Common Packaging Materials Companies Use

There are some packaging materials that are more common than others, and here, we’ll go over the most common ones that are out there, so you know what to use, and when to use it. 

Paper Products and Fiberboard 

Fiberboard along with paperboard are commonly used in secondary and paper packaging. Paper is great for other thinner types of packaging, such as labeling, paper bags, some kraft paper, and even butcher paper and food paper.

Paperboard is a bit thicker and is better when compared to normal kinds of paper.  This is used in a lot of primary forms of packaging. For juice and milk cartons, cereal and boxes, and even frozen food, candy, and other types of boxes, this is a great one, as it provides product protection that’s better than paper and fiberboard options.

Fiberboard, otherwise known as fluted fiberboard, is used in a lot of creations for corrugated packaging, including boxes. The fluting fiberboard options offer ridged edges between the two flatter boards, and it creates a higher strength and crush resistance options. The American forest and paper association is definitely something that offers more packaging than anything else, and fluted fiberboard creates this. 

PET and HDPE Packaging 

This is high density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate packaging. These are more rigid and harder types of plastics. Both of these are great for moisture resistance, and also offer a protective structure that’s more rigid than others.  These are used in jugs and bottles. 

A lot of soda and water bottles get made for this. Oil bottles, cartons of milk, and even bottle caps are made from the HDPE, and this is very rigid in terms of materials. 

Flexible Packaging 

Otherwise known as low density polyethylene or linear low-density polyethylene, flexible packaging is basically what’s used in a lot of secondary, and primary products out there. they’re soft, and usually offer the best puncture resistance out there. 

LDPE is used for a lot of films, bags, and also tubing for the packaging.  They’re usually called tubing, or poly bags, and they come in a variety of different types of thickness, and are used for packaging some foods, treats for dogs, even parts for carts and a whole lot more. LDPE is also used to make what’s called bundling film, and is used for water bottles, or canned food bundling. 

Stretch wrapping is also a type of LDPE, and is commonly used to wrap a bunch of products, and is stretchable, and flexible too

Aluminum 

This is used for a lot of different applications out there and is recognized for containers and cans made from this. It’s also good for a lot of cans and containers.

Foil packaging is also a type of aluminum packaging, and is used for foods, medical items, cosmetics, and beverages, along with other types of industries, commonly considered a barrier protector. It protects your products from sunlight, moisture, and other elements, and it’s used with adhesives to preserve these products while they sit on these shelves. 

Jars and Glass 

Finally, jars and glass, a form of glass packaging, happens.  This is something that’s used for drinks both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, and this makes up the brunt of the market.  Cosmetics, personal care items, condiments, and also candles and home décor use this.

It’s totally recyclable, and will be used again and again, and this can be used without losing its value.  it’s one that’s preferred due to the value of this product.  A lot of people also like this because the products offer a more quality look compared to the other plastic products.

Custom Poly Bags 

Poly bags are ideal for securing your products, the shipments, and are good for branding. Plus, they’re totally recyclable. 

Most guidelines form amazon state specifically that ply bags are good for packaging different products with a large scent, any liquids, or other products that might destroy or spill onto these shipped types of packaging.

Here, we have a screenshot of the different types of poly bag packaging that’s used. 

Poly Units 

Poly units that protect the requirements for most packaging need to have the following: 

  • A five inch opening or greater, especially measured when it’s flat.  If this is there, you need to make sure that there is a label on this to tell people about suffocation. A failure to have this there will cause the items to be pre bagged 
  • The warning needs to be placed in a location that’s easy to see, and a size font that’s legible on the bag 
  • The thickness needs to be at least 1.5 mil for most bags 
  • It must be seen through 
  • The bag needs a barcode that’s scannable in the bag, or have an ASIN or X00 on the outer part of the bag 
  • It must be totally sealed 
  • It must not stick out more than three inches past the product dimensions 

Scented items such as incense, candles, or even bully sticks that dogs can chew on, must be bagged and sealed to prevent that scent from being absorbed into different products 

All of the poly bags that are greater than five inches wide need to be used for different packaging and must have a suffocation warning on them. This is because it provides sellers with everything that they must do. 

Custom printing does need to have this warning, unless the person supplying this wants to have a generic warning about suffocation 

Also bear in mind that there are different font sizes to be used.  Some bags have even been sent to the business back from the FBA places as they didn’t follow the guidelines for the packaging. 

