🍎 Density and alcoholic strength (ethanol content) of spirit drinks and bottled spirit — pycnometric, electronic, alcoholometric and areometric methods, with preparation of a distillate; PN-A-79529-4

Food chemistry PN-A-79529-4

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. The “Scope” field of the PKN card of PN-A-79529-4:2005 (Polish version), in full, in our translation: “The method of preparing a distillate of a spirit drink, methods for determining density (pycnometric, electronic, areometric, alcoholometric) and methods for determining alcoholic strength (pycnometric, electronic, alcoholometric and areometric) in spirit drinks (except creams) and in bottled spirit are given”. The standard is part 4 of the PN-A-79529 series “Spirit drinks and bottled spirit — Test methods”; other parts appear in accreditation scopes for other determinations (e.g. part 7 — methanol, part 13 — hydrogen cyanide, part 19 — dry residue) and are not the subject of this entry. We did not have the text of the standard.

ALCOHOLIC STRENGTH IN LEGISLATION. The Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 25 May 2006 on numerical reference data for mixtures of ethyl alcohol and water (Journal of Laws No 106, item 716; in force according to ISAP, read on 06.11.2026) implements Council Directive 76/766/EEC on alcohol tables. Alcoholic strength is expressed as a percentage, as the number of parts of alcohol in one hundred parts of the mixture, with the symbol “% vol” for the volume fraction and “% mas” for the mass fraction (§ 3); the volume fraction is the ratio of the volume of pure, anhydrous ethyl alcohol at 20 °C contained in the mixture to the total volume of the mixture at the same temperature (§ 2). To determine strength, the density, mass fraction or volume fraction is measured at the temperature of the mixture, together with that temperature, and the strength is read from alcoholometric tables; the measurements are made with an instrument of appropriate accuracy, in particular an alcoholometer or alcohol hydrometer, a pycnometer, an oscillation-type density meter or a hydrostatic balance (§ 4). The formula for the density of the mixture covers temperatures from −20 °C to +40 °C (§ 5), and the Basic Alcoholometric Tables are given in Annex 3. The regulation does not refer to any standard (the text of the eight paragraphs read in full; the annexes are formulae and tables).

STATUS (state of the PKN card on 06.11.2026). The card of PN-A-79529-4:2005 (Polish version) has no withdrawal note and no “Replaced by” field: published 04-04-2005, 19 pages, Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sector, KT 82 Spirit Products, ICS 67.160.10, “Replaces: PN-A-79529-4:1996 - Polish version”; the card has no “Adopts” field — it is a national standard.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database refreshed from the production server on 02.11.2026; query over all forms of the number 79529 with part 4 in the reference document fields). 10 records at 7 Polish laboratories: AB 079, AB 311, AB 411, AB 452, AB 562, AB 583 (three), AB 826 (two); the number does not appear in the scopes of Czech laboratories. All entries carry the year 2005: with point 6.2 (AB 079, AB 826), 7.2 (AB 826), 7.1 (AB 562), 7.1 and 7.3 in one item (AB 311), “p. 6.2, p.7.2, z wył. p.6.2.6, 7.2.4” (excluding points 6.2.6 and 7.2.4) together with procedure PU-6 V-1 of 28.06.2019 (AB 411), and without a point (AB 452, AB 583). In the current PCA documents we read (AB 079 issue 71 of 15.05.2026, AB 311 issue 27 of 11.06.2026, AB 411 issue 26 of 10.10.2025, AB 452 issue 25 of 30.10.2025, AB 562 issue 23 of 24.11.2025, AB 583 issue 22 of 29.01.2026) the standard appears 9 times in total — twice in one item at AB 311, three times at AB 583; we did not read the AB 826 document. The “Laboratories” tab (“PN-A-79529-4”) shows 7 laboratories — the same 7 Polish ones (tab query on labcoda.pl, 06.11.2026).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents, whole items). Density: spirit products (spirit, spirit drinks) — (0,8000–1,1000) g/cm³, oscillation method, p. 6.2 (AB 079); spirit drinks and bottled spirit — (0,7900–0,9850) g/cm³, oscillation method, p. 6.2 (AB 826); spirit drinks — (0,90–1,15) g/ml, oscillometric method (AB 583). Strength: spirit drinks and bottled spirit — ethyl alcohol concentration (10,0–96,5) % (v/v), oscillation method, p. 7.2 (AB 826); spirit drinks — (0,5–70) % vol, oscillometric method (AB 452, AB 583); alcoholic beverages — (10,0–97,0) % vol, pycnometric method, point 7.1 (AB 562), and alcoholometric and pycnometric method, points 7.3 and 7.1 (AB 311; the methodology reads “Moc (10,0-100) %obj.”, the parameter gives the range (10,0–97,0) % vol). Density and strength together: water-ethanol solutions — density (0,99804–0,78935) g/cm³ and strength (0,10–99,99) % vol, densimetric (oscillation) method, p. 6.2 and 7.2 without p. 6.2.6 and 7.2.4 (AB 411); spirit products of specified kinds — density and strength of aqueous solutions of ethyl alcohol, range (20–80) %, pycnometric method (AB 583).

