ISTA 3A Small Parcel Delivery Systems 150 lb or Less

ISTA 3A Test Procedure covers testing of individual packaged-products weighing 150 lbs or less when prepared for shipment via a parcel delivery carrier.

Testing Standard:

ISTA 3A Small Parcel Packaged Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipment 150 lb (70 kg) or Less (Standard, Small, Flat, and Elongated Packages); ie. ISTA 3A Small Parcel

Standard Number
ISTA 3A

Standard Title
Packaged-Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipment 150 lb (70 kg) or Less

Overview for ISTA 3A Small Parcel Procedure:

ISTA 3A Small Parcel Procedure is a general simulation test for individual packaged products shipped through a parcel delivery system. This procedure uses a general simulation of actual transport hazards by either ground or air with four types of packages that include standard, small, flat, and elongated. Purple Diamond Testing offers ISTA 3A Testing as part of our packaging distribution testing services.

Standard

Standard packaged-products shall be defined as any packaged-product that does not meet any of the definitions below for a small, flat or elongated packaged-product.  Examples of standard packaged-products come in fiberboard cartons and/or plastic, wooden, or cylindrical containers. 

Flat

Flat packaged-products shall be defined as any packaged-product where the shortest dimension is 200 mm or less, the next longest dimension is 4 or more times larger than the shortest dimension, and the volume is 13,000 cm or greater. 

Elongated

Elongated packaged-products shall be defined as any packaged-product where the longest dimension is 900 mm or greater and both of the packages’ other dimensions are each 20 percent or less of that of the longest dimension. 

Keywords for ISTA 3A: – Packaging – Transportation – Testing – Hazards – Distribution
– Quality assurance – Shock – Vibration – Compression – Drop testing – Environmental conditions

Overview of Procedure

Test CategoryTest TypeTest LevelFor ISTA Certification
Atmospheric PreconditioningTemperature and HumidityAmbientRequired
Atmospheric PreconditioningControlled Temperature and HumidityChosen From ChartOptional
ShockDrop9 Drops - Height varies with packaged-product weightRequired
VibrationRandom With and Without Top LoadOverall Grms levels of 0.53 and 0.46Required
VibrationRandom Vibration Under Lower PressureTruck or Truck & Air DependentOptional
ShockDrop8 Drops - Height varies with packaged-product weight, includes drop on hazardRequired
ShockRotational Edge Drop200 mm (8 in)Required for Flat and Elongated
ShockFull Rotational Flat DropVaries with packaged-product dimensionsRequired for Flat and Elongated
ShockConcentrated ImpactHazard Box dropped 400 mm (16 in)Required for Flat Only
ShockBridge ImpactHazard Box dropped 400 mm (16 in)Required for Elongated Only
IntegrityLeak Test8 HoursRequired for Liquids Only

Rationale for ISTA 3A Small Parcel Procedure:

ISTA 3A Small Parcel Delivery can be used to evaluate the protective performance of a packaged product related to thermal conditions, shocks, vibrations, and other stressors normally met in a parcel delivery system. The procedure is used to create general simulation hazards in a laboratory environment that is 100% repeatable. ISTA 3A is also required by UPS to process claims if there is damage in the field. Walmart (store) requires a modified ISTA 3A passing report for multipacks of glass or ceramic bottles and jars. They also recommend a passing the ISTA 3A report for all other items.

Key Points:

Related Standards:

At Purple Diamond, we offer a free consultation or a guided tour of our facilities. Consultations can be done over the phone or on zoom, so choose what suits you best. To get in touch, go to our Contact Us page and fill out the form or book an appointment using the calendar below. Our goal is to assist you in any way possible, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you so much for reading down this far and thank you for considering Purple Diamond as your dedicated testing, engineering, and design facility for all of your packaging needs.

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Accreditations

Achieving ISO 17025 Accreditation is the pinnacle in third-party laboratory testing accreditation. It confirms that the facility has management, quality, and technical systems in place to ensure accurate and reliable analyses.
ISTA is revered as the certification standard for package testing for distribution. ISTA’s Testing Protocol remains a series of testing methodologies and standards well recognized within the packaging community.
A select few companies are authorized by PHMSA as an approved third-party packaging testing laboratory in accordance with Hazardous Materials Regulations, critical to ensuring safe transport of dangerous goods.

Affiliations

With over 12,000 standards globally, ASTM International’s fully transparent standards development enhances performance and confidence in consumer choices.
The Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry’s peer-reviewed standards improve production through operational methods and industry recognized best practices.

 

 The APASS program was designed by Amazon to help support vendors, sellers, and manufacturers in obtaining certification of their products as Frustration Free Packaging (FFP), Ships in Own Container (SIOC), or Prep-Free Packaging (PFP).

ISTA 3A

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