###### Editorial Note on [Part 173](/current/title-49/part-173?toc=1)

#### Editorial Note:

Nomenclature changes to part 173 appear at [70 FR 56098](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/70-FR-56098), Sept. 23, 2005.

#### § 173.465 Type A packaging tests.

(a) The packaging, with contents, must be capable of withstanding the water spray, free drop, stacking and penetration tests prescribed in this section. One prototype may be used for all tests if the requirements of [paragraph (b)](/on/2024-09-24/title-49/section-173.465#p-173.465(b)) of this section are met. The tests are successful if the requirements of [§ 173.412(j)](/on/2024-09-24/title-49/section-173.412#p-173.412(j)) are met.

(b) *Water spray test.* The water spray test must precede each test or test sequence prescribed in this section. The water spray test must simulate exposure to rainfall of approximately 5 cm (2 inches) per hour for at least one hour. The time interval between the end of the water spray test and the beginning of the next test must be such that the water has soaked in to the maximum extent without appreciable drying of the exterior of the specimen. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, this interval may be assumed to be two hours if the water spray is applied from four different directions simultaneously. However, no time interval may elapse if the water spray is applied from each of the four directions consecutively.

(c) *Free drop test.* The specimen must drop onto the target so as to suffer maximum damage to the safety features being tested, and:

(1) The height of the drop measured from the lowest point of the specimen to the upper surface of the target may not be less than the distance specified in table 10, for the applicable package mass. The target must be as specified in [§ 173.465(c)(5)](/on/2024-09-24/title-49/section-173.465#p-173.465(c)(5)). Table 10 is as follows:

Table 10—Free Drop Distance for Testing Packages to Normal Conditions of Transport

| Package mass | Free drop distance | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kilograms (pounds) | Meters | (Feet) |
| <Mass 5000 (11,000) | 1.2 | (4) |
| 5,000 (11,000) Mass to 10,000 (22,000) | 0.9 | (3) |
| 10,000 (22,000) Mass to 15,000 (33,000) | 0.6 | (2) |
| >15,000 (33,000) Mass | 0.3 | (1) |

(2) For packages containing fissile material, the free drop test specified in [paragraph (c)(1)](/on/2024-09-24/title-49/section-173.465#p-173.465(c)(1)) of this section must be preceded by a free drop from a height of 0.3 m (1 foot) on each corner, or in the case of cylindrical packages, onto each of the quarters of each rim.

(3) For fiberboard or wood rectangular packages with a mass of 50 kg (110 pounds) or less, a separate specimen must be subjected to a free drop onto each corner from a height of 0.3 m (1 foot).

(4) For cylindrical fiberboard packages with a mass of 100 kg (220 pounds) or less, a separate specimen must be subjected to a free drop onto each of the quarters of each rim from a height of 0.3 m (1 foot).

(5) The target for the free drop test must be a flat, horizontal surface of such mass and rigidity that any increase in its resistance to displacement or deformation upon impact by the specimen would not significantly increase the damage to the specimen.

(d) *Stacking test.*

(1) The specimen must be subjected for a period of at least 24 hours to a compressive load equivalent to the greater of the following:

(i) A total weight equal to five times the maximum weight of the package; or

(ii) The equivalent of 13 kilopascals (1.9 psi) multiplied by the vertically projected area of the package.

(2) The compressive load must be applied uniformly to two opposite sides of the specimen, one of which must be the base on which the package would normally rest.

(e) *Penetration test.* For the penetration test, the specimen must be placed on a rigid, flat, horizontal surface that will not move significantly while the test is being performed.

(1) A bar of 3.2 cm (1.25 inches) in diameter with a hemispherical end and a mass of 6 kg (13.2 pounds) must be dropped and directed to fall with its longitudinal axis vertical, onto the center of the weakest part of the specimen, so that, if it penetrates far enough, it will hit the containment system. The bar may not be significantly deformed by the test; and

(2) The height of the drop of the bar measured from its lower end to the intended point of impact on the upper surface of the specimen must be 1 m (3.3 feet) or greater.

[Amdt. 173-244, [60 FR 50307](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/60-FR-50307), Sept. 28, 1995, as amended by Amdt. 173-244, [61 FR 20753](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/61-FR-20753), May 8, 1996; [66 FR 45380](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/66-FR-45380), Aug. 28, 2001; [69 FR 3692](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/69-FR-3692), Jan. 26, 2004; [70 FR 56099](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/70-FR-56099), Sept. 23, 2005; [79 FR 40617](https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/79-FR-40617), July 11, 2014]