Climatic Chamber Configurator
Discover the Climatic Chamber Configurator
Our guide to choosing the climate chamber best suited to your needs.
A fundamental part of the life cycle of goods has passed in transit.
For testing batteries and accumulators, discover the battery test chamber, designed for testing under controlled conditions.
Millions of tons of goods are moved every day in most industrialized countries, with road transport accounting for more than 70% of the total in almost all countries.
For this reason, transport tests are of crucial importance among the various classes of tests to which materials and products must be subjected.
How Transportation Tests Work
Transport tests are intended to test goods under their expected transport conditions to verify how they withstand the foreseeable stress factors to which they are exposed.
This means that two distinct aspects of transportation are put to the test: the packaging of the goods and the container itself that will transport them.
The safety of both are the two main factors that contribute to the protection of goods during transport and are the subject of the main transport tests.
Transport tests are therefore a class of tests that include tests carried out on containers and packaging, and we have already discussed the latter here.
It remains to be seen what kind of tests the containers and packaging of the goods will be subjected to.
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What are the Transport Test Evidences
Transport tests must simulate the conditions of freight transport to test for any damage due to the most common factors that can contribute to the damage of goods during transport.
We can divide the verification of these factors into two classes of tests: mechanical tests and climatic tests.
Mechanical tests verify the resistance of the packages and the container itself to shocks and vibrations due to transport, be it by road, rail, sea or air.
These means of transport, however, are not without influence. Consider the atmospheric pressure of an airplane, the humidity of a ship, or the temperature of a container on a road.
And this is where climate tests come in.
Complementing the mechanical tests, the climatic tests included in the transport tests simulate the environmental conditions that the goods and the container will face during transport.
Both aspects are of the utmost importance and, now one now the other, acquires more relevance also depending on the type of goods: transporting construction materials is not like transporting food or medicines.
For this reason, there are numerous international standards that regulate transportation tests. Without claiming to be exhaustive, we can cite ASTM-D5276 , which evaluates the resistance of containers to impacts from falls, ASTM-D999 , which deals with the consequences of vehicle vibrations, and ASTM-D4332 , which concerns the climate conditioning of both containers and packaging.
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The FDM Environmental Chamber for Transportation Testing
All climatic tests required by international transportation testing standards can be performed by FDM environmental chambers.
Environmental chambers specialize in extreme climate testing and can simulate all the most common environments that goods will encounter in various transport conditions.
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Reference Standards
- ASTM D4169 — Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems
- ISTA Test Procedures (1A-7E) — International Safe Transit Association test schemes
- ISO 4180 — Complete filled transport packages — General rules for performance tests
- ISTA 3A — Parcel Delivery Shipments (≤70 kg)
- ISTA 6-Amazon — Specific to Amazon fulfillment
- ADR / IMDG / IATA DGR — Transport of dangerous goods by road/sea/air
Authoritative Sources
Frequently Asked Questions About Transportation Testing
What does a transport test simulate?
Simulates in the laboratory the real stresses that a package undergoes from the factory to the end customer: random vibration (truck, train, airplane, ship — distinct PSD spectra), mechanical shock (bumps, loading/unloading, drops from conveyor belt 20-76 cm depending on weight), static compression (warehouse stacking 0.5-2.5 times package weight × storage days), climate (ISTA 7E temperature/humidity cycles summer/winter/tropical profiles).
Difference between ISTA 1A, 3A and 6?
ISTA test hierarchy: ISTA 1A base (Random Vibration + 6 drop tests) — entry-level screening for single products up to 68 kg. ISTA 2A adds compression. ISTA 3A “Parcel” realistically simulates parcel delivery (multiple sequential stresses with real-world profiles) — standard for e-commerce. ISTA 6 — FedEx/UPS/Amazon carrier-specific — requires qualification before supplier accreditation. An ISTA 3A-compliant package passes approximately 85% of tests in real logistics.
How do you perform a drop test on a package?
ASTM D5276 / ISTA base: the package is dropped from a calibrated height (typically 60-100 cm depending on weight) in a specific sequence — 10 drops: 1 top, 1 bottom, 4 faces, 4 edges. For packages over 45 kg, a half-cycle (reduced height) is used. A release platform with accelerometers records the accelerations experienced (typically 80-150 g with a duration of 5-15 ms). Pass criterion: product functioning post-test + primary packaging intact.
Can I skip the transport test if the package is “normal”?
No for products: (a) sold through logistics carriers (Amazon requires ISTA 6-Amazon qualified); (b) containing lithium batteries (UN 38.3 + certified packaging); (c) medical devices (MDR requires shipping validation); (d) transport of dangerous goods (ADR certification mandatory); (e) export to the USA (FDA 21 CFR 211.94 for pharma); (f) cold chain (GDP EU 2013/C 343/01). Transport testing is rapid (3-7 lab days) and costs €2-10k per protocol — a fraction of the costs of damage in transit.
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