Packaging for courier delivery has to survive handling it cannot be protected from: conveyors, chutes, tipping and several manual handlings. That makes closure strength and inner restraint more important than cushioning volume, and it makes the pack's external dimensions a direct cost, because couriers price on size bands as well as weight.
What a courier journey actually does to a parcel
It is worth being concrete, because the mental model most people have - a van, a driver, a doorstep - is the last mile only.
Before that, a parcel typically goes through automated sortation: belts, chutes, slides, tipping trays and junctions, interspersed with manual handling by people moving at pace who have never seen your product. It will be stacked under other parcels, sometimes heavier ones.
Nothing about that is unreasonable - it is how a network moves millions of items affordably. It does mean the pack has to be specified for it.
The three things that fail
| Failure | Cause | Specification response |
|---|---|---|
| Pack opens in transit | Closure not specified for handling | Tape pattern and board specified together; crash-lock or taped base |
| Product damaged inside an intact pack | Movement over a long journey | Restraint - fitted insert, partition, cut foam |
| Pack crushed | Stacked under heavier items in a cage | Board grade for the load, not just the contents |
Courier-specific failure modes.
Note that only the third is about strength in the usual sense. The first is about closure and the second about restraint - and the second is by far the most common.
Closure deserves more attention than it gets
A pack that survives the conveyor and then pops open in a sorting chute has failed completely. Closure is usually under-specified because it is assumed rather than designed.
- Specify the tape pattern, not just the tape - how many strips, and where.
- Match the tape construction to the board and the load; recycled board with a dusty surface holds adhesive differently.
- For heavier contents, a full overlap or crash-lock base removes the weakest point.
- Avoid relying on interlocking flaps alone for anything with weight.
See custom printed tape for the tape options and packaging materials for board constructions.
Size is a cost, not just a fit question
Couriers price on size and weight bands and apply volumetric calculations, so the pack's external dimensions decide what every order in that format costs.
Choose the format to sit comfortably inside a band rather than simply to fit the product. For flat goods, check whether letterbox depth is reachable - it avoids a band step and a failed delivery at the same time. See postal and parcel packaging.
Fragile and awkward items
For fragile goods the priority order is restraint, then cushioning, then outer strength - in that order, because a product that cannot move rarely needs much cushioning, while a cushioned product that can move still gets damaged.
For long or irregular items, check the courier's length and girth limits before specifying the format. Surcharges on these are avoidable far more often than people assume. See protective packaging and foam packaging.
Specifying once, for every courier you use
If you use more than one courier - and most businesses do, whether deliberately or through a broker - their thresholds and limits differ.
Specifying to the tightest set means one format works everywhere, which keeps the ladder short and avoids a pack that is economical with one carrier and surcharged by another. See parcel services and same-day courier services for the despatch side.
The short version
- Specify for automated sortation, not for a careful driver.
- Restraint first, closure second, outer strength third.
- Specify the tape pattern, not just the tape.
- Dimensions are a direct and recurring cost.
- With several couriers, specify to the tightest limits.
Frequently asked questions
Why do parcels get damaged when pallets do not?
A parcel network handles items far more often, far more roughly and far less predictably. The same product genuinely needs a different pack for each.
Is more bubble wrap the answer to courier damage?
Usually not. Most courier damage is movement, and loose protection settles in transit. Restraint - something that holds the product still - is what works.
How strong does the box need to be?
Strong enough for the stack above it, not just for the contents. That is the specification most often got wrong - see packaging materials.
Do couriers really charge on size?
Yes - size and weight bands, plus volumetric calculations and surcharges for oversize or irregular shapes. The pack's dimensions are a direct and recurring cost.
Can WSUK handle courier despatch as well as the packaging?
Yes - parcel services and same-day courier services sit alongside the packaging service, so the pack can be specified against the bands you actually ship against.