IS 1459 : 2026

Kerosene — Specification (Fifth Revision)

This Indian Standard specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and testing for kerosene intended for use as an illuminant and as a fuel. Earlier revisions phased out the 1K grade, reduced the colour and sulphur limits, introduced a blue dye requirement for kerosene distributed through the Public Distribution System, and added a low-sulphur Grade A. In this revision, Grade B (high-sulphur) kerosene has been removed, as its production was discontinued in 2020 as per Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas guidelines, and an aromatics-content limit has been introduced as an alternate parameter to the burning-quality test.

The material must consist of refined petroleum distillates, free from visible water, sediment and suspended matter, with a suitable blue dye (4–6 ppm of alkyl amino-anthraquinone type) added where dyed kerosene is required. Table 1 prescribes limits for appearance, inorganic acidity (nil), burning quality or aromatics content (max 30 percent), colour, copper strip corrosion, density, distillation characteristics, flash point (min 35°C), smoke point (min 18 mm, 22 mm for defence and railway signal lamps), and total sulphur content (max 0.10 percent), along with the applicable IS/ISO/ASTM test methods.

This also covers packing in tinplate containers, marking requirements, BIS certification marking, sampling procedures, and an annexed UV-visible spectroscopy method for measuring dye concentration.

Last Updated on August 17, 2026