24 June 2015 ABL's Best Carton Tips
How to Choose And Use Cartons In Your Workplace For The Best Results
ABL's Best Carton Tips To Help Your Business!
With over 30 years industry experience as a supplier of cartons in South East Queensland— we are the experts on helping you get the best value for money and results on your carton purchases.
This article contains our very best 'carton' tips to help your warehouse run smarter, smoother and more cheaply.
1) Stock vs Custom Cartons
This is a primary consideration when looking at your carton purchasing. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options and it is best to choose based on your carton requirements, storage space and cash flow needs.
Stock Cartons
- Always available
- Order as you go (cash flow benefits)
- Minimal storage required
- Over 90 stock sizes
- General shipping and some heavy duty grades
- Great as a back up when custom boxes are in short supply
- View our huge stock range of cartons here
Custom Cartons
- Lead time 2-4 weeks from order
- Minimum order qtys apply
- Possibly several pallet spaces required
- Custom fit for your products
- Choose your own board grade
- Custom printing available
- Often cheaper per carton due to larger, personalised runs
- Apply online for a custom carton quote here
2) Make Sure Your Cartons Perform
a) Correct Measurements
All carton measurements are internal.
When reviewing a stock list, or wanting to design your own carton, realise that the measurements for all cartons are internal, that is, they are taken inside the box rather than the outside of the cardboard exterior.
This means that the sizing of your carton will not be affected by changes to the board grade.
When reviewing a stock list, or wanting to design your own carton, realise that the measurements for all cartons are internal, that is, they are taken inside the box rather than the outside of the cardboard exterior.
This means that the sizing of your carton will not be affected by changes to the board grade.
b) Don’t Have Goods Rattling Around In Your Cartons!
The quickest way to destroy a carton is to have the internal products break it from the inside out.
Make sure you fill any void space with void fill or bubblewrap.
This also will add shock protection to your products when they are in transit meaning less damage, less replacements and less annoyed customers!
Make sure you fill any void space with void fill or bubblewrap.
This also will add shock protection to your products when they are in transit meaning less damage, less replacements and less annoyed customers!
c) Use The Correct Board Grade
Cartons can be made to look dramatically cheaper if one changes the board grade.
Sometimes this may make no difference depending on what the carton is designed to carry… but in general, the performance of a carton is determined by the quality of the board grade.
When asking for a quotation, make sure that you inform the carton manufacturer:
i) The conditions your carton would be kept in (ie. refrigerated?)
ii) Whether it is to be palletised, and if so, how high?
iii) Weight and type of object/s to be placed into the carton
iv) How far the carton is to travel (ie. how many handling points?)
It can be false economy to use a cheaper board grade and have pallets of cartons that don’t do the job for which they are intended, costing you lost or damaged stock, frustrated customers and wasted time.
Sometimes this may make no difference depending on what the carton is designed to carry… but in general, the performance of a carton is determined by the quality of the board grade.
When asking for a quotation, make sure that you inform the carton manufacturer:
i) The conditions your carton would be kept in (ie. refrigerated?)
ii) Whether it is to be palletised, and if so, how high?
iii) Weight and type of object/s to be placed into the carton
iv) How far the carton is to travel (ie. how many handling points?)
It can be false economy to use a cheaper board grade and have pallets of cartons that don’t do the job for which they are intended, costing you lost or damaged stock, frustrated customers and wasted time.
d) Store Your Cartons Correctly
To make sure your cartons do their job, they must be stored correctly.
Importantly, don't leave them where they can get wet or be exposed to even minor moisture. This will make for, at worst, a useless mouldy mess, or at best, a weak, fragile carton that may collapse.
Also, if you leave cartons where they can get dusty, remember to wipe them down before attempting to stick tape/labels onto them - nothing sticks to dust!
Importantly, don't leave them where they can get wet or be exposed to even minor moisture. This will make for, at worst, a useless mouldy mess, or at best, a weak, fragile carton that may collapse.
Also, if you leave cartons where they can get dusty, remember to wipe them down before attempting to stick tape/labels onto them - nothing sticks to dust!
3) Consider Marketing Your Brand On Your Cartons
A few cents extra per carton can bring big rewards in return sales, and brand identity.
Printing is a simple process to add to your custom cartons.
There is a once off charge for printing plates for each size of carton (and color of print) you require, and then an approximate 5-10% increase in the price of your cartons ongoing.
Simple designs of one to two colors work best on cartons.
Another cost effective way to brand your cartons if you are using stock cartons or a large array of different sizes (or sizes that frequently change) is to use printed tape or custom labels to display your branding information.
Either custom carton printing, or labels / tape only add a few cents to each shipped carton but can prove a very effective 'silent' salesperson for your business.
Over the years, we have had many customers report a strong increase in sales from adding something as simple as ‘To reorder, call…. XXXXXXXXXX’ and their logo to their packaging.
This is because many end users find the old box something came in when trying to re-order a product – so having your information makes re-ordering from your business is a no-brainer for a time poor customer.
Printing is a simple process to add to your custom cartons.
There is a once off charge for printing plates for each size of carton (and color of print) you require, and then an approximate 5-10% increase in the price of your cartons ongoing.
Simple designs of one to two colors work best on cartons.
Another cost effective way to brand your cartons if you are using stock cartons or a large array of different sizes (or sizes that frequently change) is to use printed tape or custom labels to display your branding information.
Either custom carton printing, or labels / tape only add a few cents to each shipped carton but can prove a very effective 'silent' salesperson for your business.
Over the years, we have had many customers report a strong increase in sales from adding something as simple as ‘To reorder, call…. XXXXXXXXXX’ and their logo to their packaging.
This is because many end users find the old box something came in when trying to re-order a product – so having your information makes re-ordering from your business is a no-brainer for a time poor customer.
