When Custom Packaging Beats Stock Boxes

A stock box one inch too big needs void fill. Void fill needs a packing step. The bigger box ships more air, and carriers bill you for air. A box too weak for the load shows up later as damage claims and reships. None of those costs appear on a box quote.

• Price per box or bag
• Void fill per package
• Packing labor per package (seconds to pack × hourly wage)
• Damage and returns per 1,000 shipments
• Freight, including dimensional weight charges

1. Pull 30 days of shipments. List each SKU and the box you pack the SKU in today.
2. Time the pack. Watch three packers pack the same SKU. Record the average seconds per package.
3. Measure void fill. Count air pillows or feet of paper per package.
4. Check your damage log. Note the damage rate for each SKU.
5. Ask for a custom quote. Request a box sized to the product with equal or better strength.
6. Run the math. Compare total cost per shipped unit, stock vs. custom, times annual volume.
7. Test before you switch. Run 50 to 100 packages through your line and your carrier before a full order.

Say a custom box saves 15 seconds per package, and you ship 2,000 packages a week.

• 15 seconds × 2,000 = 30,000 seconds, or 8.3 labor hours per week
• 3 hours × $22 per hour = about $183 per week
• $183 × 52 weeks = about $9,500 per year in labor alone

Add the void fill you no longer buy and the freight you no longer pay. Then compare the total to the price difference per box.

• Low volume spread across many SKUs
• Products change every few months
• The product fits a stock size with less than 1/4 inch of open space

Send us your top five SKUs and the boxes you use today. We will run the total cost comparison for you.

S&S Incorporated · Packaging made easy since 1965 21300 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44117 216-383-1880 · info@sspkg.com · www.sspackaging.com Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–3:30 PM