MedTech Manufacturing worked example

Bioburden Sampling Cost at 5.75% sampling rate per lot: a worked example

What does the result look like when sampling rate per lot reaches 5.75%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use this when planning bioburden testing budgets, scheduling lab capacity for routine monitoring, or setting up a new product bioburden testing program.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Production lots in scope: 12 lots (unchanged)
  • Sampling rate per lot: 5.75 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 5)
  • Minimum samples per lot: 10 samples (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Calculated bioburden sample count = production lots in scope × sampling rate per lot) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 samples for required sample size, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1 samples for calculated sample.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 samples for minimum sample size.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where sampling rate per lot sits at 5% and the headline result is 10 samples, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 10 samples.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when sampling rate per lot is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It is a sizing rule, not a full ISO 11737 plan; it does not set recovery methods, neutralization, or acceptance limits, and the percentage interpretation must match your SOP.

Results at a glance

  • Required sample size: 10 samples (headline result)
  • Calculated sample: 1 samples
  • Minimum sample size: 10 samples

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Bioburden Sampling Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.