How Packaging Testing Works

On these pages we often talk about tests on products and materials, designed to verify their resistance to environmental factors and more.

Aren't we forgetting something?

The packages!

Today, every product sold on the market has its own distinctive packaging and it too must undergo a series of tests in compliance with international standards to guarantee its safety.

Let's see which ones.

The Problem of Packaging Testing

Package designers are caught between two conflicting needs.

Overly large packaging leads to excessive costs and disposal difficulties, resulting in environmental pollution. Conversely, packaging that is too "light" doesn't adequately protect the product inside and ruins the brand's reputation.

In this sense, packaging tests can be seen - beyond simple safety tests - as tests to optimize a fundamental part of the product: its presentation.

The packaging must remain functional, aesthetically pleasing, eco-sustainable and yet meet all international safety standards for the preservation of the products inside it.

Perform Climatic Stress Tests

Discover the new series of Climatic Chambers for controlled climate testing.
Find out more.

Types of Packaging Tests

Most of the tests on packaging are common to all, regardless of the product, and only related to the life cycle of the packaging: from production, to logistics, up to the shelf.

At all these stages, the packaging must demonstrate that it protects and preserves what it contains.

Among the types of tests on packaging we can distinguish between two categories: mechanical and climatic.

Mechanical tests include: compression test, distribution test, vibration test, drop test, inclined impact test and horizontal impact test.

While, among the climatic tests, the ones we deal with, we have the environmental tests and the cold chain tests.

Let's look at them in detail.

Climatic Tests on Packaging

General environmental testing, also known as environmental conditioning testing, concerns the packaging of many types of products, but is particularly relevant to medicines, beverages, and foods. We have discussed this here. 

The international standards that regulate environmental conditioning tests on packaging are ISO 2233:2000, ASTM D4332, and ASTM E171.

The cold chain test, on the other hand, is more specific. It made headlines towards the end of 2021, when we were told about the laborious transportation of the first anti-Covid vaccines , which required, precisely, respecting the "cold chain."

The cold chain refers to maintaining a product at a certain temperature throughout its transportation, storage, and display. It primarily concerns frozen food products and, in particular, certain types of pharmaceuticals.

Cold chain packaging testing is regulated by ISTA 3A .

Can't find the perfect chamber for your rehearsals?

Build your environment directly online, based on your specific needs.
Find out more.

The FDM Climatic Chamber for Packaging Testing

All the climate tests on packaging we have talked about require a climate chamber to be performed.

FDM climate chambers are the perfect laboratory instrument for performing all climate tests in compliance with international standards.

Each climatic chamber has temperature and relative humidity control , allowing you to program the parameters needed to verify the tightness of the packages throughout all phases of their life cycle.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Do you need a quote or have questions about the product?

Contact us for more information about this product.
Contact Us

Reference Standards

• ISO 2233:2000 — Packaging – Complete, filled transport packages and unit loads – Conditioning for testing. Pre-test conditioning atmospheres.
• ISO 4180:2019 — Packaging – Complete, filled transport packages – General rules for performance testing.
• ASTM D4332-14(2021) — Standard Practice for Conditioning Containers, Packages, or Packaging Components for Testing.
• ISTA 3A:2018 — Packaged-Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipment 70 kg (150 lb) or Less, test protocol for e-commerce/courier.
• ISTA 2A — Partial Simulation Performance Test, basic test for palletized shipments.
• ASTM D4169-22 — Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems.
• IEC 60068-2-30 — Damp heat, cyclic test Db, recalled for electronic packaging.

Authoritative Sources

• ISTA – International Safe Transit Association. Global reference body for transport testing with protocols 1-7 (lab simulation, partial, integrity, parcel, temperature).
• ISO/TC 122 – Packaging. ISO technical committee responsible for standards on packaging and transport testing.
• ASTM Committee D10 – Packaging. American committee with D4169, D4332, D642 series on packaging tests.
• IoPP – Institute of Packaging Professionals. Leading association for packaging engineers and professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions about Package Testing

What conditioning atmospheres does ISO 2233 prescribe?

