Well-equipped shippers maintain diverse inventories of end-of-line packaging materials.  While every job has its own specific requirements, basic necessities include tape, boxes, labels, fasteners, poly bags and a wide assortment of specialty products designed for packing specific items.

For trouble-free transfers, take stock of your most-shipped items and then set your shipping room up with the supplies needed to ensure efficient delivery of your goods. Packaging providers are great starting points, bringing valued recommendations and access to exactly the materials required to complete your shipping projects.

Packaging and shipping efforts tackle small items shipped regularly, as well as bulk shipments requiring pallet sized solutions. Whatever your needs, efficient freight operations start with properly-sized boxes, labels, tape and poly bags for certain items.

Corrugated Boxes Set the Standard

Shipping needs vary across industries and vendors but most solutions involve the use of some type of corrugated box.  Boxes are configured in countless sizes and shapes, with custom varieties produced for shipping specific items.  Sizing boxes properly is important for several reasons, including product security and cost control.

Standard boxes serve general use applications, providing economical alternatives when single-wall corrugated material is adequate protection for the items being shipped.  Heavy-duty, double-wall construction reinforces product protection, offering greater impact absorption and puncture resistance.  Multi-depth boxes are scored to fold at multiple points, allowing items of various sizes to be packed in the same sized boxes.

Boxes should be sized to accommodate products insulated with adequate amounts of fill.  Foam, paper and bubble-wrap fill options each come with a price attached, so it is important to find the balance point between adequate product protection and wasteful over packing.  Packing material providers offer recommendations and box sizing information to help identify the best strategies for shipping your products.

In addition to standard boxes, shippers use a variety of application-specific corrugated boxes.  Boxes designed for specific uses include those used for computers and electronic components shipped regularly.  Custom impact absorbing inserts are used alongside boxes to cradle sensitive components in shock-resistant units that protect them in transit.  Similar custom-fitted box inserts help transport hazardous materials safely, while insulated boxes are essential for maintaining freshness of temperature sensitive items.  Shippers of paper goods and printed materials utilize hanging file boxes and those sized especially for printers.

Tape and Labeling Supplies

Labels send valuable messages to receivers, so pre-printed and custom made varieties are regularly utilized by shippers of all sizes.  Instructive labels also ensure proper handling by freight companies, whose staffers heed warnings of “Fragile” or “Glass”.

C.O.D. labels instruct delivery personnel to collect payment when appropriate, and “Packing List Enclosed” placards direct receiving rooms toward valuable documentation concerning the freight.  Labels required for regulatory compliance are also available in pre-printed quantities, alerting handlers to hazardous materials, compressed gas, and other sensitive freight.

Tape needs are not the same for every shipping room, but standard carton sealing varieties are a starting point for most shippers.  Standard and heavy duty options are easily dispensed from hand-held units.  Specialized security tapes and pre-printed options are appropriate for some applications, providing tamper resistance and handling instructions on printed rolls.