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Packaging Insights & Guides
Practical guidance for choosing packaging, controlling shipping costs, protecting products, improving warehouse operations and making better decisions about the materials your business uses every day.
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Not sure which article you need? These three core resources cover the broadest packaging decisions and are good places to begin.
Types of Protective Packaging
Understand cushioning, void fill, surface protection, separation, blocking and bracing, and edge protection by the function each material performs.
Packaging Operations Resource Center
Explore deeper guides covering fulfillment, warehouse operations, shipping costs, palletizing, packaging selection and load containment.
Shipping Box Sizes Guide
Learn how carton dimensions affect product fit, protection and dimensional-weight exposure, with access to the Packaging HERO DIM calculator.
Boxes & Shipping Costs
Corrugated construction, carton sizing, strength, dimensional weight and the cost of getting an order out the door.
How to Choose Shipping Boxes for E-Commerce
Match carton size, construction and protection to the demands of parcel fulfillment.
How Box Sizes Impact Shipping Costs
Understand why exterior carton dimensions can influence parcel transportation cost.
Top 10 Mistakes Businesses Make When Sizing Packaging
Review common carton-sizing problems and what to evaluate instead.
Multi-Depth Boxes vs. Standard Boxes
Compare adjustable-height cartons with fixed-dimension stock boxes.
Single Wall vs. Double Wall vs. Triple Wall Corrugated
Understand what changes as additional fluted layers are added to the structure.
Types of Corrugated Flutes and Their Uses
Compare common flute profiles and how flute selection affects package construction.
How Much Weight Can a Corrugated Box Hold?
Why carton capacity cannot be determined from one strength number alone.
32 ECT vs. 200# Corrugated
Understand two commonly encountered corrugated strength specifications.
Mullen vs. Edge Crush Testing
Learn what each test measures and why the ratings are not interchangeable.
How to Calculate Your True Packaging Cost per Shipment
Compare material, labor, transportation and damage-related costs instead of box price alone.
Flat-Rate vs. Variable Shipping
Compare actual package dimensions, weight, destination and carrier rules instead of relying on a universal rule.
What Happened to Used Gaylords?
Why consistent supplies of used bulk bins can be difficult to source and what alternatives to evaluate.
Protective Packaging & Mailers
Product protection, cushioning, mailers, tubes and other alternatives to a traditional shipping carton.
Packaging for Electronics
Build protection around physical damage and the appropriate level of electrostatic control.
Best Packaging Materials for Fragile Shipments
Match cushioning, restraint and outer packaging to the ways a product can be damaged.
How to Reduce Shipping Damage Rates
Review fit, restraint, outer packaging and packing consistency when damage becomes an operating problem.
How to Choose Air-Bubble Cushioning for Shipping
Compare configurations and formats according to the product and protective requirement.
Poly Mailer vs. Bubble Mailer vs. Padded Mailer
Choose between flexible, cushioned and padded formats based on the product and protection required.
How to Choose the Right Mailer Size
Account for product thickness, seams, closures and required protection when sizing a mailer.
How to Choose the Right Mailing Tube
Choose by rolled diameter, usable length, wall construction, closure and handling environment.
Alternatives to Shipping Boxes
Compare mailers, tubes and other formats when a full corrugated carton is unnecessary.
How to Choose Packaging for Easy Product Returns
Evaluate opening, resealing and protection when packaging may need to make a second trip.
Types of Poly Bags: How to Choose the Right Style
Compare bag formats, closures, thickness and specialty constructions by application.
How to Use Kraft Shipping Paper
Understand when kraft paper can be used for wrapping, void fill, separation, light cushioning and surface protection.
Plastic Bag Suffocation Warnings: What Businesses Need to Check
Understand the variables that can affect warning requirements for plastic bags and packaging applications.
Warehouse & Load Securement
Storage, picking, organization, pallet protection and load-containment decisions.
Warehouse Bin Boxes for Small-Parts Storage and Picking
Use defined bin locations to support organization, replenishment and active picking.
