Quick answer: ASTM WK82065 is a proposed new standard, "Specification for Desiccant for Maintaining Conditions within Packaging", under committee D10 on packaging, subcommittee D10.18, with the keywords desiccant, corrosion and ESD. As of 26 October 2026 ASTM publishes no status, ballot date or approval date for it, so it is a work in progress, not a standard you can cite. Until it exists, the references remain MIL-D-3464 for desiccant units, J-STD-033 for electronics dry pack and USP <670> for pharmaceutical containers. The best protection for a buyer is to write desiccant specs around measured performance at stated temperature, humidity and duration.
Desiccants are one of the few packaging components bought in large volumes with no general US product specification. Electronics has J-STD-033, pharma has USP <670>, defence packaging has MIL-D-3464, and everyone else writes their own. ASTM's work item WK82065 is the first visible attempt at a general specification for packaging desiccants.
What is known about WK82065
| Item | What ASTM publishes |
|---|---|
| Title | New Specification for Desiccant for Maintaining Conditions within Packaging |
| Committee | D10 (Packaging), subcommittee D10.18 |
| Keywords | Desiccant, corrosion, ESD |
| Status | No published status, ballot date or approval date (checked 26 October 2026) |
Source: ASTM work item WK82065. A work item is a proposal under development. Its scope and content can change before any ballot, and nothing in it binds a buyer or supplier today. Be wary of reseller listings that quote ASTM designation numbers for desiccant performance standards that ASTM itself does not list.
The standards buyers already use
- MIL-D-3464. Defines a desiccant "unit" by the water it adsorbs: 3.00 g at 20% RH and 25 °C, and 6.00 g at 40% RH. Widely borrowed outside defence packaging. See desiccant units, MIL-D-3464 and JEDEC.
- IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033. Sets how electronics dry packs are sized from bag WVTR, area and shelf life. See the desiccant clause in a dry pack procedure.
- USP <670>. Covers auxiliary packaging components for pharmaceuticals, and names bentonite, calcium chloride, calcium oxide, molecular sieves and silica gel as the desiccant materials. Cellulose and plant fiber are not named. See USP <670> and <671>.
Composition-based or performance-based: the choice that matters
A desiccant specification can be written in two ways. A composition-based spec lists approved materials. A performance-based spec sets the moisture the desiccant must take up at stated conditions, and how that is tested. The difference decides who can supply.
| Composition list | Performance at stated conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| What the buyer checks | That the material is on the list | That the desiccant meets uptake at the pack's temperature and RH |
| New materials | Excluded until the list is revised | Admitted if they pass the test |
| Link to product protection | Indirect | Direct |
ATMOSIScience's view is that a packaging desiccant standard should specify performance with the temperature, relative humidity and duration stated, and the test method named. That is the information a packaging engineer needs to size a pack, whatever the desiccant is made of. It is also why ATMOSIScience publishes its own capacity as a measured curve rather than one headline number.
How to write desiccant specs now that survive any standard
- State the condition with every number. Uptake in grams of water per gram (or per unit, or per cm²) at a stated temperature and RH, at equilibrium or at a stated time.
- Ask for at least three humidity points, including the RH your pack is meant to hold.
- Name the test method and require the supplier to describe the sample: bare material or finished sachet.
- Set incoming checks such as loss on drying against a limit. See LOD for incoming QC.
- Cover dust, seal strength and labelling, which a capacity figure does not.
A full template is in how to write a desiccant specification for an RFQ, and the comparison method is in comparing desiccant spec sheets. For EU-bound packs, regulatory obligations run through the PPWR; start with the PPWR desiccant compliance hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is ASTM WK82065 a published standard?
No. It is a work item, a proposed standard under development, with no published status or ballot date as of 26 October 2026.
Who writes ASTM desiccant standards?
ASTM committees made up of members from industry, government and academia. WK82065 sits in committee D10 on packaging, subcommittee D10.18.
Can I reference WK82065 in a purchase specification?
Not as a requirement. Reference the standards that exist (MIL-D-3464, J-STD-033, USP <670> where relevant) and your own performance criteria.
Will a new ASTM standard replace MIL-D-3464?
Nothing published suggests so. Defence packaging will keep citing its own specification.
Does plant-fiber desiccant meet MIL-D-3464?
MIL-D-3464 qualification runs through its own process and qualified products list. ATMOSIScience does not claim MIL-D-3464 qualification for its fiber desiccant.
Write a desiccant spec that states its conditions
Send ATMOSIScience your current desiccant spec or RFQ. We will mark the gaps, suggest condition-based wording, and share our own measured data in the same format.
Prefer email? info@atmosiscience.com
