Plastic material testing: ensuring performance, compliance, and trust

1 December 2025

When developing a plastic piece, choosing the compound is only the first step. To ensure that the final product will be reliable, durable, and compliant with norms, it is essential to conduct plastic material testing. These tests help anticipate the mechanical behavior of the polymer, limit risks related to product liability, and strengthen customer confidence.

At HoliMaker, we manufacture machines that allow our clients to perform their own tests, easily and quickly, before launching large runs. We also provide standardized tensile specimen molds. This gives our clients the ability to send them to laboratories for tests compliant with ISO requirements.

Why test plastic materials?

Predict longevity and mechanical behavior

Each polymer has different characteristics: tensile strength, deformation, stiffness, creep resistance, and impact resistance. Tensile tests measure the maximum stress supported and the elongation it undergoes before breaking. These measurements are essential for predicting item longevity and ensuring its performance, especially for rigid parts or those subjected to significant stresses.

Verify repeatability and material consistency

Before serial production, it is crucial to verify that the polymer remains consistent from one batch to another and that injected parts exhibit homogeneous properties. Initial tests on specimens allow you to:

Control the repeatability of mechanical properties
Verify the regularity of deformation and polymer consistency
Identify any variation in the plastic or injection process

This step is essential to guarantee the quality and reliability of your production.

Ensure iso standards compliance

ISO standards, such as ISO 527-2, define standard methods for measuring the strength of plastics. They specifically specify:

The geometry and dimensions of specimens
Test conditions on the tensile testing machine (speed, temperature, applied stresses)

HoliMaker manufactures molds for specimens compliant with the two most common types: Type 1A and Type 1B, meeting ISO requirements and ensuring data reliability.

Protect against product liability

Having documented tests, performed according to ISO standards, helps limit legal risks in case of failure. Reports include stress and deformation values and the nature of the material, serving as proof of due diligence for manufacturers.

Strengthen customer confidence

Transparency about the mechanical performance and durability of a product increases your brand’s credibility. Customers appreciate products whose stiffness, deformation, and stress have been measured and verified according to recognized ISO specifications.

Plastic testing in the broad sense

In addition to tensile testing, several tests help characterize a material:

Flexural test: measures strength and stiffness
Compression test: evaluates behavior under compressive load and elongation
Impact test: measures impact resistance on more rigid plastics
Hardness test: analyzes surface resistance to local stresses
Thermal and chemical analyses: verify polymer stability and resistance to aggressive environments

These tests are complementary and provide a complete picture of the mechanical behavior of the plastic.

ISO 527-2 tensile specimens

For tensile tests, the ISO 527-2 standard defines several types of specimens according to cross-section and length. The most common are:

Type 1A: standard specimen with narrow central section, suitable for conventional stress tests
Type 1B: shorter specimen, used for parts or molds limited in dimensions

These specimens allow precise measurement of:

Maximum stress before rupture
Plastic elongation
Elastic modulus to evaluate stiffness

At HoliMaker, with our HoliPress 16+ and HoliPress 38 machines, our clients can produce their own samples, ensuring homogeneity and compliance with ISO requirements.

Tensile specimen dimensions

Source: ITEH Standards

Other specimen molds can be manufactured to adapt to specific needs. The specimens illustrated below, primarily standardized, constitute examples of customer implementations:

N°	Type	ISO norm	Dimensions
1	Rheology disc	/	60mm (d) x 1mm
2	Cylinder	ASTM D695	- 12,7 mm (d) x 24,5 mm - 12,7 mm (d) x 50,8 mm
3	Rectangle & tensile	ASTM D882	- 60,5 mm x 13 mm x 3 mm - 80 mm x 20 mm x 1 mm (calibrated part: 3,6 mm x 0,9 mm)
4	Tensile	ASTM D638 type IV	115 mm x 19 mm x 3,4 mm (calibrated part: 33 mm x 6 mm)
5	Circle & tensile	ASTM D882	25,4 mm x 12,7 mm x 0,6 mm (calibrated part: 22 mm x 5 mm)
6	Tensile	ISO 527-5A	75 mm x 12,5 mm x 2 mm (calibrated part: 25 mm x 4 mm)
7	Rheology disc	/	Custom
8	Tensile & circle	- ISO 37 type 1 - ISO 815B	- 115 mm x 25 mm x 2 mm (calibrated part: 33 mm x 6 mm) - 13 mm (d) x 0,5 mm
9	Rectangular plate	/	105 mm x 70 mm x 4 mm

Plastic material testing is an indispensable step in product development. It allows you to:

Verify material repeatability and consistency
Reduce development costs
Accelerate product or concept validation
Control elongation, stress, and stiffness
Ensure compliance with ISO standards and regulatory requirements
Protect against product liability
Strengthen customer confidence

With HoliPress, HoliMaker offers machines that enable specimen production and preparation for regulatory testing. Investing in material testing means securing your projects and maximizing the performance of your plastic products.

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