The packaging or filling of a container with a non-Newtonian fluid without quality failures is a current issue encountered at the final step of industrial product processes. In this work, the container filling of viscoplastic fluids is studied using an experimental laboratory plant able to reproduce the industrial transitory packaging conditions. First, a Newtonian validation was conducted to compare and to confirm our setup results with available literature data. Second five flow patterns including dripping, jet buckling, mounding, planar filling, and air entrainment were observed and characterized for the viscoplastic container filling. Most of them present different types of instabilities during the filling, except the planar filling, which seems to be ideal according to industrial specifications. A flow pattern distribution depending on relevant dimensionless numbers was developed. Finally, flow pattern transition criteria are determined highlighting the influence of rheological and process parameters on container filling. (c) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers