  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2280  
First  Edition  
yyyy -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2280:2020  
© UNBS 2020   
  
Incense stick — Specification  
 DUS 2280  
ii © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct applicatio n 
© UNBS 2020   
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNB S. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2280  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4  Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  1 
4.1 Visual Inspection  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 1 
4.2 Coating  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
4.3 Fragrance  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  1 
4.4 Size of th e Sticks  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 1 
4.5 Burning Quality  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 2 
4.6 Burning Time  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
5 Packaging and Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  2 
5.1 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  2 
5.2 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  2 
6 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  2 
6.1 Scale of Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 2 
6.1.1  Lot ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
6.2 Number of Tests and Criteria for Conformity  ................................ ................................ .....................  3 
6.2.1  Visual and Dimensional Characteristics (4.1 and 4.4)  ................................ ................................ ....... 3 
6.2.2  Characteristics other than Visual and Dimensional.  ................................ ................................ .........  3 
Annex  A (normative)  Methods of test for uniformity of coating (paste ) and burning quality of 
Incense sticks  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  5 
A.1 Uniformity of coating  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
A.1.1  Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
Annex  B (normative)  Method for olfactory  assessment of fragrance (aroma of incense sticks)  .............  6 
B.1 General.  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  6 
B.2 Requirements.  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  6 
B.2.1  General Requirements.  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
B.2.2  Material Requirements.  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
B.3 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  7 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  8 
 
  DUS 2280  
iv © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the Worl d Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommen ding the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 5. DUS 2280  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
Incense burning is a tradition at festive occasions, we ddings and religious functions. The manufacture of 
incense sticks involves no typical or sophisticated chemicals and the raw materials consist of powdered 
odoriferous or otherwise roots barks, seeds, woods, leaves, flowers, etc, and resins, essential oils and 
aromatic chemicals. The paste made with the raw materials and water, gum and colour whenever required is 
applied to bamboo sticks on which additional perfumes may be added later.  
Keeping in view the significance of this product, the Committee formulate d a standard covering only physical 
characteristics like fragrance, visual inspection, length, size, burning time, etc, initially with a view to improve it 
substantially after developing performance tests in due course.  
  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2280  
 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  1 
 Incense sticks — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Working draft Uganda Standard specifies the requirements , methods of sampl ing and test for incense 
sticks . 
This standard does not cover other incense items like cone, logs, etc . 
2 Normative references   
There are no normative references in this document.  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 Sticks  
 
full length of the Incense stick inclusive of paste and bare portion  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in sta ndardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
4  Requirements  
4.1 Visual Inspection  
The sticks shall be strong enough to stand upright and shall not bend under their own weight  
4.2 Coating  
The application of the coating (paste) shall be reasonably uniform when tested as per procedure given in 
Annex A.,.  
4.3 Fragrance  
The sticks shall give out pleasant aroma continuously while burning for its full length of the coated portion 
when tested as per procedure given in Annex B.  
4.4 Size of the Sticks  
Unless specified by the purchaser, the bare portion of the sticks shall not be more than 20 percent of the 
declared length.   
2 © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 4.5 Burning Quality  
4.5.1 The incense sticks shall burn continuously and shall n ot extinguish even once before burning of the 
coated portion  
4.5.2  The smoke/fumes produced as a result of burning the incense sticks shall not be irritating to the 
nostrils/eyes  
4.5.3  While burning the incense sticks, no sparks shall be produced nor shall  any part of the glowing tip 
along with the unburnt coating shall fall off so as to constitute a fire hazard of any kind.  
4.6 Burning Time  
This shall meet requirements as per manufacturer ’s declaration . 
5 Packaging and Labelling  
5.1 Packaging  
The sticks s hall be packaged in a way that their integrity is not compromised during storage and 
transportation. . 
5.2 Labelling  
Each packet shall be labelled with the following:  
a) Name and address of the  manufacture r 
b) Storage conditions  
c) List of ingredients  
d) Scent type  
e) Production and Expiry dates ; 
f) Net mass in grams and/or number of sticks  
g) Burning time; and  
h) Batch number  
 
