AbstractThe sine sweep is a standard method of excitation used experimentally to evaluate the transmissibility characteristics of a package/product. This paper critically analyses this method, points out potential sources of error and shows the advantages of frequency domain analysis. The measurement of transmissibility of packages/products as the frequency response function (FRF) from auto‐ and cross‐spectra is demonstrated. Two ways of broadband excitation are investigated, namely white noise and impulse excitat