Shock Testing & Vibration Testing in the Packaging Industry: Designing Packaging That Performs

Packaging isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s the critical layer of defence between a product and the rough realities of transit. Whether your goods are destined for the next town or a long haul across Europe, the journey is anything but smooth. Vibrations, shocks, and bumps from vehicles, conveyor belts, and handling equipment can cause serious wear and tear on both packaging and the products inside.

That’s where vibration, shock, and bump testing come in. These aren’t just tick-box exercises—they’re the key to designing packaging that performs reliably under real-world conditions.

Why Shock & Vibration Testing Are Critical

A great product is useless if it doesn’t survive the journey. The transportation process is riddled with opportunities for things to go wrong—vibrations and shocks being two of the most common culprits. For packaging engineers, vibration, shock, and bump testing are about more than just preventing damage; they’re about optimising performance, cutting costs, and meeting increasingly demanding customer expectations.

Here’s why it’s a non-negotiable step:

Ensures Product Safety: Damaged goods are expensive to replace and even costlier to your reputation.

Validates Design Choices: Testing allows you to identify weaknesses early, avoiding costly redesigns after launch.

Supports Sustainability: Helps reduce over-packaging by proving performance with minimal materials.

Demonstrates Compliance: Aligns your packaging with essential UK and international standards, giving your customers confidence in your supply chain.

Vibration, shock, and bump testing replicate the forces your packaging will face during transport. Whether it’s the constant hum of road vibrations, the sudden jolts of a shock from handling, or the bumps during loading and unloading, these tests ensure your packaging can handle it all.

Shock Testing mimics the sudden, high-impact forces that occur during handling or dropping, ensuring your packaging can withstand these intense impacts.

Bump Testing simulates the repetitive bumps and jolts that happen during loading, unloading, and transit, ensuring packaging durability through these more frequent but less intense forces.

Random Vibration Testing replicates the chaotic mix of frequencies seen in real transport environments.

Resonance Testing pinpoints the frequencies at which your packaging is most vulnerable to damage.

The insights gained from these tests are invaluable. If a design doesn’t hold up, it can be fine-tuned and retested until it meets performance benchmarks.

Industry Standards: Safeguarding Your Packaging’s Journey

As we’ve mentioned, your packaging isn’t just a box—it’s a shield, a first line of defence between your product and the chaos of transportation. From the jolts of a bumpy road to the constant hum of an airplane cargo hold, your packaging must hold firm. But how do you know if it’s ready? That’s where industry standards step in, ensuring your packaging doesn’t just look good but performs when it matters most. Here are the standards that matter in the UK market:

BS EN 22248: A European Essential

Focused on vertical vibration testing, BS EN 22248 is widely used across Europe. It’s particularly relevant for goods transported by road, where vibrations are a constant challenge.

ISO 11607: Protecting Medical Devices

In healthcare, there’s no margin for error. ISO 11607 ensures sterile and medical device packaging can withstand vibrations and shocks during transit while maintaining sterility and integrity.

ASTM D4169: A Holistic Approach

ASTM D4169 is the ultimate test for shipping containers. It simulates not only vibrations but also stacking pressures, handling stresses, and environmental conditions. It’s a go-to for comprehensive packaging validation.

ISTA Protocols: Built for Modern Logistics

The International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) offers tailored tests for different supply chain scenarios. For UK packaging aimed at retail or e-commerce, ISTA standards ensure durability from distribution centre to doorstep.

Performance That Speaks for Itself

In the packaging market, performance is everything. Vibration, shock, and bump testing aren’t just about avoiding damage—they’re about demonstrating your commitment to quality, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

CentraTEQ offers a comprehensive range of shock test machines, including AVEX Shock Test Machines, capable of delivering half-sine, sawtooth, and square-wave shock pulses up to 30,000G. Our portfolio also features Inclined Impact Test Machines and High-Speed Shock Testers to simulate transport dynamics, as well as Drop Test Machines and Bump Test Machines for conducting repetitive impact assessments. These cutting-edge solutions provide packaging departments and manufacturers with precise, data-driven insights to help ensure your packaging and products are transportation-ready.

For more information on Shock Testing & Vibration Testing in the Packaging Industry: Designing Packaging That Performs talk to CentraTEQ Ltd