What Packaging Materials Do We Supply?

How Do You Choose the Right Packaging Materials?

Work through these questions before you order:

1. What are you sending? Is it fragile, soft, heavy, irregularly shaped, or likely to leak?
2. How heavy is it? The product’s weight, size and how it will be transported can help determine whether you need a single wall box, double wall box or additional securing such as strapping.
3. Does it need cushioning? Anything that could crack, dent or scratch needs protection around it.
4. Could moisture be a problem? If so, add a polythene bag or cover inside the outer packaging.
5. How will it be transported? A pallet on a lorry, a courier parcel and a Royal Mail letterbox parcel all need different packaging.
6. Does the parcel need to be lightweight? If postage costs are a concern, choose lighter packaging where the product allows it.

Here’s what we’d suggest for the most common jobs:

• Clothing and soft goods: grey mailing bags, with grip seal bags inside if items need keeping dry or separated.
• Books and flat items: book wraps, which fold around the item and protect its corners.
• Small, delicate products: a bubble mailer for lower-risk items. For anything that could crack, use a postal box with bubble wrap.
• Everyday shipping of lighter goods: single wall cardboard boxes.
• Heavy, bulky or stacked goods: double wall cardboard boxes, sealed with a strong tape and strapped if needed.
• Palletised loads: stretch film, edge protection and pallet covers.

What’s the Difference Between Void Fill and Cushioning Packaging Materials?

Void fill stops items from moving around inside the box. Cushioning absorbs shock when the parcel is dropped or knocked. Many parcels need both.

Void fill packaging materials include loose fill, crumpled kraft paper and newsprint offcuts. Use them to fill the gaps once the product is in place. If the contents shift when you shake the closed box, add more void fill.

Cushioning packaging materials such as bubble wrap and corrugated roll go directly around the item, so they take the impact before it reaches the product.

Packaging Materials for Fragile Items

Items are more vulnerable to damage when they can move around inside the box or come into direct contact with the box walls. To reduce that risk:

1. Wrap the item fully in bubble wrap or corrugated roll. Pay particular attention to vulnerable edges and surfaces.
2. Choose a box that leaves enough room for protective packaging, without letting the item move freely inside.
3. Put a layer of void fill in the bottom, place the item in the centre, then fill the remaining gaps around and above it.
4. Seal the top and bottom seams with tape. Add fragile tape so handlers can see it at a glance.

For heavier fragile items, use a double wall box.

Heavy Duty Packaging Materials

Double wall boxes have two layers of corrugated fluting instead of one, which makes them more rigid and better at resisting crushing when stacked. Pair them with a high-tack tape:

• hot melt tapes grip well on recycled board
• vinyl tapes cope with cold warehouses

For loads that could split a box or shift on a pallet, add hand or machine strapping. Use stainless steel strapping where plastic won’t hold.

What Packaging is Best for Ecommerce?

It depends on the product. Soft, non-fragile goods usually go in mailing bags. Books and flat items suit book wraps. Anything breakable needs a postal box or carton with cushioning inside.

Online sellers usually want packaging that’s quick to pack, light to post and protective enough to avoid returns. Some options that help:

• Self seal postal boxes save taping time.
• Mailing bags keep parcel weight down on soft goods.
• White postal boxes give a cleaner look when your customer opens the parcel.

On a busy packing bench, a tape dispenser and pre-cut void fill make a noticeable difference to how many orders you can get out in a day.

Paper-Based and Recyclable Packaging Materials

If you’re looking for more eco-friendly packaging materials or want to reduce plastic, most parcels can be packed with paper and card alone:

• Boxes: corrugated cardboard boxes.
• Wrapping and void fill: pure kraft paper or recycled imitation kraft.
• Cushioning: corrugated roll can replace bubble wrap for many items.
• Sealing: kraft paper tape.

Cardboard and paper are widely accepted through UK household recycling schemes, although collection rules vary by local authority. Plastic options such as bubble wrap and polythene bags are still the better fit where waterproofing or heavier cushioning is needed. The right choice depends on what the product needs to arrive safely.

Packaging Materials for House Moving

For a house move, you’ll need sturdy boxes in a few sizes, tape, and something to wrap breakables:

• Moving boxes are available in different sizes for packing household contents.
• Archive boxes suit paperwork and books.
• Bubble wrap or kraft paper covers glassware and ornaments.

Pack heavy items like books in smaller boxes, and light, bulky items like bedding in larger ones, so no box becomes too heavy to lift safely.

