ISO 15592-1:2001

Overview

ISO 15592-1:2001, "Fine-cut tobacco and smoking articles made from it - Methods of sampling, conditioning and analysis - Part 1: Sampling," defines standardized methods for sampling populations of fine-cut tobacco (FCT) intended for manufacture and sale. Part 1 focuses exclusively on sampling strategies and terminology to ensure representative collection of material for laboratory conditioning, analysis and preparation of fine-cut smoking articles.

Key topics and requirements

• Two primary sampling modes:
  • Sampling at one point in time (instantaneous; maximum 14 days) - for stock present at a factory, warehouse or retail outlets on a specific date.
  • Sampling over a period of time (continuous) - series of sub-period samples to represent production across time.
• Two practical procedures:
  • Sampling at manufacturer’s premises / importer’s / distributor’s warehouse
  • Sampling at the point of sale
• Core concepts and terms defined: increment, gross sample, laboratory sample, test sample, test portion, sub-period sample, strata, sale unit, bundle, etc.
• Guidance on sample constitution, identification, division into portions, labelling and preparation of laboratory smoking articles (smoking articles made from sampled FCT).
• Statistical treatment: methods for statistical evaluation, handling outliers and requirements for a sampling report.
• Normative annexes:
  • Annex A: sampling for mean values of total and nicotine‑free dry particulate matter (NFDPM).
  • Annex B: sampling for parameters of fine-cut tobacco.
  • Annex C: informative background on choosing sampling procedures.
• Reference to accuracy and precision methods: normative reference ISO 5725-2.

Practical applications and users

Who uses ISO 15592-1:

• Tobacco manufacturers and production quality teams - to design representative sampling programs for batches and production lines.
• Independent testing laboratories and quality-control laboratories - to prepare laboratory samples and smoking articles reliably.
• Regulatory agencies, customs and public health laboratories - for enforcement sampling and monitoring of product characteristics and smoke yields.
• Importers, distributors and retailers - to implement consistent sampling when assessing product conformity or complaints.

Practical value:

• Ensures representative, repeatable sampling of fine-cut tobacco for downstream analyses (including smoke constituent measurements such as NFDPM described in ISO 15592-3).
• Reduces bias introduced by improper mixing or sub-sampling of long-fiber tobacco by prescribing when and how to make and combine laboratory smoking articles.
• Provides standardized reporting and statistical evaluation to support compliance, comparison and auditing.

Related standards

• ISO 15592 series (Parts 2–6): conditioning, smoke analysis (Part 3), wrappers, classification, and filter effects.
• ISO 5725-2: accuracy (trueness and precision) - basic methods for repeatability and reproducibility.