The question our testing laboratory receives most often before an ISTA 3F test is simple: what do we need to prepare. This procedure covers individual packages carried on a mixed pallet, moving from a distribution centre to retail stores. What differs from a unitised load is that the samples have to be varied, not several copies of the same thing. The short answer is the five groups below.
1. Information about the individual packages
- Dimensions of each package: length, width and height.
- Weight of each package, weighed as shipped.
- Which size and weight groups the packages fall into. The more groups are represented, the more representative the sample set.
- Outer packaging: carton, paperboard box, bag, or a box with cushioning.
- Whether goods are fragile, prone to leakage, or have a short shelf life.
2. Information about the mixed pallet
- How many packages one pallet carries, and how many different products are mixed on it.
- How packages are arranged: interlocked, all facing one way, or layer by layer.
- Wooden or plastic pallet, two-way or four-way entry, whether it is stretch wrapped.
- How many distribution centres the goods pass through before reaching the store.
- How long the goods stay in the distribution centre, and the temperature and humidity there.
- Whether the goods are unloaded by hand or with equipment at the store.
3. Information about samples
- A list of the packages submitted, each with dimensions and weight. The samples have to differ from each other.
- Whether the packages are already packed in the retail configuration.
- Whether one package represents the best-selling group and one the heaviest group.
- Whether samples have to be kept after the test, and for how long.
4. Pass and fail criteria
- The acceptable level of product damage.
- The acceptable level of packaging damage, including loss of label or an unreadable barcode.
- How far the pallet may lean or topple.
- How the packages are examined after the test, including whether they remain saleable.
5. Report and timing
- Whether the report splits results per package or groups them together.
- Report in Vietnamese, English or bilingual.
- Test report only, or an additional association certification.
- The date the results are needed.
6. Why the mixed pallet has to be described properly
If the pallet carries a single product and all packages are alike, the problem is a unitised load and a different procedure applies. Procedure 3F only has value when the samples reflect the real variety of the pallet: heavy packages next to light ones, large ones pressing on small ones, soft goods wedged between rigid ones. Sending five identical packages to a 3F test is the surest way to end up with a result that says nothing about the real risk in a distribution centre.
Three links worth reading before you send samples: what ISTA 3F is, what ISTA 3E is, and how to choose the right ISTA procedure.
You can send the five groups above through the form below, together with a photo of a real built pallet. The lab will reply with the list of packages to send and an expected schedule.
This article reflects our testing laboratory’s experience in collecting information. It does not quote the content of the ISTA standard and does not replace reading the original standard before implementation.