6 Sampling  
6.1 Scale of Sampling  
6.1.1  Lot 
In a single consignment, all cartons of incense sticks, belonging to the same batch of manufacture shall be 
grouped together and each group shall constitute a lot.  DUS  2280  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 6.1.2  For ascertaining the conformity of the material to the requirements of the specification, samples shall 
be tested from each lot separately.  
6.1.3  The number of incense sticks, to be chosen from the  lot depends on the size of the lot and shall be in 
accordance with col 1, 2 and 3 of Table 1 . 
6.1.4  From each selected carton approximately equal number of incense sticks, shall be taken from each 
packet so as to constitute the required sample size given in col 3 of Table 1 . 
6.1.5  The required number of packets from each selected carton and the required number of sticks from 
each selected packet shall be chosen at random.  
6.2 Number of Tests and Criteria  for Conformity  
6.2.1  Visual and Dimensional Characte ristics ( 4.1 and 4.4) 
Each stick selected according to 6.1.3 shall be examined for visual and dimensional requirements.  
A stick failing to satisfy any of these requirements shall be considered as defective.  
6.2.1.1  The lot shall be deemed to have satisfied  these requirements if the number of defective sticks 
found in the sample is less than or equal to the corresponding permissible number of defectives given in co1 4 
of Table 1. The lot, having been found satisfactory for these requirements, shall be furthe r examined under 
6.2.2 . 
6.2.2  Characteristics other than Visual and Dimensional.  
For fragrance, coating and burning quality, number of tests given in col 5 of Table 1 shall be carried out. For 
this purpose, required number of incense sticks shall be taken from those already examined according to 
6.2.1  and found satisfactory.  
6.2.2.1  The lot shall be declared to have met these requirements if there is no failure under 6.2.2 . 
6.2.3  The lot shall be considered as conforming to the requirement of the specificat ion if 6.2.1  and 6.2.2  are 
satisfied.  
Table 1 : Scale of Sampling and P ermissible Number of Defectives ( Clause 6.1.3)  
No. of Cartons  
*in the Lot  
 
(1) No. of Cartons  
to be Chosen  
 
(2)    For Visual and Dimensional Requirements  No. of Tests for Each of 
the Characteristics Other 
Than Visual and 
Dimensional  
 
(5) No. of Sticks to be 
Taken  
 
(3) Permissible No. of 
Defectives  
 
(4) 
up to 100  2 20 2 1 
101 to 300  3 32 3 1 
301 to 1000  5 50 5 1 
1001 to 3 000  7 80 7 2 
3001 to 5 000  I0 125 10 2 
5001 and 
above  15 200 14 3 
Note:      *Carton consists of 12 packets, rolls, etc.  
  
4 © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
  
  
  DUS  2280  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Methods of test for uniformity of coating (paste) and burning quality of  
Incense sticks  
A.1 Uniformity of coating  
A.1.1  Procedure  
Take two sticks from the sample  and cut each into three equal parts of the coated portion. Scrap out the paste 
from each portion, collect it separately and weigh. The average mass of the coating of the three portions of the 
same stick shall not vary by more than +_10 percent  
  
6 © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Method for olfactory assessment of fragrance (aroma of incense sticks)  
B.1 General . 
The method is based on olfactory assessment of a given material by a panel of three persons.  
B.2 Requirements . 
B.2.1 General Requirements . 
B.2.1.1  Selection and Training . 
Better results are obtained if individuals with a keen sense of smell are selected for making the olfactory 
assessment  paragraph.  
B.2.1.2  Fatigue . 
Continuous smelling causes olfactory fatigue, decreases critical odour perception. To avoid this, t he number 
of samples assessed during a session should be limited as far as is practical. Further, during smelling the 
body shall be relaxed. Resting for an interval between smelling different samples is also advantageous. If the 
number of samples to be tes ted is fairly large, it is advisable to examine last those samples which are known 
to be fatiguing  
B.2.1.3  Time Olfactory Assessment . 
The evidence relating to the most favourable time for conducting olfactory assessment is some what 
conflicting. However, t he morning appears to be generally favoured.  
B.2.1.4  Freedom from Contaminating Odour . 
It is necessary to ensure that the hands, the nose are free from contaminating odour as these are likely to 
vitiate the result. It is recommended that the individual res ponsible for assessing odour washes his/her hands 
several times during smelling session.  
B.2.2  Material Requirements . 
B.2.2.1  Stand . 
A cruciform patterned 3 -clip stand, approximately 21 cm high, or any other suitable device to hold the incense 
sticks, shal l be used (see Fig. 1).  
B.2.2.2  Environment.  
A well -ventilated room, as free as possible from all outside disturbances. Ideally, the temperature and humidity 
suited are about 20°C and 80 percent RH, respectively. The colouring of the room shall be sober a nd the 
furnishings restricted. The general environment shall have a restful rather than a distracting effect.  DUS  2280  
© UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  7 
 B.3 Procedure  
The three sticks from the sample and cut each into three equal parts of the coated portion. Take one part, 
burn and place in the st and. Keep the stand at such a distance from the nose that there is incipient yet distinct 
perception of odour. While smelling, concentrate wholly on the sensations received and make mental 
observations.  
The stick shall give out pleasant aroma while burnin g for its full length. Test each part separately and 
independently to assess the aroma. The lower part of each stick shall be tested first then middle and then 
upper.  
It is important to note that, although the room shall be well ventilated, the sticks kept  under examination 
should not be exposed to a direct drought.  
All the three persons of the panel should agree to uniformity and pleasing aroma of the incense stick sample.  
 
   
8 © UNBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] IS 13582 T:1992 . 
 . DUS  2280  
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  9 
 Certification marking  
Products that confor m to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can b e used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance t hat the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS  for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 2280    
 
ICS 71.100.60  
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© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved   
  