Tag Archives: cardboard cartons

Packing Fragile Items In Cardboard Cartons

Full overlap carton
Online shopping has made it easier for people to get whatever they want from the comfort of their homes. No more need to spend hours wandering through different stores to find the right item. Now all that is required is access to the internet and the considered choice of search keywords. E-commerce has also helped as even small and medium-sized businesses can afford to make their wares available online.

It can however be tricky to sell fragile items online. This is mainly due to their delicate nature which means they can be easily damaged during shipping. If damaged, the business may remain liable and have to replace the item at their own cost. This can prove expensive and even damage their reputation. Even with packing these items in corrugate cartons, a little extra care has to be taken to increase the chances the items will arrive in optimal condition.

Choose The Right Box

When packing even fragile items, you need to ensure the right size and type of box. It needs to be a good fit that will not allow the contents to shift. And if heavy and fragile, you need to consider the thickness of the box walls. They should have enough fluting to ensure sound protection, but not so much as to add unnecessary cost to shipping.

Use Filler

Even with a well-fitting box, some items can have an odd shape that will leave voids within the cardboard cartons. Fragile items should be kept in a fixed position within the box. Hence the need to fill up this empty space and reduce the risk of damage. There are different packing materials you can use for this including packing peanuts and old newspaper.

However, for the best immobilization, you may want to consider foam or cardboard inserts. These are customized to fit the exact shape of the items and work best in securing them. Be sure to choose eco-friendly packing materials that are functional yet sustainable.

Labeling

It can also help to ensure your box is properly labeled. This will allow handlers to know that the contents are fragile and that they should take necessary precautions to avoid damage. Many stickers can also be applied, with captions such as “fragile”, “this end up”, and “keep refrigerated” being commonly used. If shipping internationally, you may want to consider labels that share the same message in different languages to ensure proper handling all the way.

Moisture Protection

Cardboard cartons can easily lose structural integrity if they come in contact with liquids. To help prevent such interference that could damage contents, it helps to create a barrier between the carton and such external threats. Judicious application of packaging tape can help here. You can also opt to include the use of vermiculite that helps absorb moisture and absorb impacts.

How to Give Cardboard Cartons New Life

Custom Size Regular Slotted Carton Shipping Box
The first time cardboard cartons are used is to hold some type of product. They are used to pack the product for shipping and to store the product until it is ready to be sold. In order to do this, boxes must be big enough to hold the products and they must be strong enough to protect what is inside. These qualities make them great for their initial use, but it also makes them something that can be used over and over again. The key is learning how to use the cardboard boxes in different ways.

Some of the Uses

Regular slotted cardboard boxes are the most common box that is used. These are boxes that can be folded together and that the flaps on the top and the bottom can be sealed closed. The result is an empty cube that has a lot of uses. Here are some of the ways that cardboard boxes can be reused over and over again.

  • Shipping and moving – The most common way to reuse cardboard cartons is for moving, storing and shipping of stuff in the home. They can hold lots of different things and can be sealed closed and stacked when in storage.
  • Signs – Cardboard is a great product for making signs. People holding a garage sale or doing a school project can make the signs they need without spending a lot of money on materials.
  • Gift-wrapping -Boxes can be reused in the same way they were used originally. Putting a gift in a box and wrapping it is always a good idea.
  • Children’s toys – For years’ parents often say the best present they gave their child is the box that the real present came in. Oversized boxes can become clubhouses, sleds, cars and much more. Smaller boxes can be turned into building blocks or something else. The only limitation is the imagination.
  • Pet Beds – Shallow boxes can be turned into pet beds very easily
  • Furniture – When moving into a new home, the regular slotted cardboard boxes that were used for moving can be used again for furniture. Tables, chairs or other furniture can be made from boxes.
  • Eclipse watcher – Many kids have learned in school how to make a pinhole camera to view an eclipse safely from a cardboard box.

These are only a few of the ways to reuse cardboard boxes. In the end the only limit to the number of uses for the old boxes is the creativity of the person that owns the box.