 DEAS 1073 :2021  
ICS 59 .080.40 
 
© EA C 2021                                                                                                                           First Edition 2021   
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Tarpaulin for general use  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
  DEAS  1073 :2021  
ii © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
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  DEAS  1073 :2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standard s 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 encountered 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 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 governm ent, 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 discussed and incorporated befor e finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African  Standards.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefo re 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 061, Textiles, textile products 
and accessories . 
Attention is drawn to the p ossibility 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 patent rights.  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS  1073 :2021  
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
 Tarpaulin for general use — Specification   
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard s pecifies requirements, sampling and test methods for tarpaulins used for 
general purposes.  
This standard does not apply to tarpaulins used for handling food products . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a wa y that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements 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.  
ISO 105 -B02, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part B02: Colour fastness to artificial light: Xenon arc 
fading lamp test  
ISO 105-C10, Textiles — Tests for colour fastness — Part C10: Colour fastness to washing with soap or soap 
and soda  
ISO 105-X12, Textiles  — Tests for colour fastness — Part X12: Colour fastness to ru bbing  
 ISO 176, Plastics — Determination of loss of plasticizers — Activated carbon method  
ISO 248 -1, Rubber, raw — Determination of volatile -matter content — Part 1: Hot -mill method and oven 
method  
ISO 811 , Textiles — Determination of resistance to water penetration — Hydrostatic pressure test  
ISO 1420, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Determination of resistance to penetration by water  
ISO 1421 , Rubber - or plastics -coated f abrics - Determination of tensile strength and elongation at break    
ISO 2411, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Determination of coating adhesion  
ISO 2286 -2, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Determination of roll characteristics — Part 2: Methods for 
determination of total mass per unit area, mass per unit area of coating and mass per unit area of substrate  
ISO 4674 -1, Rubber -or plastics -coated Fabrics -Determination of tear Resi stance -Part 1: Constant rate of tear 
methods  
ISO 4675, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Low-temperature bend test  
ISO 4892 -3:2016 , Plastics — Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources — Part 3: Fluorescent UV 
lamps  
ISO 5978, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Determination of blocking resistance  
ISO 6451, Plastics coated fabrics — Polyvinyl chloride coatings — Rapid method for checking fusion  DEAS  1073 :2021  
2 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 ISO 6964 , Polyolefin pipes and fittings — Determination of carbon black content by calcination and pyrolysis 
— Test method  
ISO 7771, Textiles — Determination of dimensional changes of fabrics induced by cold -water immersion  
ISO 7854, Rubber - or plastics -coated fabrics — Determination of resistance to damage by flexing  
ISO 22198, Textiles — Fabrics — Determination of width and length  
ISO 22958 , Textiles — Water resistance — Rain tests: exposure to a horizontal water spray  
ISO 24153 , Random sampling and randomization procedures    
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions shall apply.  
tarpaulin  
sheet of strong, flexible, water -resistant or waterproof material  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  Tarpaulins shall be made of fabrics coated on one or bo th sides with a suitably plasticized coating.  
4.1.2  Tarpaulins shall be free from tears, or any other defect that may impair the serviceability of the 
tarpaulins.  
4.1.3  Tarpaul ins shall be UV stabilized.  
4.1.4  Tarpaulins may have plastic or metallic eyelet s. If metallic eyelets are used, they shall be corrosion -
resistant.  
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Dimensions  
The size of a tar paulin shall not vary more than ±1 % from the dimensions declared on the label when 
measured in accordance with ISO 22198.  
4.2.2  Performance  requirements  
Tarpaulins shall conform to the performance requirements specified in Table 1  and Table 2 . 
 Table 1 — Performance requirements for PVC coated tarpaulins  for general use  
Property  Requirement  Test method  
Total mass per 
unit area, g /m2, 
min. With coating  550 ISO 2286  
Without coating  400 
Coating mass per unit area, g/m2, min. 350 ISO 2286  DEAS  1073 :2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  3 
 Breaking strength 
(N), min. Longitudinal  1 500  ISO 1421 (type C 
machine)  Transverse  1 500  
Breaking 
extension (%), 
min. – max. Longitudinal  15 – 40 ISO 1421  
Transverse  15 – 40 
Tear strength (N) 
(use a specimen 
measuring 200 
mm × 150 mm) , 
min. Across Longitudinal 
direction  180 ISO 4674 -1 method 
A2 
Across Transverse 
direction  180 
Adhesion (N/50 
mm), min.  Longitudinal  60 ISO 2411  
Transver se 60 
Cold crack (0C), max.  -25 ISO 4675  
Blocking  Separation without damage to 
surface or lifting of specified 
weight piece  ISO 5978  
Heat ageing (mass loss as % of coating 
mass), max.  5 ISO 176  
Colour fastness to light (xenon arc lamp), 
min. 6 ISO 10 5-B02 
Dimensional 
stability on 
immersion in 
water (use a 
water 
temperature of 27 
0C ± 2 0C), max. Extension (%)  1.0 ISO 7771  
Shrinkage (%)  2.0 
Fusion  No cracking or disintegration 
of face coating  ISO 6451  
Water penetration, hydrostatic head test 
(cm), min.  150 ISO 1420 Method A  
Flex cracking (No. of flex cycles), min.  5 × 105 ISO 7854 Method B  
Carbon black content by mass (if stabilized 
with carbon black), %, min.  2.5 ISO 6964  
 
