Overview
EN ISO 5223:2015 - Test sieves for cereals (ISO 5223:1995, incl. Am.1:1999) specifies requirements for laboratory test sieves used to determine foreign matter in cereal samples. Adopted by CEN, this standard defines the construction, dimensions, materials, marking and verification methods for the types of sieves most commonly used in cereal analysis. It explicitly does not apply to sieves used for insect-infestation testing.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and purpose: Laboratory determination of undesirable substances in cereals using test sieves (commercial/contract/official practice).
- Nominal sieve types:
- Long rounded apertures: typical sizes include 1.00, 1.70, 1.80, 1.90, 2.00, 2.20, 2.50, 2.80 and 3.55 mm (aperture × 20.0 mm length format in the standard).
- Round apertures: diameter 4.50 mm (commonly used for separating broken maize kernels).
- Materials and construction:
- All parts shall be metal; sieving medium made of stainless steel, plated mild steel or other suitable material, attached to the frame (welded or equivalent secure method).
- Frames are round with a nominal internal diameter of 200 mm ±1.0 mm. Frame depth (distance between sieving media) shall be 25–55 mm; 25–35 mm depth commonly used for manual on-site sieving.
- A lid and receiver of the same metal/gauge are required; a flange prevents grain lodging between medium and frame.
- Aperture arrangement & dimensions:
- Long rounded apertures arranged in lines (linear or staggered as specified); round apertures in staggered rows.
- For 4.50 mm apertures: aperture tolerance ±0.14 mm, nominal pitch 6.3 mm (max 7.2 mm, min 5.3 mm).
- Identification & marking:
- Sieve label must indicate the standard reference, size/ID, nominal aperture size and manufacturer/supplier.
- Verification and testing:
- Aperture sizes checked along two straight lines ≥10 cm, including at least five apertures each; angle between lines: 90° for long rounded, 60° for round.
- Apertures inspected with a cross-section projector (min. ×50 magnification); plate thickness and pitch measured per the standard. Any single aperture outside tolerances leads to rejection.
Applications and users
- Who uses EN ISO 5223: cereal testing laboratories, grain trade quality control, food industry QA/QC teams, cereal equipment manufacturers, and testing/inspection bodies.
- Practical uses: laboratory separation of shriveled kernels, broken grains, calibration sieves for malting barley, routine foreign-matter determination in cereals and contract/commercial grain inspections.
Related standards
- ISO 2395 - Test sieves and test sieving: Vocabulary
- ISO 3310-2 - Test sieves: Technical requirements and testing (perforated metal plate)
- ISO 683-13 referenced for stainless steel details
Keywords: EN ISO 5223:2015, test sieves for cereals, laboratory sieving, aperture sizes, sieve construction, cereal quality control, ISO 3310-2, ISO 2395.
