Most packaging problems are a material chosen by habit. This is what each one is genuinely for, and the questions that decide between them.
Packaging materials fall into six families and each answers a different question. Corrugated board provides structure, and the wall construction and flute set its strength. Papers provide void fill, interleaving and wrapping, recyclably. Films - stretch, shrink and barrier - unitise, contain and protect from moisture. Foams restrain and cushion, specified by grade and density. Tapes seal and can carry print. Strapping and protection secure loads and protect edges. This page sets out what each is for; to buy them, see packaging supplies.
Choosing within a family is a detail. Choosing the wrong family is why the pack is not working.
Board gives the pack its structure - single, double and triple wall, with flute profile and liner grade setting strength and print quality. Papers handle void fill, interleaving and wrapping without plastic.
Stretch film unitises a pallet, shrink film contains a group, barrier film keeps moisture out. Foams restrain and cushion, chosen by grade and density rather than by thickness alone.
Tapes seal and brand. Strapping secures a load against the forces a heavy unit generates. Corner boards, edge protection and anti-slip keep a pallet square.
Answer these and the specification largely writes itself. Skip them and you buy by habit.
Four steps from product to a written material list.
Weight, dimensions, fragility, finish, how it travels and how long it is stored.
What is actually going wrong now, or what would go wrong - movement, compression, impact, abrasion or moisture.
The family first, then the grade within it: board wall and flute, foam density, film gauge, tape construction, strapping specification.
A specified list against your SKU groups, so the choice is recorded rather than remade every time somebody reorders.
Specified and supplied from the Midlands Golden Triangle to businesses across the UK - and we would rather specify a cheaper material that works than sell you a premium one that is not needed.
Packaging materials divide into six families, and almost every packaging problem that persists is a case of the wrong family rather than the wrong grade within the right one. Corrugated board is the structural family. It is specified by wall construction - single, double or triple - and by flute profile and liner grade, and the thing to understand is that the board is usually chosen for the contents when it should be chosen for the stack, because in a warehouse or on a pallet what crushes a carton is the weight above it rather than the weight inside it. Papers are the recyclable fill and wrap family: void fill, interleaving between finished surfaces, wrapping, and paper tape. They have improved considerably and now substitute for plastic in most, though not all, applications. Films do three unrelated jobs under one heading - stretch film unitises a pallet so it behaves as one object, shrink film contains a group of items, and barrier film keeps moisture out - and the gauge and type for each are different. Foams restrain and cushion; the critical variable is grade and density rather than thickness, because an under-specified foam compresses fully on the first impact and then does nothing, and polyethylene, polyurethane and anti-static grades are not interchangeable. Tapes seal, and the three constructions - polypropylene, vinyl and paper - differ in adhesion under load, in cold store performance and in whether they keep a corrugated pack single-material for recycling. Strapping, banding, corner boards, edge protection and anti-slip are the load security family, and they matter most precisely where cushioning matters least: a heavy item that shifts generates far more force than a drop does. Choosing between families comes down to six questions - how heavy, what is stacked above, can it move, how does it travel, is moisture a risk, and who has to recycle it - and the third of those is the one most often skipped, which is why so many businesses respond to scuffing and bending damage by buying more cushioning when the answer was restraint all along. Once the family is right, the grade is a technical detail we will specify for you; and if a cheaper material will do the job, we would rather tell you that. To order materials see packaging supplies; to have your current set examined see packaging review and cost reduction.
Specification first, then a quote against it.
Weight, dimensions, fragility, finish, how it travels and how long it is stored.
What is actually going wrong now, or what would go wrong - movement, compression, impact, abrasion or moisture.
The family first, then the grade within it: board wall and flute, foam density, film gauge, tape construction, strapping specification.
A specified list against your SKU groups, so the choice is recorded rather than remade every time somebody reorders.
Everything you need to know about packaging materials at WSUK, answered plainly.
Six families: corrugated board, papers, films, foams, tapes, and strapping and load protection. Each answers a different question, and most persistent packaging problems are the wrong family rather than the wrong grade.
The number of fluted layers, and therefore the strength and the crush resistance. The specification should follow the stack load as well as the contents - that is the distinction most often missed.
Polyethylene is resilient and suited to heavier items and repeated handling; polyurethane is softer and better for light or delicate goods and finished surfaces; anti-static grades are required around electronics. Density matters more than thickness - see foam packaging.
In most applications yes, and in some it is better because it does not migrate as readily. Where it is not adequate we will say so rather than let a substitution cause damage - see sustainable packaging.
Polypropylene for general use, vinyl where the seal is under load or in cold storage, paper where a single-material recyclable pack matters. See custom printed tape for the branded options.
Whenever the unit is heavy and travels palletised. A heavy item that shifts generates far more force than a drop, so securing the load matters more than padding it - see industrial packaging.
This page explains what each material is for and how to choose. Packaging supplies is the service that supplies them to you in trade quantities. If you already know what you want, go straight there.
Yes, and it is one of the more common findings. Over-specified board and film cost money on every unit. A packaging review is the structured way to find it.
Corrugated board and paper-based materials generally are, and a pack made entirely from them goes into kerbside collection without separation. Films and foams depend on grade and local facilities. The practical test is whether the person receiving it has to separate anything.
| What you get | WSUK | Typical packaging supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Material family chosen from the failure mode | Yes | Rarely |
| Board specified for stack load, not just contents | Yes | Rarely |
| Foam specified by grade and density | Yes | Rarely |
| Recyclability judged on what the recipient will actually do | Yes | Rarely |
| Over-specification pointed out, not sold | Yes | Rarely |
| Written material list per SKU group | Yes | Rarely |
Packaging Materials is supplied to businesses across the UK from the Midlands Golden Triangle. Pick a location for how supply works locally, or see the full list on the packaging services hub.
Describe the product and how it travels and we will tell you which materials it needs - including where you are currently over-specified.