Will your packaging survive delivery?
Map the route, test the complete packed product under relevant conditions, and agree damage limits before testing. Use production-representative samples and retain a report linking results to the exact packaging version. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate factory samples and packaging checks through its staff in China.
Start with the route, not a drop height
Write down the journey from factory to customer: container loading, pallet transport, warehouse storage, unpacking, repacking and parcel delivery. Ask the forwarder, warehouse and final carrier how goods are handled and stacked. Identify where the packaging changes. A carton that reaches your warehouse intact may still fail after its protective outer is removed.
Give this route brief to the testing laboratory and ask it to explain the proposed test sequence and severity. Include vibration, handling impacts or pallet stability where relevant; drops and compression alone may leave gaps. Our e-commerce sourcing guide covers channel choices. This assessment should check the packaging used at each handover.
Condition the complete pack before testing
Ask the laboratory to propose temperature and humidity conditions based on the route, storage environment and seasonal exposure. Agree the exposure duration, how conditioning is recorded, and how conditions are maintained during testing or transfer. Testing a dry pack straight from an office does not answer whether it will survive damp storage.
Use the complete packed product, including accessories, inserts, closures and the intended outer. Record its condition before exposure and before mechanical testing. If moisture, condensation or cold could affect the product itself, add relevant functional checks. Put the conditioning plan and packaging version into your product specification.
Make drops and compression answer different questions
For drops, agree the height, orientations, impact surface and sequence with the laboratory against the route brief. Include vulnerable faces, edges and corners as appropriate. Record each impact and inspect for displaced inserts, opened closures, leaks and hidden product damage. A video of an unspecified factory drop is useful screening evidence, but insufficient for acceptance.
For compression, agree the applied load, loading method, duration and support arrangement against the expected stack and storage conditions. Distinguish a brief crushing-strength result from resistance under sustained stacking. HSE guidance explains that stack height depends on load strength and stability as well as operator visibility. Ask whether compression is merely preparation for later tests or an acceptance test.
Select samples that represent what will ship
Ask the laboratory to justify sample quantities for the selected method and the range of configurations. Cover relevant differences in product weight, fragility, carton dimensions, inserts and packing layouts. Select samples from production or a documented production-equivalent run. Have an inspector identify them rather than allowing the factory to supply specially reinforced demonstration packs.
Record sample identities, batch references, packing materials and selection locations. Agree whether tests use the same packs in sequence or separate fresh samples; do not quietly replace damaged samples. Record any damage during delivery to the laboratory and any repacking. Keep transit performance testing separate from the batch defect checks explained in our quality inspection guide.
Agree acceptance evidence before releasing goods
Define failure before testing: breakage, loss of function, leakage, unacceptable cosmetic damage, missing contents, unreadable labels or packaging that cannot be handled safely. Decide whether retail-box appearance matters even when the product works. Require a report identifying samples, packaging revision, conditioning records, equipment, actual test settings, sequence, deviations and results, with photographs before and after testing.
Match the tested pack to production materials and assembly before shipment release. After failure, document the cause, revise the pack and agree a retest covering the affected sequence. Reassess changes to materials, suppliers, packed weight or the route. Use a monitored trial shipment to check laboratory assumptions, retaining arrival photographs and damage records; a successful trial does not guarantee every delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What drop height should I ask the factory to use?
Ask a laboratory to select it against the delivery route and packed product. Agree orientations, impact surface and sequence too. An unexplained height does not establish that the test represents your handling risks.
Should packaging be tested after humid conditioning?
If damp storage or transport is relevant, ask the laboratory to include suitable conditioning and record it. Agree how conditions are maintained during testing so a dry-pack result is not mistaken for evidence about damp exposure.
How many packaging samples should I test?
Ask the laboratory to justify quantities against the method and configuration range. Use representative production packs and record their selection. Do not substitute a routine batch inspection sample size for a transit test plan.
Is a factory drop-test video enough?
Use it for screening. For acceptance, require identified samples, agreed damage limits, recorded conditions and test settings, plus inspection of the contents and functional results. Check that production uses the tested packaging.