How do you calculate a packaging risk score?

Multiply severity by occurrence by detection. With severity 6, occurrence 4, and detection 3 the packaging risk score is about 4.55 on the normalized scale, a mid-to-high priority for corrective action.

What is a good packaging risk score for flight hardware?

Lower is better. There is no fixed cutoff, but a normalized result above about 5 usually means the packaging failure mode needs redesign or a better detection indicator before the next shipment.

Why does detectability matter so much in packaging risk?

Latent damage like ESD stress or moisture ingress may not surface until integration or orbit, so a failure with poor pre-ship detection (a high detection score) should rank higher even at moderate severity.

Packaging risk vs inspection bottleneck RPN, what is the difference?

Both use severity x occurrence x detection, but packaging risk targets transport and handling failure modes after the build, while the inspection bottleneck version targets in-line inspection gates.

How can I lower a packaging risk score?

Cut occurrence with better foam and ESD design, and cut the detection score by adding shock, tilt, and humidity indicators so a failure is caught before the unit is installed.

Do two failure modes with equal scores get equal priority?

Not necessarily. A 6x2x2 and a 2x2x6 can tie, but one is a severity problem and the other a detection gap, so read the components to choose the right fix.

Space Payload & Avionics Manufacturing calculator

Packaging Risk Calculator

Packaging Risk is a Risk Priority Number focused on the protective packaging and handling that guards flight hardware between the cleanroom and the launch site, covering ESD bags, foam cradles, desiccant, and shock and humidity indicators. Packaging and logistics engineers use it to rank which packaging failure mode most threatens a delivered payload or avionics unit. Because a crushed connector, an ESD zap, or moisture ingress can quietly ruin hardware that only reveals the damage on orbit, detectability is central: a failure you cannot catch before shipment is far riskier than one an indicator flags. The score keeps packaging engineering focused on the failure modes that actually endanger multimillion-dollar deliverables.

What this calculator does

Estimate packaging risk for space payload and avionics manufacturing using production-ready inputs so teams can rank risks and decide which issue needs containment, controls, or escalation first.
Use it when packaging risk in space payload and avionics manufacturing needs a defensible ranking against other space payload and avionics manufacturing risks for the next review.
It multiplies packaging severity, occurrence, and detection scores into a single Risk Priority Number ranking which packaging failure mode to address first.

Formula used

Packaging risk score = packaging risk severity score × packaging risk occurrence score × packaging risk detection score
Use the same scoring scale across comparable packaging risk risks.

Inputs explained

Packaging failure severity (damage or contamination):
Packaging failure occurrence frequency:
Packaging failure detectability before ship:

How to use the result

Use it when qualifying a shipping container, reviewing transport damage trends, or prioritizing packaging improvements for a payload or avionics delivery.
A single RPN can mask a low-occurrence, catastrophic failure mode; always inspect the severity component before dismissing a low-total risk.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026), up 41.5% in a year, and U.S. industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh. Both feed electrified-hardware unit economics.
Steel mill PPI stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).

Common questions

How do you calculate a packaging risk score? Multiply severity by occurrence by detection. With severity 6, occurrence 4, and detection 3 the packaging risk score is about 4.55 on the normalized scale, a mid-to-high priority for corrective action.
What is a good packaging risk score for flight hardware? Lower is better. There is no fixed cutoff, but a normalized result above about 5 usually means the packaging failure mode needs redesign or a better detection indicator before the next shipment.
Why does detectability matter so much in packaging risk? Latent damage like ESD stress or moisture ingress may not surface until integration or orbit, so a failure with poor pre-ship detection (a high detection score) should rank higher even at moderate severity.
Packaging risk vs inspection bottleneck RPN, what is the difference? Both use severity x occurrence x detection, but packaging risk targets transport and handling failure modes after the build, while the inspection bottleneck version targets in-line inspection gates.
How can I lower a packaging risk score? Cut occurrence with better foam and ESD design, and cut the detection score by adding shock, tilt, and humidity indicators so a failure is caught before the unit is installed.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.