FprEN 17760

• Abstract:

  This document specifies a method for the determination of the mass fractions of ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content that passes certain mesh sieves (0,5 mm and 1,0 mm).; This document is not applicable to fertilizing products blends, other than ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content.

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 03-Feb-2027
• ICS: 65.080 - Fertilizers
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 260 - Fertilizers and liming materials
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 260/WG 7 - Chemical analysis
• Current Stage: 5020 - Submission to Vote - Formal Approval
• Start Date: 15-Oct-2026
• Due Date: 09-Nov-2027
• Completion Date: 15-Oct-2026
• Directive: 2019/1009 - Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products and amending Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EC) No 1107/2009 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 (Text with EEA relevance)
• Mandate: M/564 - Fertilising products in support of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009
• Mandate: M/564 Amd 1 - amending Implementing Decision C(2020) 612 as regards certain harmonised standards and standardisation deliverables, deadlines for their adoption and the duration of the validity of the standardisation request
• Mandate: M/564 Amd 2 - Commission Implementing decision amending Implementing Decision C(2020)612 as regards harmonised standards, the deadlines for the adoption of those standards and the duration of the validity of the standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardisation as regards the EU fertilising products in support of Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 17760:2026 - Inorganic fertilizers - Determination of particle size of ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content

• Revises: CEN/TS 17760:2022 - Inorganic fertilizers - Determination of particle size of ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content
• Effective Date: 01-May-2024

FprEN 17760 is a CEN draft European Standard for inorganic fertilizers. It specifies a sieve method for determining the particle size of ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content by measuring the mass fractions that pass 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm sieves. The method is intended for laboratories testing this product type and is not for other fertilizing product blends.

What does FprEN 17760 specify?

FprEN 17760 specifies a laboratory method for checking how much of an ammonium nitrate fertilizer of high nitrogen content is fine enough to pass selected sieves. In practice, it tells you how to prepare the sample, sieve it, calculate the results, and report them.

The document is organized into:

• Clause 1 Scope
• Clause 2 Normative references
• Clause 3 Terms and definitions
• Clause 4 Principle
• Clause 5 Apparatus and equipment
• Clause 6 Sampling and sample preparation
• Clause 7 Procedure
• Clause 8 Evaluation of the results
• Clause 9 Expression of the results
• Clause 10 Precision
• Clause 11 Test report
• Bibliography

What are the key requirements of FprEN 17760?

Sampling and sample preparation

FprEN 17760 separates sampling from the test method itself. The laboratory sample must be representative of the product and analysis, and sample preparation is carried out according to EN 1482-2.

This matters because particle size results are only meaningful if the sample still reflects the product as received. If the sample was damaged, changed in storage, or prepared inconsistently, the sieve result can misstate the actual fines content.

Sieve set-up and apparatus

FprEN 17760 uses a nest of three woven-wire test sieves with apertures of 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm, plus a lid and receiver. A balance readable to 0.1 g is required, and a mechanical sieve shaker may be used if it can create both vertical and horizontal motion.

This means the method is controlled around a small, fixed sieve set rather than a wide sieve series. The equipment choice affects repeatability, so the sieves and weighing resolution matter directly to the reported percentages.

Sieving procedure

FprEN 17760 requires about 100 g of sample per test portion. The portion is placed on the top sieve, sieved by hand or machine for 10 minutes or until the amount passing in one minute is less than 0.1 g, and then the retained material is collected and weighed.

In practice, the operator must keep the action consistent and avoid losing material between sieves. The 10-minute limit and the end-point for passing material help ensure that the test stops when further sieving no longer changes the result materially.

Result calculation and repeat checks

FprEN 17760 reports the fraction in the receiver as A, the fraction retained on the 0.5 mm sieve as B, and the amount passing 1.0 mm as A + B. The fractions are calculated from the masses of the recovered sieve fractions, and the total of the fractions must stay within 2% of the initial mass taken.

The method also requires at least two separate analyses. The individual A results must not differ by more than 1.0 percentage point and the individual B results by more than 1.5 percentage points; otherwise the test is repeated.

