IllustrationA drop test lets a device fall freely from a set height onto a hard surface in set orientations, then checks that it still works. Plan two tests: a product drop for handling in use, and a package drop for shipping. Write the height, surface, orientations, drop count and pass criteria down before the first unit falls.
Every wearable and handheld will be dropped. A drop test tells you, before customers find out, which part gives way first and whether the fix worked. This guide covers what a drop test proves, the difference between product and package drops, which standards people cite, how to set height, surface and pass criteria, and what tends to break in small devices.
This is an engineering summary. We read the public pages of IEC and ISTA listed at the end. The full IEC standard and the full ISTA procedures are sold, and we quote no height or severity from text we have not read.
What is a drop test, and what does it prove for a device?
In a drop test, the device falls freely from a set height onto a set surface. Each drop starts from a set orientation: a face, an edge or a corner. After each drop, someone checks the device against a written list. Does it power on? Does it charge, pair and record? Is the housing still closed?
A drop test proves that one design survives a set number of drops, at a set height, onto a set surface, in the orientations you tried. It cannot prove that the device survives every drop. A pass at a low height onto a soft surface says little about a fall onto a hard floor.
Drop testing usually happens twice in a hardware project. Early prototypes show where the design is weak. Units from the first molds then show whether the final design holds up. For what each build stage should deliver, see EVT, DVT and PVT.
Product drop or package drop: which do you need?
Most devices need both, because they answer different questions. A product drop tests the bare device against falls in use. A package drop tests the device inside its box against parcel and freight handling. ISTA says that in Procedure 3A the package and product are considered together and not separately (as of November 2026). A device in good foam can pass a package drop and still crack when it slips out of a hand.
| Test | Question it answers | What gets dropped | Common reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product drop | Does the bare device survive falls in use? | The bare device, in set orientations. | IEC 60068-2-31 free fall, or your own written method. |
| Tumble | Does it survive many small knocks over its life? | The bare device, many short falls in a row. | IEC 60068-2-31 lists repeated free fall. |
| Package drop | Does it arrive working after parcel handling? | The device in its retail box and shipper. | ISTA 1A as a screen, ISTA 3A for parcel shipping. |
| Board-level drop | Do the solder joints of one package survive a shock? | A component on a test board. | A component method. It does not replace a product drop. |
A board-level test says nothing about how your enclosure, battery and connectors behave together.
Which drop test standard fits: IEC 60068-2-31, ISTA or MIL-STD-810?
No single drop test standard covers every consumer device. Teams pick one for the product and one for the package, or write their own method and record it.
IEC 60068-2-31 for the product
IEC 60068-2-31 is Test Ec, rough handling shocks. The IEC webstore lists Edition 2.0, published May 21, 2008, with a stability date of 2030 (source, as of November 2026). The abstract says the test simulates knocks, jolts and falls during handling and repair work, primarily for equipment-type specimens.
Its scope has conditions worth keeping. The abstract says testing should only be specified for equipment likely to receive rough handling, for example items of small to medium size and mass. Equipment that is frequently handled and serviced, such as field equipment and unit spares, can be considered at risk. Equipment that is an integral part of a permanent installation would not normally be considered at risk and need not be tested. The test applies only to faces and corners at risk, and equipment that stands on one face is generally tested on that face only. Drop and topple, free fall, repeated free fall and bounce are run with the specimen free. Loose cargo in transport belongs to Test Ee, bounce, and shock to installed equipment belongs to Test Ea, shock. This edition also absorbed IEC 60068-2-32 (second edition, 1975) and added soft packaging tests where appropriate (all as of November 2026).
The heights, severities and drop counts sit in the paid text. Buy the standard, or ask your test lab to quote the procedure and severity it will run.
