mm from that specified. The variation 
between any two measurements shall not 
exceed 0.20 mm  
 
TZS 44  
3 Tiles size  The dimension shall not vary from the 
specified dimensions by more than 0.13 %or 
±0.4 mm whichever is less.  TZS  44 
4 Squareness (for tiles only)  Gap between the sides of the tiles and the 
arms of the metal jig shall not be greater than 
0.15 mm towards the further end from the 
junction of the arms.  IS 3464  
5   
 Dimensional stability        Change in any linear  dimension shall not 
exceed 0.4% for sheet and 0.25% for tiles. 
After the test the sample shall show no signs of 
curling.  IS 3464  
6 
   Curling for tiles       Shall not exceed 0.75  mm IS 3464  
7 Residential indentation  Shall not exceed 0.10mm  
  IS 3464   
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 Note:  
i. Parameter 3 in Table 1 is related to the situation of the use and the purchaser shall specify the 
substances to which the PVC flooring materials shall have resistance as tested by the method given 
in IS 3464.  
ii. The dimensions and thickness of PVC flooring may also be upon agreement between supplier and 
purchaser but shall meet the same requirements on to lerance as given in Table 1.  
 
9. TESTS  
9.1 The tests shall be of three categories as given in 9.1.1 to 9.1.3  
9.1.1 Type test  
Tests carried out to prove conformity to the requirements of this Draft Tanzania Standard. These tests 
are intended to check the general qualities and design of the flooring.  
9.1.2 Acceptance tests  
Tests carried out on samples of flooring selected from a lot for purposes of acceptance of the lot.  
9.1.3 Routine tests  
Tests carried out on each and every tile/roll/sheet to check the requirements which are likely to vary 
during production.   
8   
  
  
  
  Resistance to various 
substances   The average scratch width obtained after 
immersion shall not exceed 2.0  mm. the colour 
of the treated pieces shall show no significant 
change when compared with untreated 
material.     
 
IS 3464  
 
9 
  
  Ply adhesion  Adhesion between plies in any test piece shall 
not be less than 1.05  Kn/m   
IS 3464  
10 
  Flexibility  
    Shall not break, crack or show any other sign 
of failure.  Annex A  
 
11   Moisture movement  Change in any linear dimension shall not 
exceed 0.4%  Annex B  
12  
Heat ageing and exudation   No exudation of Plasticizer shall be apparent 
nor shall there be any change in appearance. 
The mandred tests shall not produce surface 
cracking.  Annex C  
13 Elastic Product  The mean product of tensile strength and 
elongation shall be not less than 2  Mj/m2 Annex D  
 
14 
 Colour fastness to light  4 TZS 40 
 
15 
 Colour fastness to perspiration, 
min 4  TZS 280   
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
  
10. Sampling and Criterion for Conformity for Acceptance Tests.  
10.1 Tiles  
10.1.1 Lot  
All the tiles of the same type, size and manufactured from the same batch in one consignment shall 
constitute a lot. 
10.1.2 Selection  
10.1.2.1  The number of tiles to be selected at random from the lot shall depend upon the size of the 
lot and shall be in accordance with column 1 to 4 of Table 2.  
10.1.2.2  The tile shall be selected at random from the lot, and in order to ensure the randomness of 
selection, random number tables as specified in TZS 532 . In case random number tables are not 
available, the following procedure may be adopted for the selection of tiles.  
a) Starting from any tile in the lot, count them as 1,2,3 …. (r, and 10 on in one Oder ; 
b) Every rth tile thus counted may be selected till the requisite number of tiles for the sample is 
obtained ; 
c) r being the integral part of N/n where; N is the number of tiles  in the lot and n is the number 
of tiles to be selected in the samples.  
10.1.3 Criteria for Conformity  
10.1.3.1  The number of tiles in the first sample (see column 2 and 3 of table 2) shall be subjected to 
the acceptance tests see clause  9.1.2  
10.1.3.2 If in the first sample the number of defective tiles, that is those failing to satisfy anyone or 
more of the acceptance test is less than or equal to the corresponding acceptance number a (column 
5 of table 2)  then the lot shall be considered as conforming to  the requirements of the acceptance 
tests.  
10.1.3.3 If the number of defective tiles in the first sample is more than or equal to the corresponding 
rejection number r (column 6 of table 2), then the lot shall be considered as not conforming.  
10.1.3.4 If the number of defective tiles in the first sample lies between the corresponding value of a 
and r, a second sample (see column 2 and 3 of table 2) shall be selected and subjected to the 
acceptance tests;  
10.1.3.5 If in the combined sample, the number of de fective tiles is less than or equal to the 
corresponding acceptance number a, the lot shall be considered as conforming;  
10.1.3.6 If the number of defective tiles is more than or equal to the corresponding rejection number r, 
the lot shall be considered as  not conforming.  
Table 2 – Sample size and criteria for conformity for tiles  
No. of tiles in the 
lot Sample  Sample 
size Cumulative 
Sample Size  Acceptance 
number (a)  Rejection 
number (r) 
1 2 3 4 5 6 
Up to 300  First 
second  13 
13 13 
26 0 
1 2 
2 
301 to 500  First 20 20 
40 0 
1 2 
2  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 second  20 
501 to 1000  First 
second  32 
32 32 
64 0 
3 3 
4 
1001 to 3000  First 
second  50 
50 50 
100 1 
4 4 
5 
3001 and above  First 
second  80 
80 80 
160 2 
6 5 
7 
 
