Utility Poles and EAS 322: Specs Explained
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
EAS 322:2002 is the East African standard for wood poles on power and telecommunication lines. It lists Eucalyptus saligna and grandis, requires poles seasoned to at most 28 percent average moisture (30 percent for any one pole), then pressure treated with creosote at no less than 115 kg per cubic metre or CCA at no less than 14 kg. Power distribution classes run from 9 to 14 metres.
- Standard
- EAS 322:2002, Wood poles and blocks for power and telecommunication lines
- Moisture before treatment
- Batch average 28% or less; no pole above 30%
- Preservative retention
- Creosote at least 115 kg/m3, or CCA at least 14 kg/m3
- Taper limit
- 10 mm per metre of length
- Power distribution lengths
- 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 m (not every class in every length)
What is EAS 322 and who uses it?
EAS 322:2002 is an East African Standard published by the East African Community. Its title is "Wood poles and blocks for power and telecommunication lines - Specification". The scope clause says it covers materials and performance requirements for solid wood poles, treated as simple cantilevers carrying sideways loads only. Buyers and treatment plants may cite it when deciding which poles to accept, so ask which standard and edition a given buyer applies. A woodlot owner who wants to sell poles to that market is, in effect, growing to this specification, so it is worth reading before a tree is planted or cut. We did not find a separate Uganda national standard in our review, and the version we opened is the 2002 text.
The standard is about poles, not trees. It tells you what a plant will accept after seasoning and treatment. See Who Buys Eucalyptus Poles in Uganda? for the buyers.
Which species does EAS 322 list?
Clause 5.1 lists the species poles may be made from and sets a minimum fibre strength of 39 MPa. The list is: Redwood or Scots pine, Corsican pine, Douglas fir, Dunkeld larch, European larch, European spruce, Lodgepole pine, Sitka spruce, East African pencil cedar (Juniperus procera) and eucalyptus, given as Eucalyptus saligna or Eucalyptus grandis.
Two points matter to a Ugandan grower. First, the eucalyptus entry names only saligna and grandis. Other eucalypts and hybrid clones are not named, so a plant may ask for proof of the species or clone. Second, the pine species named are temperate ones. Pinus caribaea, oocarpa and patula, pines widely grown in Ugandan plantations, are not on the list. A pine pole is therefore not automatically within the standard. Clause 4 says bark is to be removed as soon as practicable after felling, except for eucalyptus, which needs a longer seasoning time.
What moisture level must poles reach before treatment?
Clause 9 says preservation must not take place until the average moisture content of each batch is reduced to not more than 28 percent, and no individual pole in the batch may exceed 30 percent. Moisture is measured by the oven test method or another suitable method following annex B of EAS 323. Poles for preservation must also be protected against heavy and continuous rain.
In practice this means green poles must be stacked and air-dried before they are accepted for treatment. Clause 8 requires stacking in open formation on skids at least 250 mm off the ground, on well-drained ground free of bark, shavings, grass and weeds. A seller who delivers wet poles may be asked to wait, to accept a lower price, or to take them back. Agree who bears the seasoning time and cost before you sell.
How much preservative must a treated pole hold?
Clause 10 says eucalyptus, among other listed species, must be pressure impregnated with creosote under EAS 323 or with a copper-chromium-arsenic (CCA) mixture under EAS 324. The creosote must be coal tar creosote type 2, with an average net retention in a charge of not less than 115 kg per cubic metre. For CCA the solution strength must be at least 3 percent (mass per volume) and the average net retention in a charge not less than 14 kg per cubic metre.
These are plant obligations, not grower obligations, but they affect you. Sapwood matters: clause 7.5 says no sapwood may be removed from the butt to 1 m above proposed ground level, with a minimum sapwood thickness of 25 mm there and 20 mm on the rest of the pole. A 2022 Makerere undergraduate thesis on 231 treated poles that failed early in Uganda found an average service life of about 10 years, with fungal decay and termites the main causes. Treatment quality is a real risk for the buyer of a pole, and good plants will inspect what you deliver.
What lengths and classes do buyers ask for?
