Packaging Materials and Integrity Testing
Packaging testing evaluates how a package and its materials perform under the mechanical and environmental stresses that occur during manufacturing, handling, storage, and use.
In practice, testing measures properties like tensile strength, tear resistance, abrasion resistance, peel strength, impact response, and hardness. These results help packaging engineers confirm that a design meets performance targets before release.
The Importance of Testing in the Packaging Industry
Packaging testing reduces product damage, field failures, and costly redesign cycles. It also helps engineers identify weak points early, such as low tear resistance in a film, inadequate peel strength in an adhesive bond, or excessive abrasion that affects graphics and labeling.
These issues rarely stay isolated, because small mechanical failures often cascade into quality escapes and customer complaints.
Package testing also supports risk control. When engineers document packaging material testing results and maintain traceable reports, organizations can defend decisions during audits, customer inquiries, and supplier disputes.
Lastly, in regulated supply chains, that documentation often determines whether a shipment moves forward or stalls.
Scope and How Packaging Testing is Conducted
Packaging engineers start by defining the performance question and selecting representative samples. A testing lab confirms sample size, weight, and quantity so the plan matches the chosen methods and acceptance criteria.
Next, the lab conditions samples when required to control temperature and humidity effects. Engineers often group testing by material type to keep results comparable across suppliers and lots.
Then, mechanical and climatic test start. Testing varies between products but generally can include:
- Tensile
- Tear
- Coefficient of friction
- Peel and adhesion
- Abrasion
- Impact
Engineers track raw data, calculates results, and notes anomalies tied to defects or inconsistent preparation.
Finally, the lab validates the results and issues a clear engineering report with conditions, dimensions, method references, and traceability. This documentation supports package compliance decisions, design verification, and supplier quality actions.
Common Product Types That Require Packaging Testing
Medical device and healthcare packaging
Packaging engineers in healthcare use packaging testing to confirm material performance and reduce the risk of seal or material failures that can compromise product quality. Mechanical property data supports validation activities and supplier controls when packaging must remain consistent across production lots.
Pharmaceutical and life sciences
Pharmaceutical packaging teams rely on packaging material testing to control variability in films, foils, and secondary packaging components. Engineers use tensile, tear, and adhesion data to support qualification decisions and investigate packaging related deviations.
Food and beverage
Food packaging often faces abrasion, handling stress, and rapid line speeds. Packaging testing helps engineers select film structures, coatings, and adhesives that maintain performance while reducing downtime from web breaks and poor handling.
Consumer goods and ecommerce
Consumer goods packaging must hold up through distribution, fulfillment, and customer handling. Mechanical testing helps durability targets and engineers reduce damage rates without overdesigning materials.
Industrial and chemical products
Industrial packaging can include heavier loads, higher abrasion risk, and more aggressive handling. Packaging testing gives engineers data to choose materials and bonding methods that maintain performance over time.
Common Testing Standards for Packaging Testing
The following standards align to the Reliable Analysis mechanical A2LA scope and commonly support packaging material testing programs.
- ASTM D882: Tensile properties of thin plastic sheeting, often used for film based packaging.
- ASTM D1004 and ASTM D624 and ISO 34-1: Tear resistance methods used for films, elastomers, and certain package components.
- ASTM D903 and ASTM D3330: Peel strength and adhesion methods used for bonded structures, tapes, and laminations.
- ASTM D3359: Adhesion by tape test, often used for coatings and printed surfaces.
- ASTM D1002 and ASTM D732: Shear strength methods used for bonded joints and adhesive performance.
- ASTM D4060 and ASTM D3884: Abrasion resistance methods used to evaluate wear on coatings, films, and printed graphics.
- ASTM D256 and ASTM D3763 and ISO 6603-1 and ISO 6603-2: Impact resistance methods used to evaluate response to sudden loads.
- ASTM D2247 and ASTM D1735: Humidity exposure methods that support comparative durability evaluations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Packaging Testing
When does packaging validation testing make sense in a development cycle?
Packaging validation testing typically makes sense after engineers lock the package design, define the materials, and establish suppliers. At that point, the work can confirm that the design meets performance requirements under controlled methods and documented conditions.
Which packaging tests help investigate film breaks or poor machinability?
Engineers often start with ASTM D882 tensile testing and ASTM D1004 tear testing to understand strength and tear propagation risks. ASTM D1894 coefficient of friction testing can also help when the issue relates to film handling on equipment.
What should an accredited packaging material test report include?
A strong report includes method references, conditioning details, specimen geometry, equipment traceability, results with units, and any deviations. For package compliance testing, engineers also benefit from clear sample identification and lot traceability.
Expert laboratory testing for packaging testing
Reliable Analysis provides accredited packaging testing that delivers repeatable data for packaging qualification, failure investigations, and tighter material specifications. Packaging engineers also benefit from our responsive communication and clear reporting that supports fast decisions.
Contact us or request a quote to start packaging testing through Applus+ Laboratories, with access to a global lab network for end to end validation support.
Additional Industries in RA’s capabilities include:
