What is steam-in-place (SIP) validation?
Steam-in-place (SIP) validation is essential when sterilizing your equipment without disassembling. But when is it actually required, and what does a compliant process look like? This introduction explains the basics for navigating SIP validations.
Author: Jakob Konradsen, Chief Quality Officer and co-founder at Eupry
An easy overview of all the steps you need to perform reliable SIP validations.
What is steam-in-place (SIP) validation?
Steam-in-place (SIP) validation is a critical process in pharmaceutical and biotech operations that ensures sterile conditions within production systems – without disassembling equipment. It uses clean, saturated steam to sterilize internal surfaces of tanks, piping, valves, and other hard-to-reach areas after cleaning-in-place (CIP). This form of sterilization is essential for maintaining GxP compliance and protecting product integrity in highly regulated environments.
Unlike dry heat or autoclaving, SIP sterilizes non-portable equipment while it remains connected. The process must prove that steam reliably reaches and maintains at least 121 °C (250 °F) throughout the system for a specified duration. While a typical benchmark is 30 minutes, the actual hold time depends on achieving an F₀ value of at least 12 minutes – a measure of microbial lethality at 121 °C (250 °F).
Also read: Complete guide to steam-in-place validation in GxP environments
Who needs SIP validation – and when?
Steam-in-place validation is not necessary in every pharmaceutical or logistics operation. It is typically required in environments where microbial control and sterility are essential, and where in-place sterilization of equipment is more practical than disassembly.
You need SIP validation if you operate:
- Sterile or aseptic processing environments (e.g., biologics, vaccines, injectables)
- **Sterile fill-finish lines **where product-contact surfaces must be sterilized regularly
- Bioreactors and fermenters used in sensitive biotech production
- Multi-product systems requiring validated sterilization between campaigns
- Pharmaceutical-grade cleanrooms in logistics setups handling bulk drug substances or sterile transport tanks
SIP is likely not required if you:
- Manufacture non-sterile oral solid dosage forms (e.g., tablets, capsules)
- Use manual or autoclave-based sterilization with removable components
- Operate logistics sites without sterile handling or cleanroom areas
Determining whether SIP validation is needed depends on your facility design, regulatory classification, and the level of microbial control required by your processes.
Download a SIP validation checklist
Get a step-by-step checklist to help you conduct steam-in-place (SIP) validation reliably and aligned with regulatory expectations from GMP Annex 15, ISO 17665, and FDA 21 CFR Part 211.
How SIP validation works
At a high level, SIP validation ensures that clean steam is effectively delivered to all relevant surfaces and held at the required temperature for a validated period.
Some of the key parameters include:
- Uniform steam delivery to all product-contact surfaces
- Temperature monitoring to confirm target hold times (commonly 121 °C / 250 °F)
- Sensor placement in worst-case cold spots, often upstream of steam traps
Also read: Where to place data loggers during temperature mapping?
While the technical validation steps – such as temperature mapping, sensor calibration, and steam quality testing – are vital, these will be covered in more depth in our complete SIP validation guide.
Regulatory and audit expectations for SIP validation
Depending on your operation, SIP validation must meet standards such as: GMP Annex 15 (qualification and validation guidance) ISO 17665 and EN 285 (moist heat sterilization requirements) FDA 21 CFR Part 211 (current good manufacturing practices for finished pharmaceuticals)
These define expectations for lethality values, equipment design, documentation, and periodic revalidation.
Also, check out our SIP glossary to get a quick overview and understanding of the terminology used in SIP validation.
Frequently asked questions about steam-in-place (SIP) validation
Quick answers to some of the most frequent questions about steam-in-place (SIP) validation.
Step-by-step SIP validation checklist
Download a free step-by-step checklist to help you plan, perform, and document SIP validation in line with GMP Annex 15, ISO 17665, and FDA 21 CFR Part 211.