kSIST FprEN 18183:2026

• Abstract:

  This document provides a method of describing the materials, impregnates and lubricants for various types of yarn and ribbon based packings intended for use as gland seals in mechanical equipment such as pumps, mixers, etc as a guide for packing manufacturers, pump OEM’s and end users. It does not include similar products intended for other duties such as thermal insulation.; Guidance is also given regarding dimensional and physical quality aspects of the packings and requirements for packaging and marking.; Tests are specified for the determination of lubricant content, size and mass.; NOTE 1 The information supplied by the purchaser at the time of enquiry and/or order is given in Annex B.; NOTE 2 All packings are free from introduced asbestos fibres in conformance with Annex XVII of REACH.

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 29-Jun-2025
• ICS: 21.140 - Seals, glands
• ICS: 23.080 - Pumps
• Technical Committee: I13 - Imaginarni 13
• Current Stage: 5020 - Formal vote (FV) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 09-Jul-2026
• Due Date: 27-Aug-2026
• Ref Project: FprEN 18183 - Pumps - Specification for Gland Packings manufactured from Yarns and Ribbons

Overview

kSIST FprEN 18183:2026: Pumps - Specification for Gland Packings manufactured from Yarns and Ribbons establishes clear criteria for describing and specifying gland packings based on yarn and ribbon materials. These packings serve as gland seals in mechanical equipment such as pumps and mixers. The standard, developed under the auspices of SIST and CEN/TC 197, aids packing manufacturers, pump OEMs, and end users in the selection, procurement, and evaluation of gland packings by providing consistent terminology, classification, testing, packaging, and marking requirements.

This standard is relevant for ensuring reliable sealing performance, supporting regulatory compliance-particularly around material safety-and facilitating clear communication along the supply chain. It specifically excludes packings used for thermal insulation or unrelated applications.

Key Topics

• Material Specification: Methods for identifying the types of yarns and ribbons (e.g. natural, synthetic, PTFE, carbonaceous), their composition, and minimum content by weight, including allowable reinforcements and lubricants.
• Packing Coding System: A structured code to describe each packing, which includes yarn group/type, impregnants, lubricants, reinforcements, and physical properties such as density.
• Physical and Dimensional Quality: Guidance on essential attributes such as construction integrity, regularity of cross-section, tolerances in sizing, and preferences for square cross-section unless specified otherwise.
• Testing Requirements: Methods for determining lubricant content, yarn strength and elongation, shrinkage, finished packing mass, density, and creep resistance.
• Packaging and Marking: Requirements for how gland packings are to be protected, packaged, and clearly labelled for identification, quality assurance, and traceability.
• Material Safety: Assurance that all packings are free from introduced asbestos fibres in compliance with REACH Annex XVII, and that PTFE-packings comply with limits for PFOA and PFOS.

Applications

Gland packings manufactured from yarns and ribbons specified by kSIST FprEN 18183:2026 are key to effective sealing arrangements in:

• Pumps: Centrifugal, reciprocating, and rotary pumps employing stuffing boxes for sealing against fluid leakage.
• Mixers and Agitators: Equipment requiring effective containment of process fluids at rotating shafts.
• General Industrial Machinery: Applications where sealing of fluids is critical for operational safety and equipment longevity.

By standardizing packing specifications and descriptors, the document facilitates compatibility among products, ensures performance requirements are met, and supports regulatory and safety standards. Industries such as chemical processing, water treatment, food and beverage, and general manufacturing benefit from improved equipment reliability and reduced maintenance downtime.

