Packaging test standards: ISTA, ASTM and TAPPI
ISTA procedures simulate shipping, ASTM D10 methods test containers and loads, and TAPPI methods test the board itself. Packgent summarises what each one is for; buy the standard from its publisher before you test.
ISTA
| Standard | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ISTA 1A | Integrity Testing for Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less ISTA 1A is a quick screening test for an individual packaged product of 150 lb or less. It checks whether the pack survives basic handling and transport inputs, without trying to mimic a particular route. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1B | Integrity Testing Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb (68 kg) ISTA 1B is the heavy-pack version of 1A: a screening integrity test for packaged products over 150 lb, such as crated machinery or large appliances. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1C | Extended Integrity Testing for Individual Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less ISTA 1C extends the 1A screening test with more inputs for individual packs of 150 lb or less. It is still a screening test, not a route simulation. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1D | Extended Integrity Testing for Individual Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb (68 kg) ISTA 1D is the extended screening test for individual packs over 150 lb, adding inputs beyond 1B. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1E | Integrity Testing for Unitized Loads ISTA 1E screens a whole unitized load, such as a stretch-wrapped pallet of cases, rather than a single pack. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1G | Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less utilizing Random Vibration ISTA 1G is a screening integrity test like 1A, but it uses random vibration instead of a fixed-frequency input. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 1H | Integrity Testing for Packaged-Products weighing Over 150 lb (68 kg) utilizing Random Vibration ISTA 1H is the heavy-pack screening test with random vibration, the over-150 lb counterpart to 1G. | Series 1: non-simulation integrity test |
| ISTA 2A | Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less ISTA 2A is a partial simulation test for individual packs of 150 lb or less. It combines general simulation elements with basic integrity inputs, a step up from series 1 screening. | Series 2: partial simulation test |
| ISTA 2B | Packaged-Products weighing over 150 lb (68 kg) ISTA 2B is the partial simulation test for individual packs over 150 lb. | Series 2: partial simulation test |
| ISTA 2C | Furniture Packages ISTA 2C is a partial simulation for packaged furniture (case goods) shipped in a container. | Series 2: partial simulation test |
| ISTA 3A | Parcel Delivery System Shipments 150 lb (70kg) or Less ISTA 3A simulates the hazards of parcel delivery for an individual pack of 150 lb or less, sent by air or ground parcel service. It is the usual choice for ecommerce boxes going straight to a customer. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3B | Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Shipment ISTA 3B simulates a pack moving through less-than-truckload freight, mixed in with other shippers' goods. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3E | Similar Packaged-Products in Unitized Loads for Truckload Shipment ISTA 3E simulates a unitized load of similar products moving by full truckload, the usual route from a plant to a distribution center. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3F | Distribution Center to Retail Outlet Shipment 100 lb (45 kg) ISTA 3F simulates individual packs of 100 lb or less moving on mixed pallets from a distribution center to retail stores. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3H | Mechanically Handled Bulk Transport Containers ISTA 3H simulates heavy bulk transport containers, such as gaylords and bins, that are moved by forklift and other equipment. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3L | Generalized E-commerce Retailer Fulfillment ISTA 3L simulates a product moving through a retailer's fulfillment system and then a carrier to the customer, without being tied to one retailer. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 3M | Packaged-Products for International Direct Import Shipment ISTA 3M simulates products shipped from Asia-Pacific manufacturers directly to U.S. facilities. | Series 3: general simulation test |
| ISTA 6-Amazon-SIOC | Ships in Own Container (SIOC) for Amazon.com Distribution System Shipment ISTA 6-Amazon.com-SIOC is the member test written for vendor packs that ship to Amazon fulfillment centers and then to customers in their own container, by parcel or LTL. | Series 6: member-specific simulation test |
| ISTA 6-Amazon-Over-Boxing | e-Commerce Fulfillment for Parcel Delivery Shipment This Amazon member test covers products that Amazon places in its own shipping container before parcel delivery. | Series 6: member-specific simulation test |
| ISTA 6-SAMSCLUB | Packaged-Products for Sam's Club Distribution System Shipment ISTA 6-SAMSCLUB is the member test for products moving through Sam's Club distribution centers to clubs. | Series 6: member-specific simulation test |
| ISTA 7D | Temperature Test for Transport Packaging ISTA 7D is a development test of how a transport pack performs against outside temperature changes. | Series 7: development test |
| ISTA 7E | Testing Standard for Thermal Transport Packaging Used in Parcel Delivery System Shipment ISTA 7E tests thermal parcel packaging against seasonal hot and cold temperature profiles. | Series 7: development test |
ASTM
| Standard | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| ASTM D642 | Standard Test Method for Determining Compressive Resistance of Shipping Containers, Components, and Unit Loads ASTM D642 is the compression test for whole boxes and unit loads: the box sits between two platens and is squeezed until it fails or reaches a set load. It is how a BCT estimate from the McKee formula should be confirmed. | Test method |
| ASTM D4169 | Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems ASTM D4169 lays out sequences of tests, called distribution cycles, that represent different shipping routes, and assurance levels for how hard to test. It is the US counterpart to the ISTA general simulations. | Practice |
| ASTM D5276 | Standard Test Method for Drop Test of Loaded Containers by Free Fall ASTM D5276 covers dropping a loaded container in free fall onto a surface, to see how pack and product handle impacts. | Test method |
| ASTM D4728 | Standard Test Method for Random Vibration Testing of Shipping Containers ASTM D4728 covers random vibration testing of shipping containers, reproducing the mixed vibration of trucks and aircraft on a vibration table. | Test method |
| ASTM D999 | Standard Test Methods for Vibration Testing of Shipping Containers ASTM D999 covers vibration testing of shipping containers, including fixed-frequency methods, as opposed to the random vibration of D4728. | Test methods |
| ASTM D7386 | Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Packages for Single Parcel Delivery Systems ASTM D7386 is a performance test practice aimed at packages moving one at a time through parcel delivery networks. | Practice |
TAPPI
| Standard | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| TAPPI T 811 | Edgewise compressive strength of corrugated fibreboard (short column test) TAPPI T 811 measures edge crush: the load a short column of single, double or triple wall board carries on its edge, perpendicular to the flutes. The result, in lb/in, is the ECT value boxes are graded by. | Test method |
| TAPPI T 839 | Edgewise compressive strength of corrugated fiberboard using the clamp method (short column test) TAPPI T 839 is a second way to measure ECT, holding the specimen in clamps rather than preparing it as in T 811. Both give edge crush in lb/in. | Test method |
| TAPPI T 810 | Bursting strength of corrugated and solid fiberboard TAPPI T 810 measures how much pressure board withstands before it bursts. Burst-graded boxes ("Mullen", "200 lb test") are graded by this property. | Test method |
| TAPPI T 804 | Compression test of fiberboard shipping containers TAPPI T 804 is TAPPI's compression test for whole fibreboard shipping containers, the board-industry counterpart to ASTM D642. | Test method |
Titles checked on each publisher's site 2026-10-27.