ASTM D4169 2016, “Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems,” has just been released. I’ve posted about this standard before, since it is widely used by many companies to make sure shipping containers can protect the goods they contain. The standard provides a list of hazards to which shipping units might be subjected. It then show you how to set a test plan with tests for confirming the ability of containers to withstand specific challenges.
It’s a lengthy standard for ASTM, some 17 pages long. It was previously revised in 2014, however that edition has been replaced by the new ASTM D4169 2016 Edition. Details of the changes are of course spelled out for you in the redline edition, available from Document Center Inc. should you like. However, the authoring committee does list that you’ll find these changes in the following clauses:
- 12.1, 12.3, 12.4, and 12.4.1 (revised)
- 12.4.1.1, 12.4.1.2, 12.4.1.3, 12.4.1.4, 12.4.2, 12.4.2.1, 12.4.2.1(1), 12.4.2.1(2), 12.4.2.1(3), and 12.4.2.2 (added)
- Table 2, Table 3, and Table 4 (added)
- Note 4 (added)
FYI: There are additional areas in the redline edition that are marked with black lines in the margin. These can be found in both the body of the document and in the Annexes (mandatory) and Appendices (informational).
You’ll notice that most of the changes occur in Section 12, information on Schedule D and Schedule E (stacked vibration and vehicle vibration respectively). These schedules are used when setting up your test plan sequence. The tests are arranged in a certain sequence based on a time-line of expected hazards. The schedules provide you with a set of tests for the types of hazards that might be encountered at each stage of the time-line.
Now to get your copy of the new Edition. Order online at the Document Center Inc. webstore, www.document-center.com. We’re an authorized ASTM distributor, in business since 1982. Here’s a link to the order page for the ASTM D4169 for your convenience. If you have additional questions or want the redline edition, just get in touch with our staff. You can reach them by phone (650-591-7600) or by email (info@document-center.com). Make us your Standards Experts!