Table 2 — Performance requirements for HDPE tarpaulins for general use  
Parameter  Requirement  Test method  
Total mass per unit area, g/m2, min.  200 ISO 2286 -2 
Loss of volatile matter, %, max.  5 ISO 248 -1 
Resistance to water penetration 
(hydrostatic test) cm head of water, min.  150 ISO 811  
Water resistance, Rain test, g, m ax. 1 ISO 22958  
Breaking strength Warp  700 ISO 1421 (type C DEAS  1073 :2021  
4 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 (N), min.  Weft 690 machine)  
Tear strength (N) 
(use a specimen 
measuring 200 mm 
× 150 mm)  Warp  130 ISO 4674 method A2  
Weft 130 
aRetention of 
breaking strength 
after UV exposure, 
min. Warp  85 percent of original actual 
value of the tarpaulin  ISO 1421  
Colourfastness to light  5 ISO 105 -B02 
Colourfastness to 
washing, min.  Change in colour  4 ISO 105 -C10 
Staining  4 
Colourfastness to 
rubbing, min.  Dry 3-4 ISO 105 -X12 
Wet 3-4 
a UV exposur e is done for  a minimum of 1 44 hours UV under ISO 4892 -3 (UVB 313 nm peak)  
 
5 Labelling  
Each tarpaulin roll  shall have a label attached bearing the following information:  
a) name , address  and/or distinctive mark of the manufacturer ; 
b) fibre type of the base fabric, e.g. “ polyamide or polyester ”; 
c) batch number ; 
d) country of origin and/or manufacture;  
e) information concerning the recommended methods of cleaning the coated surface, and if only coated 
on one side, the most suitable means of cleaning the substrate mate rials also.  
f) instruct ions for correct use  
g)  the words, “Tarpaulins for general use” ; 
a) If flame resistant, an indication that the tarpaulin is flame -resistant  
6 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 24153 . 
6.1 Lot 
6.1.1 The quantity of the s ame type and quality delivered to one buyer against one dispatch note shall 
constitute a lot.  
6.1.2 The conformity of the lot to the requirements of this Standard shall be determined on the basis of tests 
carried out on the samples selected from the lot  
6.1.3 The number of pieces to be selected at random from a lot shall be in accordance with Table 3.  DEAS  1073 :2021  
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  5 
 Table 3 — Sampling size and permissible number of non -conforming pieces  
Number of pieces 
in the lot  Sample size for 
visual inspection  Permissible number of 
nonconforming pieces  Sub-sample size 
for testing  
Up to 25  3 0 2 
26 – 50 5 0 2 
51 – 150 8 0 3 
151 – 300 13 1 3 
301 – 500 20 1 5 
501 – 1 000  32 2 5 
1 000 and above  50 3 8 
 DEAS  1073 :2021  
6 © EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
ISO 8095:1990, PVC-coated fabrics for tarpaulins - Specification  
 DEAS  1073 :2021    
 
© EAC 2021  – All rights reserved  
  
  