Trade and Wholesale Packaging Supplies

Most of our products are sold in trade quantities, such as boxes in packs of 15 or 25 and mailing bags by the thousand. That’s how we keep prices competitive for businesses buying bulk packaging materials, and larger orders qualify for bulk discounts. If you need a quantity or product that isn’t listed, including bespoke printed tape, call us on 0800 160 1404 and we’ll source it.

Where Can I Buy Packaging Materials in Birmingham?

Packaging Now supplies packaging materials from its Birmingham site, with Click & Collect available for local customers.

• Orders are usually ready within 1 to 2 working days.

• Please wait for the email confirming your order is ready before collecting.

If you’re looking for packaging materials near you in the West Midlands, this is often the quickest way to get stock.

Delivery Across the UK

• Free standard delivery (2 to 4 working days) on orders over £200 to UK mainland addresses.
• Next working day delivery is available at checkout, priced by order volume.
• Order cut-off: 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, for same-day dispatch.
• Surcharge areas: the Scottish Highlands and Islands, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Isles of Scilly carry a surcharge and receive standard delivery only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What packaging materials are best for fragile items?

Use a cushioning material such as bubble wrap or corrugated roll directly around the item, then void fill to stop it moving. Put both inside a sturdy box. Heavier fragile items are better in a double wall box.

What packaging should I use for ecommerce orders?

Use mailing bags for soft goods, book wraps for books and flat items, and postal boxes with cushioning for anything breakable. Self-seal postal boxes can speed up packing if you send a high volume of orders.

What is the difference between void fill and cushioning?

Void fill fills empty space so the product can’t move. Cushioning surrounds the product and absorbs impact. Fragile items usually need both.

Where Can I Buy Packaging Materials Online in the UK?

You can buy packaging materials online from Packaging Now, with products available for businesses and households across the UK. The range includes cardboard boxes, postal packaging, bubble wrap, void fill, kraft paper, tape, polythene and strapping. Orders placed before 2:30pm, Monday to Friday, are dispatched the same day, with free standard delivery on orders over £200 to UK mainland addresses.

What packaging materials are recyclable?

Cardboard boxes, kraft paper, corrugated roll and kraft paper tape are paper-based and can generally be recycled through appropriate UK recycling schemes. Local collection rules vary, so check with your local authority.

How do I choose the right size cardboard box?

Measure your product first, then allow space for any cushioning you plan to use. The dimensions listed on our cardboard boxes are internal, so you can compare them directly with your product plus its protective wrapping.

Do you sell packaging materials in small quantities?

Most products come in trade packs rather than single units. Packs start small, for example 15 double wall boxes or 25 single wall boxes, so smaller businesses and one-off users can still order.

Where Can I Buy Packaging Materials in Bulk?

Packaging Now sells many packaging products in trade quantities, including cardboard boxes in packs of 15 or 25 and mailing bags by the thousand. Larger orders can qualify for bulk discounts.

What’s a cost-effective way to post clothing?

Grey mailing bags are often a cost-effective option for clothing and other lightweight, non-fragile products, because they’re light and take up little space.

What are heavy-duty packaging materials?

Heavy-duty packaging materials are designed for heavier products, palletised loads or situations where additional strength and protection are required. They include double wall cardboard boxes, strapping, stretch film and edge protection.

What packaging materials do I need for moving house?

For a house move, you’ll typically need moving boxes in different sizes, packing tape, bubble wrap or kraft paper for fragile items, and archive boxes for documents and books. Use smaller boxes for heavy items such as books and larger boxes for lighter, bulky items such as bedding.

Buy Packaging Materials Online from Packaging Now

You can order everything you need to pack, post, store or move goods in one place. That includes cardboard boxes, postal packaging, bubble wrap, void fill, kraft paper, tape, polythene and strapping, all sold in bulk packs at trade prices. Larger orders qualify for bulk discounts, which suits businesses that go through packaging week after week.

When you order online:

• Same-day dispatch on orders placed before 2:30pm, Monday to Friday
• Free standard delivery on orders over £200 to UK mainland addresses
• Next working day delivery available at checkout
• Click & Collect from our Birmingham site, usually ready within 1 to 2 working days
• Secure checkout and a 100% money back guarantee

If you can’t find the exact product, size or quantity you need, call 0800 160 1404 and we’ll source it for you. Otherwise, browse the categories above and place your order online today.