Package Testing Standards ASTM Package Testing

ASTM Package Testing

ASTM standards define how a test is run, what gets measured, and what counts as a pass, giving manufacturers, regulators, and retailers a common technical language. TEN-E tests to ASTM standards across distribution, medical device, environmental, and dangerous goods applications.

What ASTM Testing Covers

ASTM International publishes the test methods most widely specified for packaging performance in North America. ASTM standards define how a test is run, what a technician measures, and what counts as a pass or fail result, giving manufacturers, regulators, and retailers a common technical language for packaging performance.

Our ASTM scope covers distribution performance, seal integrity and sterile barrier validation, environmental conditioning, and hazardous materials packaging, drawing on 17 ASTM standards. We report every result under ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation at our Newport, Minnesota and High Point, North Carolina laboratories, giving test data the documented credibility that regulatory submissions and retailer compliance programs require.

ASTM Standards

Select a standard to expand its details, including what it covers, what it measures, and how TEN-E tests to it.

ASTM D4169 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems Standard practice for performance testing shipping containers and systems ASTM D4169 runs a shipping unit through a defined sequence of simulated distribution hazards, matched to the product's real shipping path.

Issuing Body ASTM International

Transport Modes Truck, rail, air, parcel, LTL

Test Type Simulated distribution cycle

Overview

ASTM D4169 evaluates whether a shipping unit survives the distribution environment by running it through a defined sequence of simulated hazards. The standard lets the user select a distribution cycle that matches the product’s real shipping path, set a test intensity level, and judge the result against damage and functionality criteria defined before testing. The approach produces a repeatable, documented performance test tuned to the way a product actually ships.

Key Parameters

Distribution Cycle The standard defines numbered distribution cycles, each representing a shipping scenario such as single-parcel delivery, LTL motor freight, or warehouse-to-retail. Selecting the cycle that matches your actual distribution path is the most important decision in a D4169 test plan.

Assurance Level Assurance level sets test intensity. Level II serves as the standard default, Level I is the most severe, and Level III is the least severe. The level you choose affects the forces applied and the margin the package must clear.

Test Schedules Each cycle is assembled from individual test schedules, which can include manual and mechanical handling, warehouse and vehicle stacking, loose-load and random vibration, low-pressure altitude exposure, and concentrated impact, applied in the sequence the cycle specifies.

Acceptance Criteria The user defines acceptance criteria before testing. TEN-E evaluates the package and product for physical damage and continued functionality after the full cycle.

Documentation typically covers the distribution cycle and assurance level used, each test schedule performed, the measurements recorded, and pass or fail findings against the defined acceptance criteria.

ASTM D4919 Standard Guide for Testing of Hazardous Materials (Dangerous Goods) Packagings ASTM D4919 frames the performance tests a hazardous materials packaging completes to qualify for transport.

Issuing Body ASTM International

Transport Modes Ground, air, sea

Test Type Hazardous materials packaging qualification

Overview

ASTM D4919 guides the performance testing that United Nations (UN) specification packagings undergo to carry hazardous materials. The standard organizes the sequence of drop, stacking, pressure, and related tests a packaging completes to demonstrate it contains dangerous goods through transport. Results support UN certification marking and align packaging performance with DOT and international transport requirements.

Key Parameters

Packaging Group Hazardous materials fall into packaging groups I, II, and III by degree of danger. The packaging group sets the drop height and test severity the packaging must meet.

Design Qualification Tests The standard covers the core UN performance tests, including drop, stacking, and pressure, that qualify a packaging design for a given hazardous material.

Test Sequence Tests run in a defined order on conditioned samples so results reflect the combined effect of transport stresses.

Documentation typically covers the packaging group and design tested, each performance test performed, the sample conditioning applied, and pass or fail findings against UN requirements.

ASTM D7386 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Packages for Single Parcel Delivery Systems ASTM D7386 validates packages that ship one at a time through small-parcel carrier networks.

Issuing Body ASTM International

Transport Modes Small-parcel carrier

Test Type Single parcel delivery simulation

Overview

ASTM D7386 simulates the hazards a package faces moving individually through a small-parcel carrier network, where each package is handled, sorted, and shipped on its own. The practice sequences handling drops, vibration, and related parcel-environment stresses so a manufacturer can confirm packaging performance before shipment. The practice suits e-commerce and direct-to-consumer products that travel through parcel and express delivery services.

