Types of Environmental Testing

Environmental testing is essential for evaluating the resistance and durability of products and materials exposed to adverse weather conditions. 

For battery and storage testing, discover the FDM Battery Test Chamber, designed for testing under controlled conditions.

Many industries, such as food, pharmaceutical, electronics, and manufacturing, use these tests to ensure their products are safe and perform even in extreme environments. There are several types of environmental tests.

In the following article we will analyze the most common ones performed in climatic chambers.

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Types of Environmental Testing: Temperature and Humidity

Temperature and humidity testing is one of the fundamental environmental tests and is used to determine the durability of products subjected to variable environmental conditions. It is particularly important for industries such as food and pharmaceuticals, where shelf stability is crucial for consumer safety and regulatory compliance.

These tests are regulated by internationally recognized standards such as ICH Q1A and we have discussed them in detail here.

Types of Environmental Testing: Thermal Shock

The thermal shock test, on the other hand, is used to evaluate the impact that sudden and drastic changes in temperature have on products and materials.

It is therefore vitally important for all those objects that, during their life cycle, may be exposed to extreme temperature variations in very short periods of time. The environmental chambers used for thermal shock allow a product to be rapidly transferred from a very hot to a very cold environment, testing its ability to maintain its structural integrity.

We have addressed it in detail here

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Types of Environmental Testing: Burn-in Test

Fundamental in electronics, the burn-in test is one of the most rigorous environmental tests and is commonly used to test electronic boards and printed circuit boards.

 During burn-in testing, the component is exposed to extreme operating conditions (e.g., high temperatures) for extended periods to identify any manufacturing defects or issues that could cause premature failure.

We dedicated an entire article to the Burn-In Test which you can read here.

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Types of Environmental Testing: Sunlight

Not just temperature and relative humidity.

With appropriate accessories such as professional UV lamp sets, climate chambers can also simulate sunlight.  

This test is crucial for products intended for outdoor use, such as patio furniture, building cladding, or vehicles, as continued exposure to UV rays can cause fading, deterioration, or loss of physical properties.

ISO 4892-2 regulates methods of exposure to artificial sunlight under controlled environmental conditions. We've discussed it in more detail here.

The FDM Climate Chamber

FDM – Environment Makers can perform all the types of environmental tests discussed above and many more. ’ Environmental Chambers

Furthermore, thanks to our stilFACE controller and the innovative programmer revoFACE, our tools assist the operator in all phases of the procedure. 

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

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Authoritative Sources

• IEC 60068 Environmental testing suite.
• IEST — Environmental Testing Best Practices.
• ASTM Standards Catalog.

Frequently Asked Questions about Environmental Test Types

What macro-categories of environmental testing exist?

Five macro-categories: (1) Climatic (temperature, humidity, pressure, radiation) — the broadest; (2) Mechanical (shock, vibration, impact, drop tests); (3) Chemical (corrosion, industrial gases, solvents, outgassing); (4) Biological (mold, bacteria, pathogens); (5) Electromagnetic (EMC, ESD, lightning). A complete product qualification covers multiple categories depending on the mission profile (e.g., a satellite requires all five).

What's the difference between qualification, screening, and acceptance testing?

Qualification (QM — Qualification Test): High stress above specification (+25%) on prototypes to validate the design — destructive accepted. Screening (HASS — Highly Accelerated Stress Screening): Stress at the spec limit to eliminate latent production defects — 100% batch, non-destructive. Acceptance (AT — Acceptance Test): Reduced (spec) stresses to verify compliance before delivery to the customer — sample or batch. A complete product passes all three phases with distinct protocols.

What standards define environmental testing?

Standard hierarchy: (a) base methods (series 2) as a universal “recipe book”; (b) Application-specific methods such as ISO 16750 (automotive), RTCA DO-160 (avionics), MIL-STD-810 (defense), ECSS (space); (c) Customer standards such as SAE, VDA, AEC, JEDEC that call/modify base methods for industry needs. The typical chain: a customer standard calls an application-specific one, which in turn calls an IEC 60068 method.

What constitutes a comprehensive environmental test plan?

Typical steps: (1) Mission profile — map real-world environments (storage, transit, operational); (2) Derating specification to a reasonable worst-case; (3) Acceleration with Ar rhenius/Coffin-Manson modelsrhreduce duration; (4) Typical HALT → burn-in → qualification → acceptance sequence ; (5) Quantitative pass/fail criteria before testing, not after. A robust test plan runs 20-50 pages with stress matrices and sequence diagrams.