ASTM F2825
Standard Practice for Climatic Stressing of Packaging Systems for Single Parcel Delivery
Micom laboratories offers ASTM F2825 testing as part of its environmental testing services. ASTM F2825—Standard practice for climatic stressing of packaging systems for single parcel delivery—provides the test conditions that are required to simulate the expected conditions of the storage and distribution system of the sample. Moreover, this simulation evaluates the ability of the package to maintain the integrity of its content following a climatic stress. Also, this method may serve as a conditioning standard for other test protocols. Lastly, this practice corresponds to an accelerated aging test, because it tends to portray, after a few hours of exposure, the behavior of a parcel packaging that is used for an overnight or a two-day delivery.
Evaluation of the climatic stressing resistance of packaging systems—use and factor to consider:
The goal of ASTM F2825 is to measure the protective ability of a packaging system towards climatic stress through the use of controlled climatic conditions which replicates the expected distribution conditions. In fact, the exposure sequence is based on the projected distribution climatic stress and time of exposure as a means to faithfully represent the actual distribution. The planned sequence is then used to expose the specimen inside of an apparatus where the temperature and the humidity are regulated for a specific amount of time as a means to condition the sample prior to the assessment of its attributes. The properties of the specimen are evaluated through the use of a performance test or of predetermined acceptance criteria, because this practice does not detail a procedure which appraises the properties of the sample. Lastly, it is important to state that this test protocol is designed to characterize the attributes of parcels that are to be delivered within a day or two. Thus, employing this method for packages that do not comply with this criterion will lead to inaccurate results.
The main factors that have to be considered when running this test are: the temperature, the relative humidity and the total exposure period.
Typical experimental parameters for ASTM F2825:
The specimen shall represent the actual packaging system and the content that will be used in the distribution. However, the actual content may be substituted by a simulated one that possesses the same properties. Table 1 lists the climatic conditions employed in this method.
Table I: Typical climatic conditions
| Type of condition | Temperature | Relative humidity | Time of exposure |
| Cold | -20 ± 3 °C | Not specified | 4h (+30 min / - 0 min) |
| Controlled room | 23 ± 5 °C | 50 ± 10% | Has to be specified |
| Hot and dry | 50 ± 3 °C | 25 ± 5% | 4h (+30 min / - 0 min) |
| Hot and humid | 30 ± 3 °C | 90 ± 5% | 4h (+30 min / - 0 min) |
Other test methods related to ASTM F2825:
For additional related test methods, please see ASTM D4332