Substrate index · 08 categories
Packaging I source.
These are the eight categories I quote and source most often for manufacturers and distributors. Each page covers what the material is, how it gets specified, what actually drives the price, and where I usually see money leaking out of a program.
If your item doesn't fit neatly into one of them, send it anyway. Most real packaging programs cross two or three of these.
Packaging categories
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01
Corrugated
32 ECT · C-flute
Shipping cases, die-cut mailers, trays and displays. Style, flute and board grade matched to how the box is actually stacked and shipped.
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02
Folding cartons
18 pt SBS · RTE
Printed paperboard cartons for retail, food and consumer goods. Board, caliper and style chosen for the shelf and the packing line.
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03
Flexible packaging
PET/PE · stand-up pouch
Pouches, bags and printed rollstock. Laminate structure and barrier matched to the product's shelf life and your filling equipment.
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04
Multiwall bags
3-ply 50# · PE liner
Paper sacks for flour, feed, seed, minerals, resins and chemicals. Ply count, paper grade and closure matched to your filler and your product.
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05
Labels
PS · BOPP · thermal
Pressure-sensitive product labels and blank thermal labels. Face stock, adhesive and roll specs matched to the surface and the printer.
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06
Rigid packaging
HDPE · PET · closures
Bottles, jugs, jars, pails and closures. Resin, gram weight and neck finish matched to the product, the filler and the closure.
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07
Stretch & shrink film
80 ga cast · POF
Pallet stretch film by hand or machine, and shrink film for bundling and retail. Measured by cost per load, not price per roll.
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08
Protective packaging
Bubble · foam · fill
Bubble, foam, air pillows, paper void fill, molded pulp and corrugated inserts. Matched to how fragile the product is and how it ships.