POINTS OF THE STANDARD IN THE SCOPES. The pattern of entries shows: p. 6.2 stands with density by the oscillation method (AB 079, AB 411, AB 826), p. 7.1 — with strength by the pycnometric method (AB 311, AB 562), p. 7.2 — with strength by the oscillation method (AB 411, AB 826), p. 7.3 — with the alcoholometric method (AB 311). The PKN card lists the density methods in the order: pycnometric, electronic, areometric, alcoholometric, and the strength methods: pycnometric, electronic, alcoholometric, areometric — the scope entries are consistent with this order, but the numbering of points cannot be read from the card. No item names the areometric method. What points 6.2.6 and 7.2.4, excluded by AB 411, concern — we do not know.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — the object: according to the card, the standard covers spirit drinks except creams and bottled spirit; the scopes also list “alcoholic beverages” (AB 311, AB 562) and “water-ethanol solutions” (AB 411) — whether the standard covers such samples does not follow from the PKN card. Second — the distillate: the card gives a method for preparing a distillate of the drink, and the alcoholometric tables concern mixtures of ethyl alcohol and water (title and § 1 of the 2006 regulation); a strength read from the tables from the density of a drink that contains other components besides alcohol and water is not the strength of that drink. When the standard requires distillation — WE DO NOT STATE. Third — temperature and units: strength in “% vol” refers to the volume at 20 °C, and the tables link density, temperature and strength (2006 regulation, § 2–4); a result without the measuring temperature, or in “% mas” reported as “% vol”, is only seemingly correct. Fourth — density or strength: AB 079 has only density under this standard in its scope, not strength — an accredited density does not imply an accredited strength. Fifth — unit of the range: AB 583 gives density in g/ml, the others in g/cm³; the range “(20–80) %” at AB 583 does not say whether % vol or % mas is meant.

WHAT WE DO NOT STATE. We did not have the text of the standard (19 pages) — PKN makes it available for a fee. We do not state the course of distillation, the measuring temperature according to the standard, requirements for the pycnometer, density meter and alcoholometer, the method of temperature correction, conversion tables from the standard (if it contains any), precision, or the numbering of points other than those in the scopes. We did not check whether the standard is referred to in legislation on spirit drinks or excise duty.

Method principle

According to the PKN card, the standard gives the preparation of a distillate of a spirit drink and methods for determining density and strength: pycnometric, electronic, alcoholometric and areometric; in accreditation scopes the laboratories record the oscillation method (oscillation-type density meter), the pycnometric and the alcoholometric method. Alcoholic strength is determined according to the regulation of 25 May 2006 (Journal of Laws No 106, item 716, § 4): the density (or the mass or volume fraction) and the temperature of the mixture are measured, and the strength is read from alcoholometric tables; strength in % vol refers to the volume of alcohol at 20 °C. Details of performance according to the standard — WE DO NOT STATE; we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Spirit drinks (except creams) and bottled spirit — density and strength (PKN card)
• In accreditation scopes: density by the oscillation method — AB 079, AB 411, AB 583, AB 826 (three of them give p. 6.2)
• In accreditation scopes: strength by the oscillation (p. 7.2), pycnometric (p. 7.1) and alcoholometric (p. 7.3) method — AB 311, AB 411, AB 452, AB 562, AB 583, AB 826
• In accreditation scopes also alcoholic beverages (AB 311, AB 562) and water-ethanol solutions (AB 411)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-A-79529-4:2005

Title (PL)

Napoje spirytusowe i spirytus butelkowany — Metody badań — Część 4: Oznaczanie gęstości i mocy

Title (EN)

Spirit drinks and bottled spirit — Test methods — Part 4: Determination of density and alcoholic strength

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sample and distillate

   Establish whether the sample is a spirit drink, bottled spirit or a cream (creams are outside the scope of the standard according to the PKN card); preparation of the distillate according to the standard — course NOT STATED.

2. Density measurement

   By the pycnometric, electronic, areometric or alcoholometric method (PKN card); in accreditation scopes most often by the oscillation method (p. 6.2). The temperature is measured together with the density.

3. Determination of strength

   Strength is read from alcoholometric tables on the basis of density and temperature (Journal of Laws 2006 No 106, item 716, § 4); in the scopes: p. 7.1 (pycnometer), 7.2 (oscillation), 7.3 (alcoholometer).

4. Result

   Strength in % vol (volume at 20 °C) or % mas — with the unit symbol (§ 3 of the regulation); density with the reference temperature. PN-A-79529-4:2005 — without a withdrawal note (state of the PKN card on 06.11.2026).

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• Distillation of liquids containing ethanol — flammable vapours; distil under a fume hood, away from ignition sources
• SUBSTANTIVE NOTE: strength in % vol and in % mas are different quantities — the unit symbol is part of the result

Frequently asked questions