 DEAS 908: 2023  
ICS 65.080  
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                          Second  Edition 2023  
 FINAL DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Fertilizers — Potassium chloride  (muriate  of potash)  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  FDEAS 908:2023  
ii © EAC  2023  – All rights reserved  
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© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development o f the East African Standards has been 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 barriers that are encounter ed when goods and services are exchanged 
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) . The Committee is composed of representative s 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, 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 discu ssed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for develop ment of East African Standards . 
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 020, Agriculture and 
agrochemicals . 
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 908: 2023  
 
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  1 
 Fertilizer s — Potassium chloride  (muriate  of potash)  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard specifies  requirements of sampling and test methods for potassium chloride 
(muriate of potash) fertilizer.  
2 Normative r eferences  
The following referenced d ocuments 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) applies.  
AOAC 983.04 , Sodium in fertiliz ers — Atomic absorption spect roscopy  
AOAC 965.08, Water (free) in fertilizers — Vacuum -desiccatio n  
AOAC 2006.03, Arsenic, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Lead, Molybdenum, Nickel and Selenium in fertilizers  
ISO 8157 , Fertilizers , soil c onditioners  and benefici al substances  ― Vocabulary  
ISO 8397 , Solid fertilizers and soil conditioners ― Test sieving   
ISO 17318 , Fertilizers and soil conditioners — Determination of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and 
mercury contents  
ISO 14820 -1, Fertilizers and liming materials - Sampling an d sample preparation - Part 1: Sampling  
 ISO 148 20-2, Fertilizers and liming materials - Sampling and sample preparation - Part 2: Sample preparation  
ISO 7409, Fertilizers  -Marking - Presentation and declarations  
 
3 Terms and d efinitions  
For the purpose s of this document , the terms and definitions given in ISO 8157  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  2023  – All rights reserved  
 4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1 Potassium chloride fertilizer shall be in the form of free -flowing granules or pow der, uniform colour and 
free from foreign matter.  
4.1.2 The particle size when tested using  ISO 8397, the material shall not be less than 90 % by mass of 
particles in the size range of 1 mm to 4 mm for crystals and 2 mm to 4 mm for granules , not less than 65 % 
particles in the size range of 0.25 mm to 1.7 mm for powdered crystals . 
4.2 Specific requirements  
The potassium chloride fertilizer shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1  when tested in 
accordance with the test methods prescribed therein . 
Table 1 ― Requirements for potassium chloride fertilizer  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement , 
% by m ass Test method  
i.  Potash content (as K 2O), min. 60.0 ISO 17319  
ii.  Sodium content (as NaCI), max.  3.5 AOAC 983.04  
iii.  Moisture, max. 0.5 AOAC 965.08  
 
5 Contaminants  
Heavy metal contaminants in potassium chloride fertilizer shall conform to the limits given i n Table 2 when 
tested in accordance with the test methods prescribed therein.  
Table 2 — Requirements for heavy metal contaminants  for potassium chloride fertilizer  
S/N Heavy metal  Requirement ,  
mg/kg, max.  Test method  
i.  Arsenic  (As) 20 
ISO 17318  ii.  Cadmium  (Cd) 7 
iii.  Mercury  (Hg) 0.1 
iv.  Lead  (Pb) 30 
v.  Chromium  (Cr) 500 
vi.  Selenium  (Se)  1.0 AOAC 2006.03   
© EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  3 
 7 Packaging  
The fertilizer shall be packaged in materials that are clean and non -defective that protect the product from 
physical, chemical and moisture con tamination and withstand multiple stages of handling (transportation and 
storage).  
8 Labelling  
Each package shall be legibly and indelibly labeled in accordance with ISO 7409 in English and/or any other 
official language  of the destination country  with the  following information:  
a) name of the fertili zer; “potassium chloride (muriate of potash ) fertilizer   
b)  brand name  if any ; 
c) name and ad dress of the manufacturer/importer;  
d) net content by mass, in metric units ;  
e) potash content, (as K 2O) percent  by mass ; 
f) country of origin ; 
g) handling  instructions, including the words such as “use no hooks” ; 
h) production date   
i) expiry date;  
j) batch number ; and  
k) storage conditions . 
9 Sampling  
Sampling and sample preparation of phosphate rock powder  fertilizers shall be carried out  as prescribed in 
ISO 14820 -1 and ISO 148 20-2 respectively . 
 
 
 
 
. DEAS 908: 2023    
 
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