ISO 3036:2025

Overview

ISO 3036:2025 specifies a laboratory method for determining the puncture resistance of board using a pendulum device (puncture tester). Applicable to all types of board - including corrugated fibreboard and solid board commonly used in packaging cases - the standard measures the energy (in joules) required for a triangular-pyramid puncture head to perforate and open a test specimen.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Test principle: A pendulum-mounted triangular pyramid head impacts a clamped test piece; the energy required to produce a complete puncture (initial perforation plus tear and bending open) is measured.
• Puncture head: Right-angled triangular pyramid, height 25.0 mm ± 0.7 mm, with edge radii 1.0–1.6 mm; orientation and effective point position relative to the pendulum axis are specified.
• Pendulum geometry: Distance from puncture head to axis (267 ± 1) mm (reduced length tolerance ±7 mm allowed for existing instruments).
• Energy ranges: Interchangeable weights provide selectable energy ranges; test results should fall between 20% and 80% of the scale maximum.
• Clamping: Upper/lower clamping plates rigid, effective area ≥ 175 × 175 mm; upper plate opening is an equilateral triangle (100 mm ± 2 mm sides) or lower plate may use circular aperture (typically 90 mm ± 2 mm, up to 100 mm allowed). Clamping force 250–1 000 N.
• Collar and friction controls: Collar must slip off and keep the aperture open; collar friction loss ≤ 0.25 J (must be compensated in results). Pointer friction energy ≤ 0.05 J; overall friction and air/ bearing losses ≤ 1% of scale.
• Instrument checks & calibration: Adjustment, instrument checks, and calibration routines are defined (Annex A informative). Measurement is given in joules (conversion notes for GE units and kgf·cm included).
• Scope notes: ISO 3036 clarifies that pendulum-based results are not directly comparable to constant-speed puncture methods, especially for heavy board grades.

Applications and users

• Packaging manufacturers evaluating board performance for protective cartons and cases.
• Quality control and materials testing laboratories performing routine or acceptance testing.
• Board and corrugated fibreboard suppliers validating product specifications.
• R&D and design engineers selecting board grades for impact and puncture-sensitive applications (e.g., industrial packaging, transport protection). Practical outputs: objective puncture-resistance values for spec limits, supplier comparisons, and design validation.

Related standards

• ISO 186 - Sampling to determine average quality (referenced for sampling).
• ISO 187 - Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing (referenced for conditioning).
• Note: ISO 3036:2025 is the second edition and updates the original ISO 3036:1975 (technical revisions and added precision data).

Keywords: ISO 3036, puncture resistance, pendulum device, puncture tester, corrugated fibreboard, board testing, packaging standards, puncture head, joules.