The Right Size of Box.

This may sound rather obvious but is vitally important because under-filled boxes are likely to collapse while overloaded ones can burst and the contents spills out.

 

Use Quality Packing Materials.

Consider strength, cushioning, and durability when selecting your wrapping supplies. Choose boxes made of corrugated cardboard, with good quality outer liners. Use heavy-duty double-layered board for fragile items.

 

Wrap each fragile item individually.

All shipments are unavoidably subject to shocks during transportation. Where there is more than one delicate item in a box, wrapping them separately especially if they are made from or include glass and ceramic materials.  This will ensure the items do not cause damage to each other.  Also try placing the most fragile items in the centre of a package so that they do not touch the sides, effectively cushioning them.

 

Fill the base of the box with cushioning materials.

Use plenty of cushioning material like bubble wrap.  This will prevent your fragile items from coming into contact with the outer packaging.

 

Create a double wall at the bottom of the box.

Insert a double corrugated card on top of the loose fill to create a double wall at the bottom of the box.

 

Use appropriate packaging for the type of Item you are sending.

Seal greasy or strong-smelling substances with adhesive tape, then wrap in grease resistant paper. Place powders and fine grains in strong plastic bags, securely sealed and then packed in a rigid fibreboard box. Use triangular tubes not round tube-type cylinders to pack rolled plans, maps and blueprints. Always remember that bad packaging may cause damage to surrounding items.

 

Containers with liquids should be upright.

Where cans and bottles containing liquids are contained (see our information about Dangerous, Restricted and Excluded Goods) they should be upright in the box and stickers placed on the outside of the box to ensure that it remains upright during transit – use  “arrow up” labels where necessary.  This will, besides helping to minimise any problem from possible leaks, also prevent the lid of the can “popping” during transit which can happen if weight is applied to a can when it is on its side.  Effectively, a can has much greater integral strength upright than on its side.

 

Insert a card to create a double wall on the sides and top of you box.

Place a firm card on top of the cushioning material and to the sides of the outer box to make sure everything stays in place. Allow some room to place extra cushioning on top.

 

Extra protection on top. 

Protect the upper side of your package by filling up the remaining space with more cushioning material.

 

Close the package carefully. 

Make sure the box is closed carefully, so no cushioning material can get out. Using a good quality, rigid box with intact flaps is advisable.

 

Close the box securely with strong tape. 

Seal your package with pressure-sensitive plastic tape or water-activated paper tape, preferably around 50mm in width.

 

Labels. 

Place your address and shipping labels on the top surface of the box.  It helps to have both an address label and a consignment label (with barcode) on your parcel because even the stickiest labels can come off and this leaves a second way of identifying your parcel. 

 

Multiple Parcels.

Where a consignment consists of multiple parcels it is helpful to give sequential numbering on the label; “1 of (say)3”, “2 of 3” etc.  It is also worth ensuring that the number sequence used on your parcel labels is in the same order as that used on the barcoded consignment labels.  This will help identify a parcel if one goes missing.

 

Remove old shipping labels.

It is actually very important to remove all old labels from your packages especially ones containing barcodes as scanners used by couriers can misidentify your parcel and cause it to be incorrectly routed.