ISTA 1A and 3A for the shipping box
ISTA publishes packaging test procedures in series. It describes the 1 Series as non-simulation integrity tests and the 3 Series as general simulation of the damage-producing motions and forces of transport (ISTA test procedures, as of November 2026). The free overviews summarize each procedure.
| Item | ISTA 1A | ISTA 3A |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Integrity test for individual packaged-products. Part of the 1 Series, which ISTA calls non-simulation integrity performance tests and says are useful for screening. | General simulation test for individual packaged-products shipped through a parcel delivery system. |
| Weight limit | 68 kg (150 lb) or less. | 70 kg (150 lb) or less. |
| Version in the overview we read | Last technical change March 2014. | Last technical change March 2018. |
| Drops | One shock step. Drop height varies with packaged-product weight. Incline or horizontal impact are allowed alternatives. | For a small package: 9 drops not in a bag, then 7 drops in a bag. For a standard package: 9 drops, then 8 drops that include a drop on a hazard. |
| Other steps | Atmospheric preconditioning and fixed-displacement vibration. | Atmospheric preconditioning, random vibration with and without top load, optional low-pressure vibration. |
| Samples | One required. ISTA recommends five or more. | One required. ISTA recommends two or more for fragile products, which it says include electronics, and encourages five or more. |
Sources: ISTA 1A overview and ISTA 3A overview, as of November 2026. Both overviews point to ista.org for the complete list of procedure changes and version dates, so check them before you book a lab.
Check whether your boxed device fits the 3A small package definition: volume under 13,000 cm³ (800 in³), longest side 350 mm (14 in) or less, and weight 4.5 kg (10 lb) or less (as of November 2026). If it does, it follows the small package drop sequence in the table. In both procedures, ISTA says the shipper decides what counts as product damage and how much is allowed. Write that list before the lab run. ISTA also notes that 3A is no substitute for the United Nations and other tests required to transport hazardous materials. For a device with a lithium battery, see shipping Li-Po wearables under UN38.3.
MIL-STD-810 and other spec-sheet claims
Some rugged handhelds cite MIL-STD-810 on their spec sheets. We did not read its drop procedure for this article, so we quote nothing from it. When a supplier or a competitor claims it, ask for the method, procedure, revision, height, surface, orientations, unit count and power state. Two claims of the same standard can describe very different tests.
What is a tumble test, and when is it worth running?
A tumble test drops the device many times in a row from a low height. Some labs run it in a rotating drum, so the device lands on random faces, edges and corners. IEC 60068-2-31 lists repeated free fall among its tests (as of November 2026). Ask the lab which procedure its drum follows, if any.
A single drop from a set height finds the weak point under one hard hit. A tumble test finds damage that builds up: a screw that backs out, a snap that wears, a connector that walks out of its socket. Run one when the device rides in pockets and bags, like an earbud case or a tracker. Check function at set intervals, so you learn when the failure started.
How do you set drop height, surface, orientation and pass criteria?
Start from how the device is used. Then write every variable down, because a drop result means nothing without its conditions. If you follow a standard, take its values. If you write your own method, this table is the minimum to record.
| Variable | What to write down | Example of good wording |
|---|---|---|
| Height | Measured from the lowest point of the device, based on real use. | Desk height for a tabletop speaker, hand height for a handheld, wrist height for a band. |
| Surface | One named surface, with material and thickness. | A hard, flat surface you can repeat. A harder surface usually makes a harsher test. |
| Orientations | Every face, edge and corner, and the order. | A table with one row per drop and one column per sample. |
| Drop count and samples | Drops per orientation and units per sequence. | A fresh unit for each sequence, serial number logged. |
| Power state | On, off or a set mode. | Powered and recording, so a reset or a lost file counts as a failure. |
| Temperature | Room temperature, or conditioned first. | Plastics get stiffer in the cold, so add a cold run for outdoor devices. |
| Pass criteria | What must work, and what cosmetic damage is allowed. | Powers on, pairs, charges, buttons work, battery not swollen, no open seam. |
The examples are engineering practice, and none quotes a standard. Measure the height on your own users and furniture. Keep the surface the same across runs, or you cannot compare a fix with the original failure. Decide in advance which cosmetic damage you will accept.
If the device is also sealed for water, test sealing again after the drops. A seal that passed when new can leak after the housing flexes. See IP67 vs IP68 test conditions.
What breaks first when a wearable or handheld is dropped?