Table 1 of the standard gives preferred dimensions for poles on power distribution lines in three classes: light, medium and stout. Diameters are measured on debarked, seasoned poles, and the true class is set by the diameter 1.5 m from the butt, provided the top diameter is large enough. Length may be no more than 75 mm shorter or 150 mm longer than nominal.
| Class | Lengths in Table 1 | Minimum top diameter | Minimum diameter 1.5 m from butt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 m | 150 to 200 mm | 200 to 250 mm |
| Medium | 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 m | 170 to 210 mm | 230 to 280 mm |
| Stout | 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 m | 190 to 220 mm | 285 to 340 mm |
Table 2 covers aerial telecommunication poles, which are shorter: 6 to 11 m, with minimum diameters 1.5 m from the butt of 120 to 195 mm. The words "transmission pole" are also used in everyday trade for a large utility pole. The standard itself speaks of poles for power distribution and telecommunication lines, and we found no Act that defines "transmission pole", so treat the term as trade usage and ask the buyer which class and length it means.
What shape and defect limits apply?
- Taper: not more than 10 mm per metre of length, top to butt (clause 7.2).
- Sweep (bend): a pole may curve in one plane and one direction. The limit is 25 mm of deviation from a straight line for each 1.5 m of length, measured in at least 90 percent of an inspected lot; the standard's wording for the remaining 10 percent is not clear (clause 5.2.3 i).
- Knots: no knot wider than one fifth of the circumference at any cross section, and the sum of knot diameters not above one quarter of the circumference (clause 5.2.3 f).
- Spiral grain: not steeper than 1 in 6 (clause 5.2.3 j).
- Prohibited defects: cross-breaks, decay (with limited exceptions), hollow butts or tops, holes and nails or spikes (clause 5.2.1).
- Felling: trees are sawn off as close to the ground as possible, and nothing may be trimmed from the butt to reduce its size (clause 4).
- Marking: each pole is branded with the preserver or depot, length, class (L, M or S), species code (E for eucalyptus) and the last two digits of the treatment year (clause 11).
The practical lesson for a seller: straight, tall, evenly tapered trees with few branches are worth more than a thick crooked trunk of the same age. Use the eucalyptus pole yield calculator to see how many of your trees might reach each class, and check the count first with a sample plot.
How does this connect to selling trees on Land & Property?
A forest listing on Land & Property sells the trees only. The land is not included, and the harvesting deadline is negotiable with the seller. That deadline matters for pole stands, because poles need time to dry before treatment. When you are buying, ask what share of the stand could realistically meet a class, and who pays for seasoning and haulage. When you are selling, state species, age, spacing and any known clone. You can browse forest and tree listings as they appear, read Eucalyptus Trees for Sale in Uganda, start from Forest Trees for Sale in Uganda, or list your trees for sale, land not included. As of 3 November 2026 we hold no forest listings yet (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026).
This page explains a standard. It is not a purchase specification for a contract. A buyer's own tender document is what binds you, and a newer edition of the standard may exist; confirm with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards or the buyer.
Frequently asked questions
What is EAS 322?
EAS 322:2002 is the East African Standard for wood poles and blocks for power and telecommunication lines. It names accepted species, defect limits, dimensions, a seasoning limit of 28 percent moisture on average, and preservative retention. Buyers and treatment plants may use it to accept or reject poles.
What length poles do utilities buy?
The standard lists power distribution poles from 9 to 14 metres in light, medium and stout classes, and telecommunication poles from 6 to 11 metres. Which lengths a utility orders in a given year is set by its own tender, so ask the plant or the buyer.
Does EAS 322 allow pine poles?
It lists several temperate pines such as Scots, Corsican and Lodgepole pine, but not Pinus caribaea, oocarpa or patula, which are pines widely grown in Uganda. So Ugandan plantation pine is not automatically covered. For eucalyptus it names Eucalyptus saligna and Eucalyptus grandis.
How dry must a pole be before treatment?
The average moisture of the batch must be 28 percent or less, and no single pole may exceed 30 percent, before any preservative is applied. That is why poles are stacked and air-dried on skids at least 250 mm off the ground.
How much creosote or CCA must a pole hold?
The average net retention in a charge must be at least 115 kg of creosote per cubic metre, or at least 14 kg per cubic metre of copper-chromium-arsenic mixture of 3 percent solution strength. This is tested at the plant, not by the grower.
Sources
- EAS 322:2002 Wood poles and blocks for power and telecommunication lines - Specification, East African Community / law.resource.org (accessed 2026-11)
- Assessment of premature failure of treated wooden utility poles in service in Uganda, Makerere University dissertations repository (accessed 2026-11)