Related Standards

• ISO 18067: Method for shrinkage determination in synthetic filament yarns.
• EN ISO 527 and ASTM D2256: Determination of tensile properties of plastics and yarns.
• DIN 53830: Testing for linear density in textile yarns.
• ASTM C561, D4239, D4327, D5373: Relevant methods for analyzing graphite and sulfur content, anions, and carbon composition.
• EN ISO 4797, BS 2071: Specifications for laboratory apparatus used in the tests described.
• REACH Annex XVII: European regulatory framework for restricting hazardous substances (asbestos, PFOA/PFOS in this context).
• FSA/ESA Compression Packings Technical Manual: Provides terminology and additional technical background.

kSIST FprEN 18183:2026 serves as a critical reference for pump gland packing specification, ensuring interoperability, safety, and quality in sealing technology for mechanical equipment across industries.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
01-junij-2025
Črpalke - Specifikacija za tesnila iz preje in trakov
Pumps - Specification for Gland Packings manufactured from Yarns and Ribbons
Pumpen - Spezifikation für Stopfbuchspackungen gefertigt aus Garnen und Bändern
Pompes - Spécifications pour les garnitures de presse-étoupe fabriquées en fil et ruban
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 18183
ICS:
21.140 Tesnilke, mašilke Seals, glands
23.080 Črpalke Pumps
oSIST prEN 18183:2025 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

oSIST prEN 18183:2025
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 18183
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
April 2025
ICS 23.080
English Version
Pumps - Specification for Gland Packings manufactured
from Yarns and Ribbons
Pompes - Spécifications pour les garnitures de presse- Pumpen - Spezifikation für Stopfbuchspackungen
étoupe fabriquées en fil et ruban gefertigt aus Garnen und Bändern
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 197.
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
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 18183:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Packing types . 5
4.1 Description . 5
4.2 Coding system . 7
4.3 Coding system example . 8
4.4 Elastomeric cored packings . 8
5 Packing construction . 8
6 Shape and cross-section . 8
7 Size . 8
8 Physical quality. 9
9 Packaging . 9
10 Marking . 9
11 Quality of materials . 9
11.1 Yarns . 9
11.1.1 Tensile Strength and Elongation at Break . 9
11.1.2 Shrinkage . 10
11.2 Packings . 11
11.2.1 Creep Resistance . 11
11.2.2 PTFE Packings (Group 5) . 12
11.2.3 Expanded Graphite Packings (Group 6D) . 12
Annex A (normative) Methods of test . 13
Annex B (normative) Information to be supplied by the purchaser . 16
Bibliography . 17

oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 18183:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 197 “Pumps”,
the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
Introduction
This document was originally drafted by a joint Technical Task Force of the Packings Division of the
European Sealing Association (ESA) and the Compression Packing Division of the Fluid Sealing
Association and is approved by both organisations as a suitable reference for the packing types described.
Certain of the packings contain polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which, when heated to elevated
temperatures, can produce fumes which give unpleasant effects if inhaled. Care should be taken to avoid
contamination of tobacco products with PTFE.
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
1 Scope
This document provides a method of describing the materials, impregnates and lubricants for various
types of yarn and ribbon based packings intended for use as gland seals in mechanical equipment such
as pumps, mixers, etc. It does not include similar products intended for other duties such as thermal
insulation.
Guidance is also given regarding dimensional and physical quality aspects of the packings and
requirements for packaging and marking.
Tests are specified for the determination of lubricant content, size and mass.
NOTE 1 The information supplied by the purchaser at the time of enquiry and/or order is given in Annex B.
NOTE 2 All packings are free from introduced asbestos fibres in conformance with Annex XVII of REACH.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 18067, Textiles — Synthetic filament yarns — Determination of shrinkage in dry-hot air (after
treatment)
FSA/ESA, Publication ‘Compression Packings Technical Manual - 4th Edition
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in the Glossary of Terms in the
th
FSA/ESA Compression Packing Technical Manual 4 Edition, 2018, apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
4 Packing types
4.1 Description
Each packing shall be described by a unique series of codes which define the following attributes:
1. The generic yarn Group or Groups,
2. The specific yarns within the Group,
3. The minimum weight of each yarn as a percentage of the total weight of the packing,
4. The minimum total weight of yarns as a percentage of the total weight of the packing,
5. The type of impregnation (where used),
6. The amount of impregnant percentage by weight,
7. The type of lubricating oil or grease (where used),
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
8. The amount of lubricant percentage by weight,
9. The type of reinforcement (where used),
10. The allowable density range in g/cm ,
11. Whether the packing has an elastomeric core.
Table 1 indicates the packing types.
Table 1 — Packing types
Group Yarn
Yarn group Yarn Type
number code
A Ramie
B Cotton
1 Natural C Flax
D Hemp
E Micaceous
2 Glass A Glass
3 Ceramic A Ceramic
A Para aramid
B Meta aramid
C Acrylic
D Polyimide
4 Synthetic
E Novoloid
Polyphenylene Sulfide
F
(PPS)
Polybenzimidazole
G
(PBI)
A PTFE Filament
B ePTFE
5 PFTE C ePTFE/Graphite
D ePTFE/Graphite/Oil
E ePTFE/Talc/Oil
A Preox. PAN
B Carbon
6 Carbonaceous
C Graphite
D Expanded graphite
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
Table 2 indicates the impregnant and lubricant types.
Table 2 — Impregnant and Lubricant Types
Impregnant or Lubricant Code
None X
PTFE P
Mineral grease/oil L
Silicone grease/oil S
Graphite G
Mica M
Table 3 indicates the reinforcement types.
Table 3 — Reinforcement Types
Impregnant or Lubricant Code
None Y
Glass Gl
Cotton Co
Carbon Ca
PTFE filament P
Stainless steel SS
Ni/Cr NC
4.2 Coding system
Each packing description shall consist of a sequence of codes separated by semi-colons as follows:
1. Yarn group, yarn code as shown in Table 1, (e.g. 5A),
2. Minimum total yarn content by weight %.
Where more than one yarn is present the details for each yarn should be followed by its percentage
by weight of the total packing and the details for each yarn shall be separated by a point sign
(e.g. 5C50.4A40),
3. Impregnant type as indicated in Table 2 and minimum % by weight (e.g. P10),
4. Lubricant type as indicated in Table 2 and minimum % by weight when determined by the method
specified in A.1 (e.g. S15),
5. Reinforcement type as indicated in Table 3 (e.g. Gl),
6. Density range of finished packing when determined by the method specified in A.3
(e.g. 1.6/1.9 g/cm ).
Where the yarn and/or lubricant content of the packing varies depending on the cross-section size, the
values quoted should be for the size for which these values are lowest.
oSIST prEN 18183:2025
prEN 18183:2025 (E)
4.3 Coding system example
A packing coded ‘5C50.4A40;P10;X;Y;1.6/1.9’ describes a packing manufactured from a combination of
50 % ePTFE/graphite and 40 % Para –Aramid yarns (i.e. a minimum total yarn content of 90 %)
impregnated with a minimum of 10 % PTFE impregnation and no additional lubricant or reinforcement
-1
having a finished density between 1.6 and 1.9 g.cm .
4.4 Elastomeric cored packings
Packings of any of the types can also be manufactured with an elastomeric core of circular, square or
rectangular cross-section.
The cross-sectional area of such cores shall not exceed 50% of the packing cross-sectional area.
Where the packing contains an elastomeric core the packing code shall be as specified in 4.2 with the
addition of the letter E (e.g. 5C;70;P10;X;Y;1.6/1.9;E).
5 Packing construction
All packing types except those in expanded graphite and glass or ceramic shall be manufactured using
the minimum number of tracks indicated in Table 4.
Table 4 — Construction
Nominal cross-section Minimum Number of Tracks
[mm]
From 3.0 up to and inc. 6.4 2
Above 6.4 up to and inc. 12.7 3
Above 12.7 4
6 Shape and cross-section
The packing shall be provided in length form unless requested as dye-formed or cut rings.
The packing shall have a nominal square cross-section unless otherwise specified.
7 Size
The cross-section size of the packing when determined in accordance with the procedure
...