10.2 Rolls and sheets  
10.2.1 Lot  
All the rolls or sheets of the same type, size and manufactured from the same batch, in one 
consignment, shall constitute a lot.  
10.2.2 Selection  
The number of rolls or sheets to be selected at random from the lot shall depend upon the size of the 
lot and shall be in accordance with column 1 and 2 of table 3.  
10.2.2.1  The rolls or sheets shall be selected at random from the lot, and in order to ensure the 
randomness of selection, random number tables as specified in IS 4905 – 1968 . 
10.2.2.2  In case random number tables are not available, the follo wing procedure may be adopted for 
the selection of rolls or sheets;  
a) starting from any roll or sheet in the lot, count them as 1, 2, 3, r and so on in one oder.  
b) every rth roll or sheets for the sample is obtained, r being the integral part of N/n, where N is the 
number of rolls or sheets in the lot and n is the number of rolls or sheets to be selected in the sample.  
 
Table 3  – Sample size and criteria for conformity for  rolls and sheets  
No. of rolls or sheets in 
the lot  No. of rolls or sheets to be 
selected in the sample.  Permissible No. or defective rolls 
or sheets.  
1 3 0 
Up to 50 5 0 
51 to 150 8 0 
151 to 300 13 0 
501 to 1000  20 0 
1001  and above  3 1 
 
10.2.3 Criteria for conformity  
10.2.3.1 The number of rolls or sheets selected in accordance with 10.2.2 shall be subjected to  
acceptance tests see clause 9.1.2 . 
10.2.3.2 If the number of defective rolls or sheets, that is, those failing to satisfy any one or more of 
the acceptance tests is less  than or equal to the corresponding permissible number of defective rolls 
or sheets (column 3 of table 3).  
10.2.3.3 The lots shall be considered as conforming to the requirements of acceptance tests.  
10.2.3.4  If the number of defective rolls or sheets is m ore than the corresponding permissible number 
of defectives, the lot shall be considered as not conforming.   
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 ANNEX A  
(Normative ) 
Determination of flexibility of PVC material  
 
A1 APPARATUS  
A 40  mm diameter mandrel and a low tempereture equipment capable of maintaining a tempereture 
of 0 ± 0.5˚C  
 
A 2 PROCEDURE  
a) The test piece shall be a strip of the flooring 50  mm wide and 225 mm long;  
b) Six test pieces shall be tested cut at random from the sample;  
c) In the case of tiles, test pieces from separate tiles shall be tested;  
d) Three test pieces shall be cut with their long dimensions’ parallel to the grain of the flooring 
and three with these dimensions at right angles to the grain;  
e) Each test piece shall be  conditioned at a tempereture of 0 ± 0.5˚C for at least 60  minutes in 
air; 
f) Immediately prior to testing the mandrel shall be cooled to the test tempereture;  
g) The test piece shall be bent by hand over the mandrel with the wearing surface outwards, 
through an  arc of 180˚C in approximately three seconds.  
 