The table lists the usual places to look when you open a failed unit. It is a checklist from engineering practice and holds no failure statistics. Your teardown photos are the real data.
| Part | Why it fails | Design response |
|---|---|---|
| Battery and its leads | Often the heaviest part. It moves and pulls on its tabs or connector. | A pocket or foam that holds it, strain relief, a latching connector. |
| Display and cover glass | Corner and edge drops bend the frame and load the glass edge. | A raised lip around the glass and corner drops in the plan. |
| Snap fits and bosses | The housing flexes, a snap releases or a boss cracks at its root. | Fillets at the root, snaps sized for the flex, a screw near each corner. |
| Solder joints on heavy parts | Connectors, shields and large packages pull on their joints as the board flexes. | Keep them off board edges and unsupported spans. Add board supports. |
| Flex cables and connectors | Inertia unseats a connector or tears a flex at a sharp bend. | Latches, tape or foam over mated connectors, a generous bend radius. |
| Buttons, springs and antennas | Parts held by spring force shift and lose contact. | Check RF and buttons after every drop. |
Enclosure choices that help
Molders publish rules that bear on impact. A Protolabs design tip says polycarbonate is more impact-resistant than ABS, talc raises stiffness but typically weakens impact resistance, and glass-fiber filler makes nylon more brittle on impact. It suggests TPEs for padding corners, says sharp corners weaken parts, and recommends adding a fillet inside a corner and a radius outside it where possible. It also says ribs and gussets should be no more than 60 percent of the nominal wall thickness (Protolabs, as of November 2026). For how the common enclosure resins compare, see PC vs ABS vs PC/ABS.
Snap fits deserve their own review, because a drop is often the hardest load they see. See snap fit joint design.
Inside the housing
Stop the battery from moving, secure mated connectors, and put a screw or support close to each corner, because corners take the first hit. Then repeat the drop on the changed design under the same conditions as the failed unit.
What should you ask your hardware team?
Use this list at the design review before the first drop run, and record who answered each item.
- Which standard, procedure and revision does the plan follow, or is it our own written method?
- How were height, surface and orientations chosen from real use?
- How many units take the full sequence, and is each one fresh?
- Is the device powered during the drop, and does a reset count as a failure?
- Is the pass list checked after every drop or only at the end?
- Does the package drop use the real retail box, and which ISTA procedure fits our shipping route?
- Which drops do we repeat after a mold change or a new battery?
Drop runs belong in the prototype and first-mold builds. For the typical checks on a small-batch or production line, see quality checks from parts to packing.
Questions about drop testing
Which drop test standard should a consumer device use?
Does passing ISTA 3A mean the bare device survives a drop?
No. ISTA says the package and product are considered together in 3A (3A overview, as of November 2026). A device that survives inside foam can still crack when it falls from a hand. Run a product drop as a separate test.
How many units should we drop?
ISTA requires one sample for 1A and 3A, and recommends more: five or more for 1A, and two or more for fragile products such as electronics in 3A (as of November 2026). For product drops, the standard you follow sets the count. If you write your own method, use more than one unit, because one pass tells you little about the spread.
How can Duobay help with drop testing?
Duobay develops custom devices for US companies with a Shenzhen engineering team that covers mechanical, electrical, firmware, app and test work, and builds samples and small batches. A drop plan can be written next to the enclosure design. We do not publish prices, and initial calls are free. Tell us about your device.
If you want a drop plan written next to your enclosure design, tell us about your device.
Sources. All pages accessed November 6, 2026. Standards and procedures are revised, so confirm current versions before you book a lab.
- IEC, IEC 60068-2-31:2008, Environmental testing, Part 2-31: Test Ec, rough handling shocks, primarily for equipment-type specimens, Edition 2.0, webstore abstract (link)
- ISTA, Test Procedures, series descriptions (link)
- ISTA, Procedure 1A overview, version 2014 (link)
- ISTA, Procedure 3A overview, version 2018 (link)
- Protolabs, design tip on stronger molded parts with ribs, gussets and durable materials (link)
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