We also recommend that you add branding or logo to this. Printing one’s info for contacting is a good way to give customers every chance they can get to find out where their products are coming from. 

Many other kinds of prints are usually recommended for printing these packaging products directly from amazon. For electronics and other sensitive products, you might want to have a printed static shield bag to keep the statistic from getting to the product, and the bag printing tells the customers about said product. 

These minimums are important, as without them, they can cause you to waste money, especially after sending it back.  For best results, always make sure that the product follows these guidelines before you send it out, in order to get the best results from the product that you can.

With that said, talk to the supplier to find out about all of the right types of poly bags to do, along with fast turn times, minimums that are low, and also some of the other cool aspects that printed poly types of bags are used with retail and amazon packaging.

To get this, you just need to talk to a supplier to discuss the size of the bag, and the thickness that comes with it, along with desired artwork.  You get the minimums, the lead times, and the like, with most of these being shipped within 3 weeks or less.  Plus, you can also get some of these orders with free shipping if you buy in bulk. 

Food Packaging Options for Startups 

A lot of food startups are great to begin with, but they do come with some challenges. Most of this happens in the logistics, shipping, and the packaging sectors, as this can be a major part of the struggles one deals with to get success with their packaging.

Subscription boxes, different kits for cooking, even snacks and cookies are a great way to impress people, provided they are intact and fresh. You need good packaging to help with this.

The right food packaging helps with food displays, stands out, and also slows down the spoilage. You should make sure that the packaging options that are chosen are compliant with both the local and the state regulations. 

Good Options for startups that are FDA Approved 

You want to make sure that the options that you use for your food packaging are approved by the FDA in order to slow down the spoilage of food and make it fresh.

Most are rated in a way to allow for direct contact of food. 

There are some however that might need food separation, and other guidelines for contact packaging, and here, we’ll go over each of those. 

Vacuum Packaging 

This is the most popular, and it creates a vacuum seal. 

One of the biggest sources of the degradation of food is the oxygen that happens when it’s shipped, and this enhances the spoilage of items. Vacuum sealing is the best way to ensure product safety by lowering the amount of oxygen within the package.

How this works is pretty simple. You put the food in a barrier bag, and then, with the use of a machine, it encloses this within the product. It’s then sealed with an atmosphere modified in order to keep the food safe in the packaging.

The atmosphere there is a lot different from our natural atmosphere, most of the time without oxygen in order to preserve the shelf life and extend it without the use of a preservative. 

Some of them also have specific bags that create a barrier against oxygen.  Some barrier bags may also feature other means to increase the properties of the barriers.  You may however want to get a co-extruded bag, which is made from different materials.  All of these are FDA approved, and it keeps the oxygen out. 

Overwrapping 

Another one that’s done by a lot of butchers, confectioners, and even grocers and those in the food industries is overwrapping. It extends the shelf life use and is lightweight with a variety of advantages that come with this.

It’s basically those meats and veggies that you see on the grocery trays.  This is basically a machine that uses a wire that’s electrically heated, cutting the film to wrap this around the products. The bottom portions of these trays are placed on heated plates of fabric, in order to mend and shrink the wrapping that’s around the bottom portion of the tray.  This look, when finished, is a conformed packaging that’s placed in the tray of the product. 

They come in different levels of thickness too, and some are even tinted, in order to reduce the exports of light to the products that are there. Some also work with heavier meat cuts too. 

There are other types of shrink wrapping that are used too, in order to bundle the products together, the PVC can shrink wrap this, but it’s not used for direct types of food contact, but instead for bottles and other types of food packaging.

Whatever you use, know that it must be approved by the FDA to help with the packaging. 

What Kraft Paper is for Packaging 

Kraft paper is something that a lot of people have decided to start using, as it’s a more sustainable form of packaging. Kraft paper has in fact made even more contributions and impact in order to meet the demands there.

While there isn’t any doubt that kraft paper is super popular, and the capabilities of such continues to get bigger, you might wonder why that is. 

Here, we’ll go into why kraft paper is the best thing for those in the realm of packaging. 

What Kraft Paper Is 

This comes from the word meaning “strong” and it’s literally that. 

Kraft paper is a tear-resistant, durable, and brown paper that’s made with the kraft pulp, and the process surrounding this.

It’s best for creating wrapping that’s durable, and also for cartons and boxes which are rigid, and this is also available in a variety of different colors, shades and the like.

Ideally, it’s perfect for branding and other solutions too! 

