What Boxes Are Good For Shipping?

What Makes a Box Good for Shipping

A box for the shelf only has to look good. A box for shipping has to survive being stacked, dropped, squeezed and slid along belts. Six things decide whether it can.

• Board strength. How well the walls resist crushing and bending, set by the type of board and its thickness.
• Fit. How closely the box matches the product, so it cannot rattle or be crushed from the side.
• Closure. Whether the lid stays shut in transit, by tape, a tuck or a lock.
• Protection inside. What stops the product moving, such as an insert, a divider or paper.
• Shipping cost. A box that is bigger or heavier than it needs to be can cost more to send.
• Brand experience. What the customer sees and feels when they open it.

The rest of this guide goes through each one. The first, board strength, depends on one material: corrugated board.

Corrugated Board and Why It Works for Shipping

Corrugated board is made of a wavy paper layer, called the flute, glued between flat sheets of paper called liners. The waves act like tiny arches. They hold the board stiff under pressure and cushion a knock, while the board stays light.

Flute Sizes

The size of the flute changes how thick and strong the board is. Two common ones are:

• E-flute: about 1.2 to 2 mm thick, a frequent choice for mailer boxes and lighter shipping boxes. It prints well and keeps the box slim.
• B-flute: about 2.5 to 3 mm thick, a better fit for bulky boxes and heavier items.

Single Wall and Double Wall

Single-wall board has two liners with one fluted layer between them. Double-wall board has three liners and two fluted layers, which is thicker and stiffer. Single wall is the usual choice for most parcels. Double wall is a step up in the market for heavy or fragile loads, and the right choice depends on the box size, the weight and the way it is stacked. Tell us what you are shipping and we recommend a board, then test it with a sample.

Recycling note: plain corrugated board without plastic film is widely collected for recycling where local facilities accept it. Coatings, plastic tapes and mixed materials can make recycling harder, and rules differ by town. Recycled stock options are available on request.

Corrugated, Paperboard and Rigid: Which Can Ship

People often ask whether any box can be a shipping box. Not quite. The three main families do different jobs.

A folding carton is light and prints beautifully, but it is not made to take a drop on its own. For the full comparison of rigid and corrugated, see our guide to rigid versus corrugated boxes. Our corrugated boxes page lists the corrugated styles we make.

Mailer Boxes vs Shipping Boxes

Both are corrugated, so both can ship. They differ in how they close and what they suit.

A mailer box opens like a book and looks good on camera, so it suits products where the first look matters. A shipping box is the workhorse: it is built to carry heavier items and take rough handling. Minimums depend on the style, and each product page states its own.

If your product is light and soft, such as clothing, a poly mailer is a lighter bag option. It does not protect against crushing, so it suits items that cannot be crushed.

Match the Box to Weight and Fragility

Weight and fragility are the two questions that decide the board. The table is a general starting point. Your product, the size of the box and the way it is packed all change the answer, so test a sample.

Pick a Size That Fits

Size is where many shippers lose money and where damage starts. A box that is too big lets the product slide and needs a lot of filler. A box that is too small can be crushed in the middle. Carriers also bill by size as well as weight, so an oversize box can raise the shipping cost.

To size a box, measure the product as it will be packed, with its wrap, then add room for any insert or paper. Give us the inside size. Our guide to measuring a box correctly covers inside and outside sizes, board thickness and dimensional weight. You can preview the flat pattern on our free dieline templates.

Filler, Inserts and Dividers

A strong box cannot protect a product that is free to move. The inside matters as much as the walls.

• Inserts hold one product in a shaped cradle. See our box inserts for cardboard and other types.
• Dividers keep items apart, which is useful for bottles, jars and sets.
• Paper and void fill take up the space around the product. We also make packing paper and void fill.
• A simple shake test tells you a lot. Close the packed box and shake it. If you hear or feel the product move, add or change the fill.

Examples by Product

These are general examples to show the thinking. They are not guarantees, and the right box depends on your actual product.

What a Shipping Box Costs

Several things move the price of a custom shipping box, and our guide to packaging costs and product pricing goes through them. The main ones:

• Size. A bigger flat pattern needs more board.
• Quantity. Larger runs cost less per box.
• Board. Thicker or stronger board costs more.
• Printing. One-color print costs less than full coverage inside and out.
• Inserts and extras. Each adds to the cost per order.
• Shipping weight. A lighter, smaller box can lower postage.

Minimum orders are modest: shipping boxes start at 50 units and most other boxes at 100. See the starting price on each product page, and get a free quote for your size. Quotes include shipping. If you are unsure whether custom boxes pay off for you, read are custom shipping boxes worth it.

Test Before You Order a Full Run

The only way to know a box works for your product is to try it. A good test does not take long.

• Pack a real product the way you will pack an order, with the insert and fill.
• Do the shake test and press the sides to feel how firm the box is.
• Ship it to yourself or a friend through your normal carrier, and open it.
• Check the result. Look for damage, movement, a crushed corner or a lid that popped open, and adjust.

A structural sample is an unprinted prototype that shows the size and form of your box. The Standard Sample Kit lets you hold different box types, and the samples page lists every sample we offer.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Shipping Box

• Choosing a box for looks and ignoring weight and fragility.
• Using a retail paperboard carton as the only outer box.
• Buying one size for every product, so most orders ship half empty.
• Skipping inserts for fragile items.
• Ordering a full run before testing a sample.
• Forgetting that a thick wall or an insert changes the inside size.
• Leaving no plain area for the shipping label. Our guide on where to place a shipping label shows how.

Choose Your Box and Take the Next Step

Write down your product's size and weight, how fragile it is, how many you ship each month and how you want it to look when it is opened. With that you can pick between a mailer box and a shipping box, and ask for the board that fits. If you want a second opinion, tell us what you are shipping and we recommend a style: get a free quote. Design support is free.