Stability Testing Schedule Calculator

Accelerated and real-time stability test design.

Target shelf life (months)

Accelerated temp (°C)

Storage temp (°C)

Q10 factor

Samples per pull point

Tests per sample

Freeze-thaw cycles

Tab to move between fields

Acceleration factor (×)

2.83

Accelerated test duration (months)

8.5

Estimated shelf life (months)24

Real-time pull points9

Accelerated pull points5

Storage conditions3

Total pull points16

Total samples needed48

Total tests to perform288

Study duration (months)24

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the product launch date or first batch date.
Set required stability study conditions (ICH Zone I, II, III, IV) for your target markets.
Input planned testing intervals (0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 months).
Review the complete testing schedule with dates for each condition and interval.
Use the calendar to book testing lab capacity and schedule product release decisions.

How the result changes with Accelerated temp (°C)

Accelerated temp (°C)	Acceleration factor (×)	Accelerated test duration (months)
33	1.74	13.8
41	3.03	7.9
50	5.66	4.2
57	9.19	2.6

Target shelf life (months): Desired product shelf life in months. Typical: 12-36 months for cosmetics.
Accelerated temp (°C): Temperature for accelerated stability testing. Standard: 40°C per ICH guidelines.
Storage temp (°C): Normal storage/shelf temperature. Standard: 25°C (room temperature).
Q10 factor: Rate acceleration per 10°C increase. Typical: 2 for most cosmetics, 3-4 for sensitive formulas.
Samples per pull point: Number of samples tested at each time point (triplicates recommended).
Tests per sample: Number of tests per sample: pH, viscosity, appearance, color, odor, microbial, etc.
Freeze-thaw cycles: Number of freeze-thaw cycles (-10°C to 45°C). Standard: 5 cycles.

Acceleration factor (×): How many times faster aging occurs at accelerated temperature vs storage temperature.
Accelerated test duration (months): How long to run the accelerated test to simulate your target shelf life.
Estimated shelf life (months): Shelf life estimate if accelerated testing passes at the specified duration.
Real-time pull points: Number of testing time points for the real-time stability study.
Accelerated pull points: Number of testing time points for the accelerated study.
Storage conditions: Number of different storage conditions (real-time + accelerated + freeze-thaw).
Total pull points: Total number of pull/testing events across all conditions.
Total samples needed: Total individual samples needed for the entire study.
Total tests to perform: Total number of individual tests across all samples and time points.
Study duration (months): Total calendar time for the complete stability study (real-time leg).

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Target shelf life (months) = 24, Accelerated temp (°C) = 40, Storage temp (°C) = 25, Q10 factor = 2 = 7 input(s) provided
Calculate Acceleration factor
Acceleration factor = pow(q10Factor, tempDiffOver10)
2.83 = 2.83
Calculate Accelerated test duration
Accelerated test duration = targetShelfLifeMonths / accelerationFactor
8.5 = 8.5
Calculate Estimated shelf life
Estimated shelf life = accelDurationMonths * accelerationFactor
24 = 24
Calculate Real-time pull points
Real-time pull points
9 = 9