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I recently inherited a sealer validation project. Having never worked on packaging equipment before, I'm looking for guidance in determining the burst requirement for my packaging. The contract manufacturing company I am working with has conducted burst tests and recorded the values for me. They have informed me that they typically take 70% of the average from the samples that were set at the minimum parameter settings. When I questioned how this was derived, they were unable to provide the source. The question I have for you, is this approach sound and consistent with industry practices? I'm currently awaiting for my copy of F1140-00 and F2054-00. Are there any other sources I should be referencing?

Last Updated On October 7, 2025

The method described by the contract packaging company is sometimes used to set a value for testing pouches using a creep test rather than a burst. ASTM F1140 gives a similar direction for the creep method in this standard. This would be a pass/fail test. However, before attempting to use a burst tester to validate a sealer, it is important to first determine if burst testing is suitable for evaluation of seals in the specific package type being used in the study. There are many types of packages where burst testing will not help determine the suitability of a specific seal made with your sealer.

If the package has opening features designed for easier access into the contents, the failure of that feature prior to the seal made with that sealer will make burst testing for seal strength very difficult. It is also challenging to use a burst tester for this type of validation when using a package that has multiple components such as a breather bag or a pouch with fitments. The test seal, often the final or closure seal you want to optimize, may be stronger than the other components and the package would fail during burst testing before the seal conditions were optimized and validated.

Similarly using a burst tester to validate a tray sealer is also very difficult. The differences in strength and extensibility between the tray and the lidding material make it difficult to optimize seals using a burst tester.

A burst test is really a stress test for the entire package, not just one seal. Therefore it can only be used to optimize a seal if that seal is equal to or weaker than the other seals and the other components of the package. When performing a heat seal validation, ASTM F88 (Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials) is more frequently employed. This test allows the user to assess each seal area separately against the appropriate requirements. Refer to ASTM F3263 Standard Guide for Packaging Test Method Validation for guidance on setting up a validation for the test method to be used.

For further information on seal validation it may also be helpful to review the GHTF Process Validation Guidance GHTF/SG3/N99-10: 2004 Edition 2.