Overview
ISO 3308:2012 - "Routine analytical cigarette‑smoking machine - Definitions and standard conditions" defines the parameters, test conditions and machine requirements for routine analytical machine smoking of cigarettes. The standard specifies how to configure and operate an analytical smoking machine so that puffing, air flow and sampling are reproducible and comparable across laboratories. Annexes provide guidance on ambient air velocities (Annex A), an example piston‑type puffing mechanism (Annex B) and a diagrammatic puff profile (Annex C).
Key technical topics and requirements
- Standard puff parameters
- Puff duration: 2.00 s ± 0.02 s
- Puff volume: 35.0 ml ± 0.3 ml (measured with a 1 kPa pressure drop device)
- Puff frequency: one puff every 60 s ± 0.5 s (measured over 10 consecutive puffs)
- Puff profile
- Bell‑shaped profile with maximum flow between 0.8 s and 1.2 s from puff start
- Maximum flow rate 25–30 ml/s
- No flow reversal; limited inflection points on ramp up/down
- Machine performance
- Total machine pressure drop ≤ 300 Pa
- Compensation capability to maintain constant puff volumes/profile when port pressure drop changes
- Cigarette holder and positioning
- Holder covers 9.0 mm of butt end (range 8.0–9.5 mm)
- Impermeable holder, labyrinth seals and a perforated washer (closed‑cell synthetic rubber) as specified
- Holder axis between 0° and +5° from horizontal; cigarette held within ±5° of holder axis
- Operational definitions
- Terms such as restricted smoking, puff number, dead volume, smoke trap, and ambient air flow are defined to ensure consistent test interpretation
- Annex A–C
- Annex A: ambient air velocity control and measurement
- Annex B: example piston‑type puffing mechanism
- Annex C: puff profile diagram and illustrative definitions
Practical applications and users
ISO 3308 is used by:
- Tobacco product testing laboratories for routine emissions testing
- Instrument manufacturers designing analytical cigarette‑smoking machines
- Quality‑assurance and R&D teams in tobacco product development
- Regulatory bodies and standards organizations that need reproducible machine test data
Notes on interpretation:
- Machine smoke yields per ISO 3308 are useful for product characterization, design comparisons and regulatory inputs, but are not measures of human exposure or risk. The standard itself cautions against communicating machine results as direct indicators of consumer exposure.
Related standards
- ISO 3402 - Atmosphere for conditioning and testing (normative reference used by ISO 3308)
- Prepared by ISO/TC 126 (Tobacco and tobacco products)
For implementation, consult the full ISO 3308:2012 text via the ISO catalogue or your national standards body.