Key Parameters

Package Weight Class Test severity, including drop height, scales to the package weight, reflecting how carriers handle lighter and heavier parcels.

Test Schedules The practice sequences handling drops, vibration, and low-pressure exposure representative of the small-parcel environment.

Acceptance Criteria The user defines acceptance criteria before testing. TEN-E evaluates the package and product for damage and function after the sequence.

Documentation typically covers the package weight class, each schedule performed, the measurements recorded, and pass or fail findings against the defined acceptance criteria.

ASTM D7387 Standard Test Method for Vibration Testing of Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) for Liquid Hazardous Materials ASTM D7387 applies transport-representative vibration to a filled liquid-hazmat intermediate bulk container (IBC) to confirm it maintains containment.

Issuing Body ASTM International

Transport Modes Ground transport

Test Type Vibration testing (IBC, liquid dangerous goods)

Overview

ASTM D7387 evaluates how an intermediate bulk container (IBC) filled with liquid hazardous materials withstands the vibration of transport. The method mounts a filled IBC on a vibration table, runs it through a representative vibration profile, then inspects the container and its closures for leakage and structural damage. Results support UN certification for IBCs carrying liquid dangerous goods.

Key Parameters

Fill and Contents The IBC is tested filled to its rated capacity with the intended liquid or a representative substitute, so the test reflects in-service loading.

Vibration Profile The method applies a defined vibration frequency and duration representative of transport.

Inspection Criteria After vibration, TEN-E inspects the container body, closures, and fittings for leakage and damage.

Documentation typically covers the IBC type and fill, the vibration profile applied, the duration, and pass or fail findings from the post-test inspection.

ASTM D7660 Standard Guide for Conducting Internal Pressure Tests on United Nations (UN) Packagings ASTM D7660 confirms a UN packaging and its closures hold the internal pressure liquids can build during transit and storage.

Issuing Body ASTM International

Transport Modes Air, sea, ground

Test Type Internal pressure test

Overview

ASTM D7660 guides internal pressure testing of United Nations (UN) packagings that carry liquids. Liquids can generate internal pressure from temperature change and altitude during transport, and the test applies a defined internal pressure to confirm the packaging and its closures contain it. The guide covers hydraulic and pneumatic pressure methods, supporting UN certification for liquid dangerous goods packaging.

Key Parameters

Pressure Method The guide covers hydraulic (liquid) and pneumatic (air) pressure test methods, selected to suit the packaging and contents.

Test Pressure Applied pressure derives from the packaging's required test pressure for its contents and transport mode.

Hold and Inspection Pressure is held for a defined period while TEN-E monitors the packaging and closures for leakage or deformation.

Documentation typically covers the pressure method used, the applied test pressure and hold time, and pass or fail findings against UN requirements.

Not Sure Where to Start?

Let our experts help you identify the right testing program for your product and distribution environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

ASTM D4169 and ISTA protocols both simulate distribution hazards, and they take different approaches. ASTM D4169 specifies performance cycles and test sequences based on distribution channel and product fragility, with the manufacturer or shipper selecting the applicable cycle. ISTA protocols are defined end to end by ISTA and accepted directly by many retailers and certification programs. Both are valid frameworks, and many projects reference both.

TEN-E tests to 17 ASTM standards covering distribution performance, seal integrity, environmental conditioning, and hazardous materials packaging. You can see the full list on our Test Methods page. For an ASTM standard beyond the listed set, contact us and we’ll confirm whether the method falls within our current laboratory scope.

The right distribution cycle matches the way your product actually ships, for example single-parcel delivery, LTL motor freight, or warehouse-to-retail. Tell us your distribution channel, package weight, and product fragility, and we’ll help you select the distribution cycle and assurance level for your D4169 test plan.

ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for testing laboratory competence. When TEN-E reports ASTM results under this accreditation, the data carries documented evidence that testing followed the correct procedures, with calibrated equipment, by qualified personnel. Accredited results are accepted by regulatory agencies, retailers, and international bodies that require traceable, third-party test data.

Medical device packaging most commonly references ASTM F88 for seal strength, ASTM F1980 for accelerated aging of sterile barrier systems, ASTM F1886 and F1929 for visual and dye penetration seal inspection, and ASTM F2096 for gross leak detection. ASTM D4332 and D4169 apply when the packaging also needs to demonstrate distribution performance. The applicable standards depend on the packaging configuration and the regulatory submission pathway.