The surface of this is properly textured, creating a finish that’s high-quality, and premium to the taste, and also makes it rustic too. 

How it’s Made 

This is actually not a new packaging process. In fact, it was founded in the 1880s by Carl F. Dahl, who lived in Germany.

During the manufacturing process of paper, the wood gets pulped, which means it gets ground up directly into a pulp shape first and foremost. However, Dahl managed to treat this pulp with different chemicals, and in turn, this created a better strength, and a more impactful pulp that works, especially with the sulfates as well that benefited from the strength of this.

Originally, this was used directly as a material for wrapping, and it’s more durable, sturdy, and better for packaging and other solutions, especially when we look at the boxes that we know of today

How this differs from regular paper 

Some people may think that this is the same thing as regular paper, but that’s actually not the case.

Did you know that kraft paper is a lot stronger. 

Because of the process used to create this, more lignin is then stripped away from this wood pulp, and this in turn leaves more cellulose for the paper, so it’s much more tear-resistant, and more durable as well in terms of characteristics. 

Kraft paper also tends to have a more porous nature than regular kinds of paper too, so it’s a little bit less effective when it comes to printing.

However, it does succeed when used in debossing, and foil stamping, so if you like those finishes, this is some of the best types of paper to use. 

Uses in Packaging 

These days, kraft paper is used primary for corrugated packaging, especially boxes, and even some cartons as well. because of the durability of this, and the benefits that this offers to the ecommerce world, this is one that can withstand a lot of the harder shipping situations, without impacting the overall results of the box. 

So in turn, you can use kraft paper for a lot of great things, especially for shipping and creating item durability that matters a whole lot! 

Kraft paper also is used as well for a lot of businesses because this offers a lot of sustainability options that are there. It does portray more eco-friendly types of initiatives, especially since it’s brown, rustic, and also offers a rawer look to the kraft paper that’s there. 

It’s versatile and offers a larger range of the innovative packaging that’s utilized in the industry today for your uses as well too. 

Packaging for Custom t-Shirts 

People love to buy items online, and one thing that a lot of people like to get are t-shirts that are custom-made. Custom t-shirts come with their own unique styles to them. Many buy custom t-shirts to show them off to their friends.  Companies want to give their t-shirts the same love and packaging that the fans do when they get these shirts. 

Which is where the custom t-shirt box comes in.

Hinged lid boxes are actually becoming a lot more popular. This is a box with a lid on top that creates a hinge.  You can put some custom made or colorful tissue paper in there, and then the t-shirt itself, really enhancing the packaging that comes with this. 

There is another one, however, that’s recently become quite popular, especially amongst those who are younger. This is the snap lock base box, and this is one where there is a lock that snaps together, rolling all of this to create a box that’s easy to use, and very effective. 

These boxes are small enough that they won’t run major costs when you try to ship them, and they come with a digital printing process so you can make as many as you need. It usually uses the four color digital printing process to help with this, which is a good way to show off all of the colors, and the options for you to check out. 

In general, these boxes are different from the normal means of box printing that you might use for packaging. They provide a premier box that will really shine and stand out. For those looking to show off their designs not just in the form of the shirts on the site, but also in the boxes and packaging that they offer, this is the way for it to go. 

Now, what’s cool about this is the printing. You can add a simple white background with black lettering, a more monochrome style, then you’re good to go with these. 

One of the sides can be patterned in order to create a unique, sleek finish to each of the products that are there.  you’ll be amazed at the difference that this makes, especially when you’re trying to boost the packaging needs that you have.

You can also make sure that the boxes are fitting for the shirt. There are large rectangular boxes that are longer than wide, and they are good to create the traditional box feeling to them. Another unique style that’s become popular with t-shirt boxes, is the box that’s taller and wider, and adding more height. These are good to create a more ergonomic style, and really offers a unique means for you to really craft the most beautiful t-shirt packaging that’s out there.

The bottoms of this box are also very sturdy too, and they are simple to fold together to create a nice, effective and strong base that will handle jostles and motions during transit, in order to protect this high-quality product.

The next time you want to change the products that you have, and really enhance the t-shirts that you sell, look no further than these. There are a bunch of great, unique means to really improve the packaging that you offer, and you’ll be able to, with all of this, build the best packaging that you can, and from here, you’ll be able to create a custom t-shirts experience that you will enjoy, and one that, once you’re done with it, will get people excited to buy the shirts that you have to offer.