With several carriers, specify packs to the tightest set of thresholds so one format works everywhere. A pack optimised for one carrier's bands frequently attracts a surcharge from another, and maintaining a different box ladder per carrier is expensive at the bench and in stock.
Multi-carrier is now the normal position
Most despatch operations use more than one carrier, whether deliberately - different services for different weights, speeds or destinations - or through a broker that routes dynamically.
That creates a packaging question nobody asks at the point of adding the second carrier: whose thresholds should the packs be designed against?
The problem with optimising for one
Carrier thresholds differ. A format sized to sit just inside one carrier's small parcel band can be over another's, which means the same pack is economical on some orders and surcharged on others.
Worse, if routing is dynamic you may not know in advance which carrier a given order will go with - so the pack has to work for whichever is chosen.
Specify to the tightest set
The practical rule is to take the most restrictive threshold across all the carriers you use, and specify inside it.
| Threshold | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Letterbox or minimum depth band | The biggest step for small items |
| Small parcel dimensions | The most commonly crossed threshold |
| Maximum length | Triggers surcharges rather than a band |
| Length plus girth | Often the binding constraint on long items |
| Weight breaks | Interacts with volumetric calculations |
| Volumetric divisor | Differs by carrier and changes effective cost |
What to compare across carriers.
The volumetric divisor is the one most often overlooked - two carriers can charge quite differently for the same box.
Keep one ladder, not several
The alternative to specifying tightly is holding a different box ladder per carrier. That is expensive in bench space, stock, replenishment and decisions per order - and it slows packing at exactly the point where speed matters.
One ladder, specified to the tightest thresholds, is almost always cheaper overall even if it means a slightly less perfect fit for some carriers. See packaging for fulfilment.
Labelling across carriers
Different carriers want labels in different places and sizes, which affects the pack surface you need to keep clear.
- Leave a clear label area on the largest face of every format.
- Avoid print or texture in that area - adhesion and scanning both suffer.
- Check label adhesion against your actual board, particularly recycled liners.
- Make sure the area is flat; labels across a seam or a tape line scan poorly.
Protection does not vary by carrier
Usefully, the protective specification is common. All parcel networks handle goods frequently, roughly and unpredictably, so restraint and closure requirements are essentially the same whichever carrier is used.
That means only the dimensional specification needs reconciling across carriers - the inner protection can be designed once. See protective packaging.
Reviewing when the carrier mix changes
Adding or removing a carrier changes the tightest-set calculation, and so does a carrier re-rating its bands. Both happen more often than packaging gets reviewed.
Re-run the comparison whenever the mix changes rather than annually - see multi-carrier parcel services and parcel services.
The short version
- Specify to the tightest thresholds across all your carriers.
- Volumetric divisors differ, so the same box can cost differently.
- One ladder beats a ladder per carrier.
- Leave a flat, clear label area on every format.
- Protection does not vary by carrier; only dimensions need reconciling.
Frequently asked questions
Should we have different packaging for each carrier?
Usually not. Maintaining several ladders costs more in bench space, stock and decisions than the fit benefit is worth. Specify to the tightest set instead.
What is a volumetric divisor?
The figure a carrier uses to convert pack dimensions into a chargeable weight. It differs between carriers, so the same box can cost quite differently.
How do we compare carrier thresholds?
Tabulate depth, dimensions, length, length-plus-girth, weight breaks and volumetric divisor for each, then specify inside the most restrictive of each.
Does protection need to vary by carrier?
No - all parcel networks handle goods similarly. Only the dimensional specification needs reconciling.
What happens when we add a carrier?
Re-run the tightest-set comparison. A new carrier can make an existing format non-compliant without anything else changing.