The Ultimate Guide to Shipping Boxes

Since then, along with the evolution of international cargo and freight, shipping boxes have changed with the times and are considered a valuable necessity for today’s manufacturers and freight companies.

Today, shipping boxes are used for a variety of purposes. Along with the usual freighting of cargo to retailers, shipping boxes are also used for large-scale storage and for house-moves.

Due to its size, shape, construction, and the materials used for making it, a shipping box provides the following advantages:

1. Protects Items Throughout Transit and Handing - As shipping boxes are invariably made of corrugated cardboard, these travel very well with minimal risk of damage. The layered construction of the box also ensures that even the most fragile of products arrive at their destination in one piece without compromise in quality.
2. Can Hold Multiple Items - Shipping boxes are normally built on a large scale in order to hold a full consignment of a single product for shipment, including full-sized pallets or a given number of promotional bundles.
3. Reinforces Brand Identity and Recall - Adding a corporate or product logo to a shipping box serves as a marketing tool for companies as this increases brand visibility for both retailers and customers.
4. Produces a Lower Carbon Footprint - This is particularly true in cases where shipping boxes are made with sustainably sourced materials which have the additional benefit of being 100% recyclable or compostable. Using such boxes ensures that companies maintain a sense of environmental responsibility even while meeting sales targets.
5. Cost Effective - You can order shipping boxes for as low as $0.57 apiece (Note: Price calculated based on maximum order amount.) from Packola, making it one of the most reasonably priced packaging solutions currently available.

There are currently four types of shipping boxes commonly available:

• Regular Slotted Container (RSC) Boxes The most common shipping box has flaps which meet in the middle for easy sealing. Standard RSCs are usually built with corrugated sidewalls, making them sturdy and resistant to damage. For fragile cargo, heavier RSCs are used; these are double-corrugated boxes with a second fluted layer to reinforce the structure.
• Tuck-top Boxes The name refers to the way these box lids are constructed, which makes opening and closing them easier. Standard tuck-top design usually incorporates a flap that extends forward, allowing the box to seal itself. A variation on the design – tab-lock boxes – was created to ensure additional security and tamper resistance.
• Die-cut Boxes These boxes are custom-built and follow a specific folding pattern based on the size, shape, and quantity of the materials to be packaged within.
• Mailing Tubes These cylindrical cardboard containers are used to ferry large printed documents such as blueprints, posters, reproduction prints, and artwork.