When shipping parcels, you obviously want to make sure they arrive in one piece. Though a lot depends on how gently the courier handles them, the packaging material is also of major importance. Do you want to go the extra mile to protect the contents of your shipment? Picking the right packaging material is the key to avoiding damaged goods. Read our top tips to ensure your shipment is adequately packaged!
What’s the right packaging material?
Properly packaging your parcels starts with strong packaging material. Most goods are best off with high-quality corrugated cardboard boxes. Don’t use old boxes, because they are never as sturdy as new ones. Are you shipping very heavy, fragile or valuable items? Then we recommend you prepare a double wall or even a triple wall box.
If you rely on the courier services of DHL Express, you don’t have to worry about the size or weight of your parcel. We pride ourselves on our safe and swift delivery of items that are too large or too heavy to handle for traditional parcel services.
Clients with a DHL account can easily order their packaging material online. If you’re a private customer without an account, you can simply go to one of our DHL service points for Express Easy shipping, DHL packaging materials included.
Packaging advice
It’s important to pick a box or an envelope the exact size of your shipment. If the contents of your box can move, they are likely to get damaged on the way. Keep these key packaging considerations in mind:
- Always put fragile goods in the centre of your package so they don’t touch the sides (try to maintain a 6-centimeter distance from the sides of the box).
- Fill up any empty spaces with extra cushioning material.
- If your box contains more than one item, we recommend you use corrugated cardboard partitions to keep the items separated. Packaging and shipping each item separately is even safer.
- Seal your boxes with brown plastic tape, self-adhesive black tape or waterproof duct tape. Avoid using paper tape or cellophane tape.
- The best way to seal your package? That’s the H-taping Apply tape evenly along the length of the box, where the flaps meet in the middle. Seal the sides of the cardboard box with tape. The result looks like a capital letter H and guarantees a proper seal and sturdiness.
Want to know more about the art of packaging and shipping? Take a peek at our packing guides for electronics, fashion or temperature-sensitive shipments.
