A new interstate standard for glass packaging is being introduced

Dear Colleagues!

The Association "StekloSouz" of Russia received information that by the Order of the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology dated September 22, 2023 No. 908-st comes into force on July 1, 2024 as the national standard GOST 33202–2023 (ISO 719:2020) “Glass packaging. Glass. Hydrolytic resistance of glass at 98 °C. Test method and classification”, instead of GOST Z3202–2014.

The date of entry into force of the standard is the date from which the standard acquires legal force and obligatory observance begins.

The introduction of new standards is the implementation of organizational and technical measures to ensure compliance with the standard.

Compliance with the requirements of standards for product quality and testing methods affects the interests of both the manufacturer and the consumer. In supply contracts between the manufacturer and the consumer and for drawing up the Declaration of Conformity, according to the new Amendment No. 5 to TR CU 005/2011, the new standard must be clearly indicated.” According to TR CU 005/2011 “On Packaging Safety”, the hydrolytic resistance of glass is a safety requirement and is subject to verification when drawing up a Declaration of Conformity for glass packaging, including bottles and jars for food products.

In the process of implementing this standard, accredited testing laboratories discovered a number of inaccuracies and tightening in comparison with the canceled GOST Z3202–2014, which may affect the results of product testing and the preparation of the Declaration of Conformity.

Enterprises producing glass packaging should, in the remaining months before the entry into force of GOST 33202–2023 (ISO 719:2020), i.e. before July 1 of this year, conduct appropriate tests in their laboratories of the products they supply and, if errors are detected, contact the Association "StekloSouz" of Russia at the email address: osipov@steklosouz.ru for further work. Summarized material with comments and suggestions will be sent to the place of request.

For study, we publish the comments of the Testing Laboratory of Products, Raw Materials and Supplies of the Federal Budgetary Institution "Test-St. Petersburg":

When studying the text of GOST ZZ202-202Z, a number of questions arose at the Testing Laboratory of Products, Raw Materials and Supplies of the Federal Budgetary Institution "Test-St. Petersburg".

1. According to clause 6 of GOST Z3202-202Z, laboratory glassware of 1st accuracy class is used for testing. At the same time, in the current version of the GOST 33202-2014 standard there is no indication of the accuracy class. As a rule, laboratories are equipped with class 2 glassware. Moreover, some types of class 1 measuring utensils are not produced in the Russian Federation and are no longer available for purchase.

Please explain the reasons for such stricter requirements for the laboratory glassware used, and consider the possibility of using measuring glassware of class 2 accuracy for testing in accordance with GOST ZZ202-202Z.

2. According to clause 7.1 of GOST ZZ202-202Z:

The selected glass sample is checked for compliance with the annealing requirements standards for a specific type of product made from this glass.

Although the scope of GOST 33202-2023 is glass for the manufacture of glass packaging (i.e. raw materials), most GOSTs for glass products (including packaging, tableware) establish requirements for water resistance, determined according to GOST 33202.

Please clarify whether it is permissible to test finished glass products without preliminary annealing control, since the products released from production have already passed acceptance control.

3. According to clause 8 of GOCT ZZ202-202Z:

Three samples weighing 2.00 g each are taken from the cleaned and dried sample into separate volumetric flasks. The flasks are filled to the mark with freshly prepared distilled water and two additional flasks (without grain sample) are filled with water, one of which will be the control solution, the other will be used for implementation of temperature control.

Thus, 5 flasks are used for testing: selected samples are placed in three flasks, the fourth flask is needed for a control solution, and a thermometer is placed in the fifth to control the temperature.

However, in formula (1) the variable V environment is used to calculate water resistance. - arithmetic mean amount of hydrochloric acid solution of concentration c(HCl) = 0.01 mol/l, consumed for titrating 25 ml of two control solutions.

It is unacceptable to use a flask with a thermometer as a control.

Therefore, either six flasks should be used at the beginning of the test, two of which are for the control solution, or there is an error in formula (1).

Please clarify this issue and make appropriate changes to the text of the standard for its unambiguous interpretation.

4. According to subparagraph g) of paragraph 10, the test report must contain information on the density of the glass tested. However, in finished glass products this indicator is not controlled, and its value is usually unknown.

Please clarify whether it is acceptable not to include information on the density of glass in the test report in cases where the test object is a finished glass product, since GOST for products refers to GOST ZZ202 in terms of the method for determining water resistance, and therefore the results obtained in accordance with GOST 33202 , are applicable for this product regardless of the density value.

5. We noted that in the new version of the standard the units of measurement have been changed: if GOST Z3202-2014 in the text used smZ and smZ/g, then in GOST ZZ202-202Z they were replaced by ml and ml/g. Although GOST 8.417-2002 “State system for ensuring the uniformity of measurements (GSI). Units of quantities" allows the use of the non-systemic unit "liter", it is recommended to give preference to units of the International System of Units SI and their derivatives, which include cm3 and cm3/g. We note that changing the units of measurement entails the need to update the scope of accreditation of accredited testing laboratories.

Deputy Director of Standardization

Department of Glass Containers of the Association "StekloSouz" of Russia

Lyudmila Sergeeva