Packaging Materials Essay

693 Words3 Pages
Choosing the right packaging material to ship a product can mean the difference between having that product to arrive to its destination in one piece or in pieces. Packaging materials comes in different shapes and forms, in order to choose the right package several factors such as material strength, weight of item been shipped, value of item and adverse conditions must be considered. When shipping a product thru a supply chain three kinds of packaging materials are used: Primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary packaging is the one directly in contact with the product,i.e. the foil bag that contain a bag of chips. Secondary packaging is used to group several units of a product together, i.e. dozens of bag of chips packed in cardboard boxes. Tertiary packaging are the ones that hold secondary packaging, these are normally larger, thicker boxes , i.e. individual boxes of chips packed in tertiary boxes of tens or hundredths per box. There are different types of shipping containers been used thru the supply chain, three of the most common containers use for distribution are paper-based shipping containers, wood-based shipping containers and plastic-based shipping containers. Paper-based shipping containers are better known as Corrugated boxes, a corrugated paper sheet consist of paper linerboards encasing a fluted corrugated sheet, this design creates air columns within the corrugated paperboard for cushioning. Corrugated boxes are made of one, two or three layers of flutes and liners to add strength to the shipping container. Corrugated boxes are well used as shipping containers, it is estimated that 95% of the products shipped in the U.S.A. use corrugated boxes, this popularity is due to its strength, durability, light weight, recyclability and low cost, they handle well pressure from stacking and are ideal for easy transportation. Corrugated boxes are used

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