Fill level tolerances

[Thunderhead Rd.]

Hi All,

Can't seem to find the allowed tolerance for fill level, +/-. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Cheers

[will]

from one of the TTB guys who was at the ADI Conference:

over relatively long periods of time, about the same number of overfills as underfills.

there's no hard specification. the ttb relies on the industry to do a good job.

before, during, and after bottling, if you take a sample of bottles, weigh them (and mark them with the weight), then fill them and weigh them again, you can easily convert weight back to volume. the net wt. of a 750ml bottle of a non-sugar containing product at 80 proof is 712 grams. weigh each after filling, compute the net weights, then the average weight, and adjust the equipment up/down to maintain 750ml average. keep records of these QC fill-checks, and you'll do fine.

we have had so-called high quality bottles that have filled to very different levels when at 750ml (712g net) - so their internal volume was slightly different. we found a better source, but had to live with some funny looking fills for a while.

good luck,

will

[Gary Spedding]

The TTB website or Seminars posted by TTB should help here. I know what it is for beer bottles but I would always look up the TTB regs. It is out there. If you cannot find it I'll try and get an answer soon.

from one of the TTB guys who was at the ADI Conference:

over relatively long periods of time, about the same number of overfills as underfills.

there's no hard specification. the ttb relies on the industry to do a good job.

before, during, and after bottling, if you take a sample of bottles, weigh them (and mark them with the weight), then fill them and weigh them again, you can easily convert weight back to volume. the net wt. of a 750ml bottle of a non-sugar containing product at 80 proof is 712 grams. weigh each after filling, compute the net weights, then the average weight, and adjust the equipment up/down to maintain 750ml average. keep records of these QC fill-checks, and you'll do fine.

we have had so-called high quality bottles that have filled to very different levels when at 750ml (712g net) - so their internal volume was slightly different. we found a better source, but had to live with some funny looking fills for a while.

good luck,

will

[Thunderhead Rd.]

The TTB website or Seminars posted by TTB should help here. I know what it is for beer bottles but I would always look up the TTB regs. It is out there. If you cannot find it I'll try and get an answer soon.

Can't seem to find it in TTB regs, nothing concrete.

[Artesian Distillers]

I clearly remember reading +/- .2 % of volume. Now i cant find it for you.. if u have a gravity filler like we do, you're hoping its shutting vacuum at right level and all nozzles are producing same repeatabilty against itself and also gauged against your other 8 or 12 heads. Its a tricky balance and as long as you do you part to maintain record of QC, you should be fine even with minute deviations along the way.

good luck

[will]

it's actually in 27 CFR 19.356 - variations of fill.

for packages of 750ml, it's +-2% - not 0.2% - and that's +- 15ml. that's easy. as fat as a Cadillac.

what they will focus on in an audit is whether you have records indicating that you test, and what the results are, and what corrections you made. again, it clearly says that you should have about the same number of overfills as underfills.

will

[Jedd Haas]

Since Will provided the number for easy reference, here is the full text for further detail:

§ 19.356 Alcohol content and fill.

(a) General. At representative

intervals during bottling operations, a

proprietor must examine and test

bottled spirits to determine whether the

alcohol content and quantity (fill) of

those spirits agree with what is stated

on the label or the bottle. A proprietor’s

test procedures must be adequate to

ensure accuracy of labels on the bottled

product. Proprietors must record the

results of all tests of alcohol content and

quantity (fill) in the record required by

§ 19.600.

( Variations in fill. Quantity (fill)

must be kept as close to 100 percent fill

as the equipment and bottles in use will

permit. There must be approximately

the same number of overfills and

underfills for each lot bottled. In no case

will the quantity contained in a bottle

vary from the quantity stated on the

label or bottle by more than plus or

minus:

(1) 1.5 percent for bottles 1.0 liter and

above;

(2) 2.0 percent for bottles 999 mL

through 376 mL;

(3) 3.0 percent for bottles 375 mL

through 101 mL; or

(4) 4.5 percent for bottles 100 mL and

below.

© Variations in alcohol content.

Variations in alcohol content, subject to

a normal drop that may occur during

bottling, must not exceed:

(1) 0.25 percent alcohol by volume for

products containing solids in excess of

600 mg per 100 ml;

(2) 0.25 percent alcohol by volume for

all spirits products bottled in 50 or 100

ml size bottles; or

(3) 0.15 percent alcohol by volume for

all other spirits and bottle sizes.

(d)

Example. Under paragraph © of this

section, a product with a solids content of

less than 600 mg per 100 ml, labeled as

containing 40 percent alcohol by volume and

bottled in a 750 ml bottle, would be

acceptable if the test for alcohol content

found that it contained 39.85 percent alcohol

by volume.

(26 U.S.C. 5201, 5301)