We have all had this happen to us at some point when ordering products online. The shipping carrier shows up at our door with one of the largest boxes that we have ever seen. What could it be? We ordered electric toothbrush refills from Amazon, could they have possibly gotten the order wrong and sent us a thousand of them? Finding the right sized box can be a real challenge.

Concern takes over as we accept the package and begin to cut along the printed tape to see what’s inside. Once opened, and to our relief, the box is full of packing material and a small parcel is sitting in the bottom containing our toothbrush refills.

For us, it isn’t an issue, although we do have to recycle that large box. But for the seller, that seems like a lot of wasted space and it could cost more in shipping rates to send a large cardboard box over one that is more size appropriate.

Small business owners need to be concerned about every dollar they spend and choosing the right size postal boxes for their products can add up to a lot of savings very quickly. How do you know what size boxes you need for your products and where can you get quality shipping and packaging boxes that meet your needs? Let’s take a look at finding the right size cardboard box for your needs:

How to Choose the Right Sized Box

Whether you are shipping out single products and need boxes that are sized to fit, or you need boxes to package and sell your products such as glassware, electronics, or other products, choosing the right size box is important.

The general rule is to use a cardboard box that is just large enough to fit your product and maybe add a void fill. Buying larger boxes will cost more and leave your products less protected during transit.

If your product is fragile, remember you will need to allow extra space for the product wrapping such as bubble wrap, and maybe double-walled boxes are the best option.

How to Calculate your Box Dimensions

First, begin by measuring the length, width, and height of your product. If you have several similar products you could measure like-sized products together in one group and mismatched sizes into another. This will give you some accurate measurements to calculate a standard box size.

It is important to remember that a box’s dimensions are internal measurements. This means that the external dimension will be slightly larger especially if you are using double-wall cardboard.

External dimensions are still important especially if you are going to be sending your parcels with the Royal Mail. Below are the exterior measurement and weight limit accepted:

To calculate the exterior dimension of your box you will have to add the thickness of the cardboard x 2 to the internal dimensions. For single wall boxes, the thickness of the wall is 3mm so you will have to add 6mm. For double wall cardboard, you will have to add 12mm as the thickness is 6mm.

Order Your Boxes

Finally, contact your shipping and packaging box supplier with your measurements and see what they have to offer. You will want a shipping box that leaves enough room for packing material so your products remain safe and are delivered undamaged and a packaging box that fits your products snugly to assure they don’t rattle around. This is very important for glassware, electronics, and other breakable items.

Using these tips, you will be able to accurately choose boxes that suit your needs and the needs of your products. To order boxes for your small business today online here.