1.1 This guide provides directions for the design and evaluation of primary flexible packages for medical products. The package materials must be selected appropriately for manufacturing process, end use, and the product being packaged.
1.2 This guide provides a compendium of test methods, practices, and procedures. Specific individual test methods must be selected based on the pertinent characteristics of the specific product to be packaged and the purpose for testing, research and development, or compliance. Not all test methods will be applicable.
1.3 This guide does not address acceptability criteria, which need to be determined jointly by the package producer and the medical products manufacturer.
1.4 This guide does not assess the product to be packaged or the sterilization method to be used.
1.5 The units cited in the referenced standard should be used.
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.
ASTM F2097-20 Referenced Document
ASTM D1003 Standard Test Method for Haze and Luminous Transmittance of Transparent Plastics
ASTM D1434 Standard Test Method for Determining Gas Permeability Characteristics of Plastic Film and Sheeting
ASTM D1709 Standard Test Methods for Impact Resistance of Plastic Film by the Free-Falling Dart Method
ASTM D1777 Standard Test Method for Thickness of Textile Materials
ASTM D1894 Standard Test Method for Static and Kinetic Coefficients of Friction of Plastic Film and Sheeting*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM D1922 Standard Test Method for Propagation Tear Resistance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by Pendulum Method*, 2023-05-15 Update
ASTM D1938 Standard Test Method for Tear-Propagation Resistance (Trouser Tear) of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting by a Single-Tear Method
ASTM D2019 Standard Test Method for Dirt in Paper and Paperboard
ASTM D2457 Standard Test Method for Specular Gloss of Plastic Films and Solid Plastics
ASTM D3078 Standard Test Method for Determination of Leaks in Flexible Packaging by Bubble Emission
ASTM D3079 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission of Flexible Heat-Sealed Packages for Dry Products
ASTM D3335 Standard Test Method for Low Concentrations of Lead, Cadmium, and Cobalt in Paint by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
ASTM D3420 Standard Test Method for Pendulum Impact Resistance of Plastic Film
ASTM D3718 Standard Test Method for Low Concentrations of Chromium in Paint by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy*, 2022-06-01 Update
ASTM D374 Standard Test Methods for Thickness of Solid Electrical Insulation
ASTM D3776 Standard Test Methods for Mass Per Unit Area (Weight) of Fabric
ASTM D3985 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Coulometric Sensor
ASTM D4169 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems
ASTM D4279 Standard Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of Shipping Containers—Constant and Cycle Methods*, 2022-10-01 Update
ASTM D4321 Standard Test Method for Package Yield of Plastic Film
ASTM D4332 Standard Practice for Conditioning Containers, Packages, or Packaging Components for Testing
ASTM D4754 Standard Test Method for Two-Sided Liquid Extraction of Plastic Materials Using FDA Migration Cell
ASTM D5264 Standard Practice for Abrasion Resistance of Printed Materials by the Sutherland Rub Tester
ASTM D589 Standard Test Method for Opacity of Paper (15&176; Diffuse Illuminant A, 89 % Reflectance Backing and Paper Backing)
ASTM D638 Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
ASTM D645/D645M Standard Test Method for Thickness of Paper and Paperboard
ASTM D685 Standard Practice for Conditioning Paper and Paper Products for Testing
ASTM D726 Standard Test Method for Resistance of Nonporous Paper to Passage of Air
ASTM D7386 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Packages for Single Parcel Delivery Systems*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM D882 Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic Sheeting
ASTM E167 Standard Practice for Goniophotometry of Objects and Materials (Withdrawn 2005)
ASTM E171/E171M Standard Practice for Conditioning and Testing Flexible Barrier Packaging
ASTM E398 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate of Sheet Materials Using Dynamic Relative Humidity Measurement*, 2020-06-01 Update
ASTM F1140 Standard Test Methods for Internal Pressurization Failure Resistance of Unrestrained Packages*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F1249 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using a Modulated Infrared Sensor
ASTM F1306 Standard Test Method for Slow Rate Penetration Resistance of Flexible Barrier Films and Laminates
ASTM F1307 Test Method for Oxygen Transmission Rate Through Dry Packages Using a Coulometric Sensor
ASTM F151 Standard Test Method for Residual Solvents in Flexible Barrier Materials (Withdrawn 2004)
ASTM F1608 Standard Test Method for Microbial Ranking of Porous Packaging Materials (Exposure Chamber Method)*, 2021-10-01 Update
ASTM F17 Standard Terminology Relating to Flexible Barrier Materials
ASTM F1884 Standard Test Method for Determining Residual Solvents in Packaging Materials
ASTM F1886 Standard Test Method for Determining Integrity of Seals for Medical Packaging by Visual Inspection
ASTM F1921 Standard Test Method for Hot Seal Strength (Hot Tack) of Thermoplastic Polymers and Blends Comprising the Sealing Surfaces of Flexible Webs
ASTM F1927 Standard Test Method for Determination of Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate, Permeability and Permeance at Controlled Relative Humidity Through Barrier Materials Using a Coulometric Detector
ASTM F1929 Standard Test Method for Detecting Seal Leaks in Porous Medical Packaging by Dye Penetration
ASTM F1980 Standard Guide for Accelerated Aging of Sterile Medical Device Packages
ASTM F2029 Standard Practices for Making Laboratory Heat Seals for Determination of Heat Sealability of Flexible Barrier Materials as Measured by Seal Strength*, 2021-04-15 Update