How to Choose Containers for Long-Term Storage
Evaluate contents, environment, access frequency, stacking and handling before choosing a tote or bin.
How to Organize Packaging Supplies and Warehouse Inventory
Build organization around frequency of use, labeling, replenishment and point-of-use storage.
Why Edge Protectors Matter for Palletized Shipping
Understand how edge protection can support load containment and protect vulnerable edges.
How to Choose the Right Edge Protector Strength
Evaluate dimensions, construction, load conditions and application rather than appearance alone.
Choosing the Right Strapping Material
Compare strapping materials according to load characteristics, tension and handling requirements.
Tape & Stretch Film
Carton sealing, specialty tapes and film selection for shipping and palletized loads.
Different Types of Packing Tape and When to Use Them
A practical starting point for carton sealing and common specialty tape applications.
Industrial Tape vs. General-Purpose Tape
Understand why adhesive construction, backing and service conditions matter.
Gaffer Tape vs. Duct Tape
Compare backing, adhesive behavior and intended use rather than treating them as interchangeable.
Masking Tape vs. Painter's Tape
Understand the different applications and removal expectations for these tape families.
Stretch Film vs. Shrink Film
Compare two very different packaging films and how each is applied.
Stretch Film Guide
Learn how film type, application method and load conditions affect stretch-film selection.
Cold & Perishable Shipping
Insulation, thermal performance and pack-out considerations for chilled, frozen and other temperature-sensitive shipments.
How to Choose Insulated Shipping for Cold and Frozen Products
Separate insulation requirements from refrigerant selection and evaluate the complete shipping pack-out.
What R-Value Means in Insulated Shipping
Understand what insulation R-value communicates and what it cannot tell you about package hold time by itself.
How to Ship Perishable Products
A practical checklist for building and validating a temperature-sensitive shipping pack-out.
Sustainability & Packaging Recovery
Material selection, environmental terminology, reuse and practical recovery considerations for packaging.
How to Compare Sustainable and Conventional Packaging
Compare product protection, material use, recovery options and operational requirements.
Biodegradable vs. Compostable Packaging
Understand why biodegradable, compostable, recyclable and recycled-content claims are not interchangeable.
How Packaging Affects Your Carbon Footprint
Look at material use, shipping efficiency, damage and recovery when evaluating packaging-related emissions.
How to Reuse and Recycle Corrugated Boxes
Inspect cartons for reuse first, then prepare eligible corrugated correctly for the local recycling stream.
How to Reuse, Recycle or Dispose of EPS Foam Coolers
Review reuse and recovery options according to cooler condition and locally available programs.
Tips for a More Sustainable Move
Reduce unnecessary material and transportation without compromising the protection required during a move.
Custom Packaging & Brand Presentation
Custom-packaging decisions, operational considerations and how packaging can support the customer experience.
Custom Packaging Solutions for Unique Products and Operations
Start with product, distribution and operating requirements rather than appearance alone.
Is Custom Packaging Worth It for a Small Business?
Compare stock, semi-custom and custom packaging against volume, inventory, cash flow and branding needs.
How Branded Packaging Can Support Customer Loyalty
Consider packaging as one customer touchpoint without treating presentation as a guarantee of repeat purchasing.
Packaging HERO Updates
Selected partnership announcements and company updates retained as part of the Packaging HERO article library.
Packaging HERO Partners with Grip Systems
How Grip expanded the stretch-film, water-activated-tape and application-equipment options available through Packaging HERO.
Packaging HERO & AirWave Packaging Partnership
A historical Packaging HERO partnership announcement retained as company archive content.
Looking for Deeper Operations Guidance?
The Packaging Operations Resource Center brings together our primary guides for packaging selection, fulfillment, warehouse operations, shipping cost, palletizing and load containment.
Visit the Resource CenterNeed Help With a Packaging Application?
Packaging HERO can help you compare materials, sizes, pack-out requirements and purchasing options for your operation.
Contact Packaging HERO