ISO 20768:2018/Amd 1:2025

Overview

ISO 20768:2018/Amd 1:2025 is an essential amendment to the international standard ISO 20768:2018, focused on vapour products and routine analytical vaping machines. This amendment addresses corrections to the puff profile requirements, ensuring more precise definitions and standardized conditions for the operation of vaping machines used in control analyses. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed this document through its technical committee ISO/TC 126 (Tobacco and tobacco products), in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN/TC 437).

The update primarily refines the puff profile parameters such as puff frequency and flow rate specifications, which are critical for testing and quality control in the vaping product industry. This ensures consistency and reliability in testing methodologies, directly impacting product development, regulatory compliance, and consumer safety.

Key Topics

• Puff Frequency Correction
  The standardized puff frequency has been precisely defined as one puff every 30 seconds ± 0.5 seconds. This correction provides clearer guidance for testing cycles, improving repeatability and comparability of results across laboratories.

• Puff Profile Definitions
  Clarification in terminology-such as defining "puff frequency" as the elapsed time between the start of one puff and the start of the next-adds rigor to the standard, ensuring uniform understanding for stakeholders.

• Flow Rate Specifications
  The amendment specifies the average flow rate during puffs to be 18.3 ml/s ± 1.8 ml/s. This metric is critical for calibrating vaping machines and accurately simulating consumer usage during analytical tests.

• Standardized Testing Conditions
  The standard conditions defined by ISO 20768 facilitate uniform testing environments, which are important for product validation, performance benchmarking, and regulatory submissions.

Applications

• Product Development and Quality Control
  Manufacturers of vapour products utilize ISO 20768:2018/Amd 1:2025 to design, calibrate, and validate analytical vaping machines, allowing them to develop safer and more consistent vaping devices.

• Regulatory Compliance
  This standard is crucial for meeting international regulatory requirements regarding emissions testing and product safety. Governments and regulatory bodies reference it to evaluate product claims and establish consumer protection measures.

• Research and Testing Laboratories
  Analytical labs apply the puff profile corrections to ensure the reproducibility of test results when assessing vapour composition, emissions, and machine performance.

• Harm Reduction Studies
  Scientific studies on vaping’s impact on public health rely on standardized puffing conditions to accurately simulate real-world use and generate valid data.

Related Standards

• ISO 20768:2018 – The base standard covering vapour products and routine analytical vaping machines, including definitions and test conditions.

• CEN/TS 16156 – European technical specification for emissions testing of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices.

• ISO 4387 – Related to cigarette smoking machines, providing foundational testing principles that inform vaping machine standards.

• ISO 3402 – Specifies conditions to standardize puffing parameters for tobacco product testing machines, often referenced alongside vaping standards.

Keywords: ISO 20768 amendment, vaping machine standard, puff profile correction, vapour product testing, puff frequency, flow rate, vaping quality control, analytical vaping machines, vaping emissions testing, international vaping standards.