Condom Testing: How is it Done?

There are six standard tests done for latex male condoms.  Although there is some slight variance in testing between the different regulation organizations, over the past twenty years, all of these organizations have come to do the same procedures for new condoms, and brands like Trojan, Durex, LifeStyles, Kimono, Crown, and others all sell condoms that have gone through testing.  The goals of these tests are to provide pregnancy and disease transmission prevention, and to minimize loss of sensation during sex.  The six standard tests focus on the following qualities: condom dimensions, leakage, tensile properties, air burst properties, package integrity, and lubricant quality. 

A small number of condoms from every single batch are sampled each time.  In the condom dimensions test, the condom is stretched, and its width, thickness, and length are measured.  In the leakage test, condoms are screened to make sure that there aren’t any holes or weak spots in them.  The test is done in one of several ways: manufacturers tend to use what are called the dry or wet methods, where an electrical charge is passed through the condom; if the charge passes through, this indicates that there are holes.  Independent producers tend to use the hang or hang/roll methods; in both tests, the condom is filled with water and a technician looks for leaks.  With the tensile properties test, a piece of material is cut from the midsection of the condom and stretched until it breaks.  This test measures the force needed to break the sample, the length of the material at point of breakage, and the tensile breaking strength.  There has been some questioning of the value of this test, as the midsection of the condom is less likely to deteriorate than the tip, and some manufacturers no longer use this test. 

For the air burst test, the condom is inflated like a balloon until it bursts.  This records how much air the condom can hold before breaking, and is supposed to correlate with human breakage use.  While this test is promoted over the tensile properties test as measuring the entire condom, some criticism of it comes from the fact that the condom breaks at its weakest point, which means that defects in the stronger parts are overlooked.  Also, not much focus is given to inflating the tip, although new experimental tests are being done concerning this idea.  The fifth test is the package integrity test, where a packaged condom is placed in a vacuum to make sure the packaging is not defective.  The final test is the lubricant quality test, which determines how much lubricant is used in lubricated condoms.  Another commonly done test is the oven test, where a condom is artificially aged in an oven to see how well it will last when being stored or tested on.
 
If the samples pass the tests, then the batch can be sold; how many samples need to pass varies from company to company, but it’s usually the vast majority.  How useful these tests are is a matter of debate, and some research suggests that they aren’t very accurate when it comes to human breakage rates.  Regulation organizations are aware of this though, and are finding new ways to test condoms, including using human volunteers, filling condoms with pathogens in water to see if they can escape, and using motion tests where the condom is wrapped over an object and moved to test its durability.