ISO 2233 defines six standard atmospheres for pre-conditioning packaging before mechanical and climatic testing. The most commonly used are: 23°C/50% RH (standard atmosphere for general testing, reference Europe/North America), 20°C/65% RH (humid temperate conditions, reference Central Europe), 27°C/65% RH (tropical climate, equivalent to Asian environments), 40°C/90% RH (extreme tropical), -18°C (cold chain), 55°C (transport in a container exposed to the sun). The conditioning time depends on the packaging material: corrugated cardboard 72 hours minimum, folding carton 48 hours, plastics 40 hours, composite/barrier materials up to 2 weeks. Air velocity must be 0.5-1 m/s. Samples must be arranged with a minimum 50 mm gap to ensure heat exchange. Post-conditioning testing should begin within 5-15 minutes of extraction to avoid drift.

What is the difference between ISTA 3A and ASTM D4169?

ISTA 3A is a general simulation protocol specifically for single packages up to 70 kg shipped via courier (parcel delivery). It includes: atmospheric conditioning (12-72 h), random vibration (3 axes, 30 min each, parcel profile), drop shock (rotational + flat drops from heights of 46-91 cm based on weight), and concentrated impact. It is a pass/fail test oriented to e-commerce. ASTM D4169 is more flexible: it offers 18 schedules (DC1-DC18) with 11 hazard sequences (handling, vehicle stacking, vibration, LTL, ocean transport, humidity, rail, low pressure for air shipment, concentrated impact). The user can choose Assurance Level I (high risk), II (medium, default), or III (low) based on severity. D4169 DC13 covers parcel delivery similar to ISTA 3A. For international air shipments, low-pressure tests are additionally required (ASTM D6653, 0.57 atm = 4572 m cabin altitude). ISO 4180 is the equivalent European framework. The choice depends on the market (US vs. EU vs. Asia) and the customer (Amazon requires ISTA 6-Amazon, FedEx requires ISTA 3A).

How is the climate test integrated into the transport test?

The ISTA 7 series and ASTM D4169 DC18 protocols specify combined temperature-humidity-vibration to simulate real-world shipping conditions. ISTA 7D simulates container shipping temperatures: -29°C / +60°C / +40°C/95% RH over 7 days. ISTA 7E for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals uses thermal profiles with mean kinetic temperature as an acceptance parameter. For cold chain applications, the climatic chamber houses the packaging with an internal data logger (e.g., iButton, Tinytag) that records T every 60 seconds. The test passes if: product temperature remains within the specified range (2-8°C for refrigerated pharmaceuticals, -20°C for frozen products), no internal condensation, and no physical damage after the vibration + post-climate drop sequence. The climatic chambers for package testing have volumes of 1000-5000 L, range -40/+80 °C, uniformity ± 2 °C, pass-through for monitoring cables, extra-large doors for pallet handling with pallet trucks.

Which climatic chamber is best for testing pharmaceutical cold chain packages?

The chamber must guarantee a range of -30/+60 °C with uniformity ± 1 °C on a full usable volume, temporal stability ± 0.5 °C, and a ramp rate of 1-2 °C/min to simulate gradual climate transitions. Controlled humidity 10-95% RH on a range of +5/+60 °C. For GDP (Good Distribution Practice) EMA qualification, a 21 CFR Part 11 audit trail, electronic signatures, server backup, and ACCREDIA-calibrated Pt100 class A sensors (uncertainty ≤ 0.3 °C) are essential. 9-25 point mapping according to IEC 60068-3-6 for volumes > 2 m³. Emergency system with battery backup ≥ 30 min. SMS/email alarms for temperature excursions outside the limits. Ultrafiltered steam humidification system (conductivity < 5 µS/cm). Doors equipped with air-curtains to minimize air entry during loading. The 5,000-30,000 liter FDM walk-in chambers accommodate complete EUR pallets with multi-channel instrumentation for complete packaging thermal profile validation according to ISTA 7D/E and WHO Technical Report Series 961 Annex 9.