ASTM F2054 Standard Test Method for Burst Testing of Flexible Package Seals Using Internal Air Pressurization Within Restraining Plates*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2095 Standard Test Methods for Pressure Decay Leak Test for Flexible Packages With and Without Restraining Plates*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2096 Standard Test Method for Detecting Gross Leaks in Medical Packaging by Internal Pressurization (Bubble Test)*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2203 Standard Test Method for Linear Measurement Using Precision Steel Rule*, 2022-10-01 Update
ASTM F2217 Standard Practice for Coating/Adhesive Weight Determination*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2227 Standard Test Method for Non-Destructive Detection of Leaks in Non-sealed and Empty Packaging Trays by CO2 Tracer Gas Method*, 2021-01-15 Update
ASTM F2228 Standard Test Method for Non-Destructive Detection of Leaks in Packaging Which Incorporates Porous Barrier Material by CO2 Tracer Gas Method*, 2021-01-15 Update
ASTM F2250 Standard Practice for Evaluation of Chemical Resistance of Printed Inks and Coatings on Flexible Packaging Materials*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2251 Standard Test Method for Thickness Measurement of Flexible Packaging Material*, 2023-04-01 Update
ASTM F2252 Standard Practice for Evaluating Ink or Coating Adhesion to Flexible Packaging Materials Using Tape*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2338 Standard Test Method for Nondestructive Detection of Leaks in Packages by Vacuum Decay Method*, 2020-11-15 Update
ASTM F2391 Standard Test Method for Measuring Package and Seal Integrity Using Helium as the Tracer Gas*, 2022-11-15 Update
ASTM F2475 Standard Guide for Biocompatibility Evaluation of Medical Device Packaging Materials*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2476 Standard Test Method for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide Gas Transmission Rate (CO2TR) Through Barrier Materials Using an Infrared Detector*, 2020-06-01 Update
ASTM F2559 Standard Guide for Writing a Specification for Sterilizable Peel Pouches*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2622 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using Various Sensors*, 2020-06-01 Update
ASTM F2638 Standard Test Method for Using Aerosol Filtration for Measuring the Performance of Porous Packaging Materials as a Surrogate Microbial Barrier*, 2022-05-01 Update
ASTM F2714 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Headspace Analysis of Packages Using Fluorescent Decay*, 2021-01-15 Update
ASTM F2824 Standard Test Method for Mechanical Seal Strength Testing for Round Cups and Bowl Containers with Flexible Peelable Lids*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F2825 Standard Practice for Climatic Stressing of Packaging Systems for Single Parcel Delivery
ASTM F2981 Standard Test Method for Verifying Nonporous Flexible Barrier Material Resistance to the Passage of Air
ASTM F3004 Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Seal Quality and Integrity Using Airborne Ultrasound*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F3039 Standard Test Method for Detecting Leaks in Nonporous Packaging or Flexible Barrier Materials by Dye Penetration*, 2023-05-01 Update
ASTM F3136 Standard Test Method for Oxygen Gas Transmission Rate through Plastic Film and Sheeting using a Dynamic Accumulation Method*, 2022-12-01 Update
ASTM F3169 Standard Test Method for Leak Detection in Blister Packaging by Vacuum Deflection Method by Laser Measurement
ASTM F3287 Standard Test Method for Nondestructive Detection of Leaks in Packages by Mass Extraction Method
ASTM F3299 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate Through Plastic Film and Sheeting Using an Electrolytic Detection Sensor (Coulometric P2O5 Sensor)*, 2023-05-01 Update
ASTM F3300 Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Flexible Packaging Films Using a Reciprocating Weighted Stylus*, 2023-05-01 Update
ASTM F372 Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Transmission Rate of Flexible Barrier Materials Using an Infrared Detection Technique
ASTM F392 Standard Test Method for Flex Durability of Flexible Barrier Materials
ASTM F748 Standard Practice for Selecting Generic Biological Test Methods for Materials and Devices
ASTM F813 Standard Practice for Direct Contact Cell Culture Evaluation of Materials for Medical Devices
ASTM F88 Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials*, 2024-04-22 Update
ASTM F895 Standard Test Method for Agar Diffusion Cell Culture Screening for Cytotoxicity
ASTM F904 Standard Test Method for Comparison of Bond Strength or Ply Adhesion of Similar Laminates Made from Flexible Materials
ASTM F99 Standard Practice for Preparation of Flexible Barrier Material Specifications
ISO 10993 Biological evaluation of medical devices — Part 9: Framework for identification and quantification of potential degradation products
ISO 187 Paper, board and pulps; standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing and procedure for monitoring the atmosphere and conditioning of samples*, 2022-01-01 Update
ISO 2556 Plastics; Determination of the gas transmission rate of films and thin sheets under atmospheric pressure; Manometric method
ASTM F2097-20 history
2023ASTM F2097-23 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2020ASTM F2097-20 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2016ASTM F2097-16 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2014ASTM F2097-14 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2010ASTM F2097-10 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2008ASTM F2097-08 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2007ASTM F2097-07 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Flexible Packaging for Medical Products
2005ASTM F2097-05 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Packaging for Medical Products
2001ASTM F2097-01 Standard Guide for Design and Evaluation of Primary Packaging for Medical Products