Reporting and precision

FprEN 17760 requires the report to give the mean of the two A values and the mean of the two A + B values. It also requires identification of the sample, the method used, sampling details if known, the finish date of the analysis, and any non-standard operating details or incidents.

The precision clause states that no inter-laboratory precision study was possible, so no precision data are available. For users, that means the method gives a procedure and reporting framework, but not a published precision statement to use for uncertainty screening.

What terms does FprEN 17760 define?

FprEN 17760 uses the shared fertilizer vocabulary from EN 12944-1 and EN 12944-2. In practice, this keeps the wording of sampling, preparation, and reporting consistent across related fertilizer methods.

• Sampling - the act of taking material for analysis so that it represents the product under test.
• Sample preparation - the treatment of the sample before testing, carried out here according to EN 1482-2.
• Test portion - the about 100 g portion actually placed on the sieve nest.
• Receiver - the container below the finest sieve that collects material passing 0.5 mm.
• Mass fraction - the percentage of material in a defined fraction, used here for A, B, and A + B.

Who uses FprEN 17760?

FprEN 17760 is used by testing laboratories that measure fertilizer particle size. It is also relevant to fertilizer manufacturers, quality managers, and buyers who need to check whether ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content meet an agreed fines profile.

It can also support technical inspections and product documentation where sieve-based particle size results are needed for release, incoming control, or dispute checking.

What changed in FprEN 17760 from the previous edition?

FprEN 17760 replaces CEN/TS 17760:2022. The foreword states that the main technical changes are adoption as a European Standard, clarification of the scope so that only a limited number of sieves is used, updates to Clause 7 on sampling and sample preparation, and updates to the normative references and bibliography.

Which standards are used with FprEN 17760?

Standard	Role in FprEN 17760
EN 1482-2	Gives general sample preparation provisions used before the sieve test.
EN 12944-1	Supplies general fertilizer vocabulary used for terms and definitions.
EN 12944-2	Supplies fertilizer-specific vocabulary used for terms and definitions.
EN 1482-1	Listed in the bibliography as the recommended general sampling method.

What does the FprEN 17760 document contain?

FprEN 17760 contains a sieve-based test method, not a product specification. It covers the principle of sieving, the required apparatus, sample handling, the step-by-step procedure, and the calculation and reporting of the fractions that pass 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

It also includes a repeat-check rule for duplicate analyses, a note on precision, and a test report section that lists the minimum information to record. For a user, this makes the document suitable for routine laboratory control, product verification, and consistent reporting.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-februar-2026
Anorganska gnojila - Določanje velikosti delcev gnojil iz amonijevega nitrata z
veliko vsebnostjo dušika
Inorganic fertilizers - Determination of particle size of ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high
nitrogen content
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 17760
ICS:
65.080 Gnojila Fertilizers
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 17760
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
February 2026
ICS 65.080 Will supersede CEN/TS 17760:2022
English Version
Inorganic fertilizers - Determination of particle size of
ammonium nitrate fertilizers of high nitrogen content

This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 260.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 17760:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

prEN 17760:2026 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 4
4 Principle . 4
5 Apparatus and equipment . 4
6 Sampling and sample preparation . 5
6.1 Sampling . 5
6.2 Sample preparation . 5
7 Procedure . 5
8 Evaluation of the results . 5
9 Expression of the results . 5
10 Precision . 6
11 Test report . 6
Bibliography . 7

prEN 17760:2026 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 17760:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 260 “Fertilizers
and liming materials”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede CEN/TS 17760:2022.
prEN 17760:2026 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to
CEN/TS 17760:2022:
— The CEN Technical Specification has been adopted as a European Standard.
— The scope (Clause 1) has been changed in order to clarify that only a limited number of sieves has to
be used.
— Clause 7 has been updated regarding sampling and sample preparation.
— Normative references (Clause 2) updated.
— Bibliography updated.
This document has been prepared under a standardization reques
...