A 3 REPORT  
The bent portion of the test piece shall be examin ed in good lighting and under magnification of x4, 
and shall be reported for crack, breaks or other signs of failure.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 ANNEX B  
(Normative ) 
Determination of moisture movement  
 
B1 APPARATUS  
B 1.1 Shallow Tray  
Approximately 300 x 300  mm, 50  mm depth with a layer of glass balls, approximately 5mm diameter, 
in the bottom and filled to a depth of 40  mm with distilled water.  
B 1.2 Steel plate  
180mm squatter and 13  mm thick, for keeping the test specimen flat during measurement.  
B 1.3 Travelling Microscope  
B 1.4 Desiccator  
 
B 2 PROCEDURE  
a) The test piece shall consist of a piece of the flooring not less than 225mm2, two test pieces 
shall be teste d; 
b) The test pieces shall be conditioned at specified in clause 5;  
c) The test pieces shall be marked for the dimensional stability test in accordance with clause 5 
of IS 3464;  
d) After maintaining a tempereture of 27 ± 2˚C in the desiccator for not less than 24 hours, the 
test piece shall be placed on a perfectly flat surface with the steel plate on top of i t and the 
distance between each pair of marks to the nearest 0.01  mm shall be measured;  
e) The steel plate shall then be removed and the test piece shall then be  placed on the layer of 
glass balls in the tray containing water (see figure 1) for 72 hours at 27±2˚C;  
f) It shall be removed from the water and the distance between each pair of reference marks as 
previously described shall be re  - measured.  
 
 
Figure 1 Apparatus for measuring moisture movement.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 B 3 EXPRESSION OF RESULTS  
The change in the distance between the corresponding marks of a pair shall be expressed as a 
percentage of the original distance. The average value for the three pairs of marks in a d irection shall 
be taken as the moisture movement in that direction.  
 
B 4 REPORT  
The maximum value shall be reported.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 ANNEX C 
(Normative ) 
MEASURING HEAT AGEING AND EXUDATION  
 
C 1 OBJECTIVE  
To determine the quality of PVC flexible flooring after ageing and to assess the flexibility.  
 
C 2 APPARATUS  
 A circulating air oven capable of maintaining a tempereture of 70±1˚C and 25  mm diameter mandrel.  
 
C 3 PROCEDURE  
a)  The test specimen shall be a strip of the flooring 50  mm wide and 225  mm long;  
b) Three specimen cut from widely separated parts of the flooring shall be taken and shall be 
maintained at a tempereture of 70±1˚C in the circulating air oven for 15days;  
c) After 15 days, the specimen shall be removed from the oven, and then allowed to c ool; 
d) After a further period of 60 minutes  at 25 ± 2˚C, the specimen shall be examined for 
exudation by lightly rubbing the wearing surface with a clean white filter paper;  
e) A greasy stain on the paper shows that exudation has occurred and constitutes a fail ure of 
the test.  
f) Having conditioning the samples as specified in clause 5, they shall be bent around the 
mandrel, with the wearing surface outwards, through an arc of 180˚C in approximately three 
seconds;  
 
C 4 REPORT  
The bent portion of the test piece shall be examin ed in good lighting and under magnification of x4, 
and shall be reported for crack, breaks or other signs of failure.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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©TBS 2018 All right reserved                                                                      First  edition 202 2 
 ANNEX D 
(Normative ) 
METHOD OF TEST FOR ELASTIC PRODUCT  
 
D 1 OBJECTIVE  
To evaluate the product of tensile strength and elongation at break of PVC flexible flooring.  
 
D 2 APPARATUS  
A constant rate of extension machine provided with a means of obtaining the force applied to the 
specimen at the breaking point. Under conditions of u se, the force at break shall be within one 
percent of true value.  
 
D 3 PROCEDURE  
a)  Each test specimen shall be rectangular, 25  mm wide and at least 75  mm long;  
b) Six pieces shall be cut from the sample, three with their long sides as nearly as possible 
paral lel to the calendaring axis and three with their long sides at right angles to this direction;  
c) The sample shall be conditioned as given in clause 5;  
d) The specimen shall then be mounted in the tensile testing machine in axial alignment with the 
direction of pull in such a way that the unclamped part of the specimen between the grips 
shall be 50  mm in length;  
e) The specimen shall be loaded by separating the grips at such a speed that the rate of 
extension of the specimen is 100% per minute.  
 
D 4 CALCULATION OF RESULTS  
a) The tensile strength of the specimen shall be calculated from the force to break and the 
original area of cross section and expressed in MN/m2; 
b) The elongation of the specimen at break shall be the increase in distance between the grips;  
c) The product  of tensile strength and elongation for each piece shall be obtained and the mean 
of six determinations as the elastic product of the sample shall be reported.