Designation

This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4169; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript epsilon (ε) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

ε¹ NOTE— Editorial corrections made throughout in March 2024.

1. Scope*

1.1

This practice provides a uniform basis of evaluating, in a laboratory, the ability of shipping units to withstand the distribution environment. This is accomplished by subjecting them to a test plan consisting of a sequence of anticipated hazard elements encountered in various distribution cycles. This practice is not intended to supplant material specifications or existing preshipment test procedures.

1.2

Consider the use of Practice D7386 for testing of packages for single parcel shipments.

1.3

The suitability of this practice for use with hazardous materials has not been determined.

1.4

The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units that are provided for information only and are not considered standard.

1.5

This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

2. Referenced Documents

2.1 ASTM Standards:2

2.2 Military Standards:4

2.3 Association of American Railroads Standards:5

3. Terminology

3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:

3.3 Abbreviations:

4. Significance and Use

4.1

4.2

5. Test Specimen

5.1

5.2

5.3

6. Conditioning

6.1

7. Acceptance Criteria

7.1

7.2

8. Procedure

8.1

8.2

8.3

8.4

8.5

8.6

8.7

8.8

8.9

8.10

8.11

9. Hazard Elements and Test Schedules

9.1

10. Schedule A—Handling—Manual and Mechanical

10.1

10.2

10.3

11. Schedule B—Warehouse Stacking and Schedule C—Vehicle Stacking

11.1

11.2

11.3

11.4

12. Schedule D—Stacked Vibration and Schedule E—Vehicle Vibration

12.1

12.2

12.3

12.4 Random Test Option:

12.5 Sine Test Option:

13. Schedule F—Loose Load Vibration

13.1

13.2

14. Schedule G—Simulated Rail Switching

14.1

14.2

14.3

14.4

15. Schedule H—Environmental Hazard

15.1

15.2

15.3

15.4

16. Schedule I—Low Pressure (High Altitude) Hazard

16.1

16.2

17. Schedule J—Concentrated Impact

17.1

17.2

18. Report

18.1

18.2

19. Precision and Bias

19.1

20. Keywords

20.1

REFERENCES

ASTM D4169 - 23e1

Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems

Current

Published:

1 Dec 2023