What is ISTA Packaging Tests?

The most important function of packaging is to protect products and prevent them from being damaged during transportation, storage, and handling. To effectively assess whether the packaging’s protective performance can safely deliver the product to its destination, the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) has established packaging test procedures and standards to evaluate its protective performance.

What is ISTA Packaging Tests?

ISTA Packaging tests include the following aspects:

1. Vibration test: This test simulates the vibrations that products could potentially encounter during transportation and evaluate the packaging’s ability to resist vibration through acceleration and frequency changes.
2. Impact test: This test simulates the impacts and collisions that products may encounter during transportation, evaluating the packaging’s protective performance when subjected to external effects.
3. Compression test: This tests the pressure changes the packaging may undergo during transportation, ensuring that the packaging can withstand external pressure without deformation or rupture.
4. Stack test: This test simulates the stacking pressures that products may face during storage and transportation, assessing the stability and tolerance of the packaging under stacking conditions.
5. Temperature change test: This tests the performance of the packaging under temperature changes to ensure that it maintains the stability and integrity of the product.

ISTA Packaging tests help us evaluate and improve the design and performance of our packaging to ensure product safety and integrity during transportation.

The ISTA Packaging Tests consist of seven test series）

Each series of ISTA Packaging Tests corresponds to different areas and requirements. Currently, Fudy uses the testing standards from the 2 Series and 3 Series and will perform 6 Series as clients require.    

1. ISTA 1 Series: Non-simulation integrity performance tests challenge the strength and robustness of the product and package combination.
2. ISTA 2 Series: Partial simulation performance tests, including the three tests from Series 1.
3. ISTA 3 Series: These tests provide a laboratory simulation of the damage-producing motions, forces, conditions, and transport environments, such as road conditions and routes.
4. ISTA 4 Series: Enhanced simulation performance tests.
5. ISTA 5 Series: Significant environmental impact simulation tests.
6. ISTA 6 Series: Member performance tests that meet the requirements of specific members’ transportation conditions.
7. ISTA 7 Series: Development tests are used in the development of transport packages, comparing the performance of different container designs.

Fudy is actively building a testing laboratory and has an ISTA 2A-certified packaging testing laboratory in our factory in Southern Vietnam. In our next article, we will introduce the equipment and testing content within the ISTA 2A laboratory.