Overview of Transit Packaging Testing (ISTA)
- Tested by
- NABL-accredited partner lab
- Regulation
- ISTA procedures & ASTM D4169
- Typical turnaround
- 3–7 working days
- Sample needed
- 1–5 packed units
Damaged deliveries cost the product, the freight both ways and the customer’s trust. ISTA test procedures simulate the hazards of distribution in a lab: drops and impacts, vibration, compression from stacking, and temperature and humidity. ISTA 1A is a basic integrity test, 2A adds partial simulation, and 3A simulates single parcels moving through courier networks, which suits most e-commerce shipments.
Large marketplaces have their own procedures; ISTA 6-Amazon is used to qualify products shipped in their own container without an extra overbox. ASTM D4169 is common for medical devices and US customers. Testing a few designs side by side often shows where material can be removed without increasing damage. Box materials are tested separately in corrugated box testing.
What we do for you
- Lab and parameter list chosen for your purpose: licence, export, buyer or internal QC
- Sampling guidance, and pickup or on-site sampling where needed
- One contact who follows up with the lab until the report is issued
- Report explained in plain language, with next steps if a result fails