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Tested before it leaves the works
A spear is a safety-relevant component on a pressure vessel. What we hold in the way of testing and documentation – and why the thread coating already does without PFAS today.
Quality
Tested before it leaves the works
Every spear goes through a leak test. Production is certified to ISO 9001, the materials used are approved for food contact and meet FDA and CE requirements.
- Stainless steel 1.4301Food-safe, corrosion-resistant, usable in circulation for decades.
- Certificates as PDF on requestWith validity date, for your supplier file.
- Cleaning-resistantDesigned for the usual caustic, acid and steam cycles of keg cleaning.
- Thread coating without PFASChanged over voluntarily and well ahead of regulation – PTFE-based sliding coatings are still widespread in the industry.
The thread coating contains no PFAS
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The press calls them forever chemicals, because in the environment they are practically not broken down. The group of substances is large: under the definition agreed by the OECD in 2021, several thousand substances fall under it – and that includes the fluoropolymers, and so PTFE as well, known in everyday life as Teflon.
That is exactly the point that is rarely discussed where spears are concerned. Threads on stainless steel components are often coated so that they do not gall on screwing in and can be undone again later. A common means of doing that is PTFE-based sliding coatings. That is industry practice and went unremarked for decades.
At Aobaosi the thread coating is PFAS-free. Not because a regulation demands it – for this component there is none so far – but voluntarily and well ahead of regulation. We are breaking new ground for a sustainable future: a component that stays in circulation for twenty years should not depend on a decision that has yet to be taken.
What applies, and what is still to be decided
| Procedure | Status |
|---|---|
| Restriction proposal for the entire substance group, submitted by Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden | in procedure since January 2023 |
| ECHA puts forward three options: a full ban with 18 months’ transition, sectoral exemptions over 5 to 13.5 years, or a controlled authorisation system | August 2025, under examination by the RAC and SEAC committees |
| Decision by the European Commission | expected end of 2026 to early 2027 |
| Fluoropolymers such as PTFE | within the scope; extensive exemptions are under discussion |
| PFOA and PFOS as individual substances | long since banned under the POPs Regulation |
| PFHxA, Regulation (EU) 2024/2462, REACH Annex XVII entry 79 | in force, deadlines from 10 April and 10 October 2026 |
| PFAS limits in drinking water | binding EU-wide since 12 January 2026 |
No ban in force today obliges a spear manufacturer to do without a PTFE thread coating. That is the actual point. Anyone who changes over only when they have to changes over under time pressure – with a coating they have not yet proved over years in circulation.
Why this counts for a keg fleet
A keg runs for twenty years and longer. The spear installed today will still be in circulation in five years – and then in a legal framework that is being decided right now. Anyone building a fleet buys not just a component but its future as well.
Then there is practice. In reconditioning, the spear is removed and reinstalled, so the thread is handled several times. After that the keg goes through cleaning with caustic, acid and steam, and does so over hundreds of cycles. The less chemistry sits at this interface, the fewer questions you have to answer in ten years.
Where these figures come from
- Documented: the legal position in the table, with date and source.
- Our own statement: that the thread coating of the Aobaosi spears is PFAS-free. A manufacturer’s declaration for your supplier file on request.
- On other suppliers: That PTFE-based thread coatings are widespread in the industry is common knowledge. Whether a particular manufacturer still uses them today is best asked there directly – and put in writing.