Postal Boxes

Postal boxes are cardboard boxes that have been specifically designed to ship and mail items through postal and courier services.

Available in various sizes and strengths, they offer a secure way to deliver your items to customers.

They may also be referred to as shipping boxes, parcel boxes or PIP boxes.

It's essential to choose a box that provides a snug fit for your items. A box that is too small may risk damaging your goods, while a box that is too large can result in movement of the contents.

Measure your products carefully and select a postal box with the appropriate dimensions.

Selecting the right size postal box will also optimise shipping costs, you’re only paying the proportional transit price by minimising wasted space and removing excess packaging materials.

Consider the type of items you are shipping. Fragile and delicate products require extra protection, consider wrapping the products before packing into the box.

For sturdy products, if the box is a good fit, you may not need additional protection.

Postal boxes are reusable and recyclable in the paper waste stream, which makes them a great eco-friendly choice for home deliveries.

Some postal boxes may contain additional material like protective foam. Whilst the boxes can still be recycled, currently the foam cannot be recycled through household waste.

Our postal boxes contain high levels of recycled content, repurposing waste material back into the supply chain.

There are no limitations to what you can ship in a postal box. From delicate electronics, clothing, health and beauty products or books, there is a postal box to suit business needs.

Our postal boxes are designed to protect, ensure safe delivery and great product presentation.

Postal boxes are available in a variety of sizes, typically designed to fit within PIP (Pricing in Proportion) categories.

Pricing in proportion is a system used by postal and courier companies. It refers to a structure of pricing postal services based on the size and weight of the mail item. This system ensures that the cost to send an item reflects the resources required to handle and deliver it.

For UK customers Royal Mail states that max sizes are:

• Letters: 240mm x 165mm x 5mm
• Large letters: 353mm x 250mm x 25mm
• Small parcel: 450mm x 350mm x 160mm
• Medium parcel: 610mm x 460mm x 460mm
• Large parcel: 1500mm x 300mm

For Irish customers An Post states that max sizes are:

• Letters and postcards: 235mm x 162mm x 5mm
• Large envelopes: 400mm x 300mm x 25mm
• Packets: A combined length, height, and depth of 900mm
• Parcels: 1.5 metres

The cost of a postal box is dependent on the size and strength of the board used. Obviously, the smaller and lighter the material, the cheaper the box.

There are some other factors that can affect the cost too:

• Postal box colour: Brown kraft boxes are typically cheaper than white kraft boxes, depending on the weight of kraft paper used.
• Style: A standard die-cut box will be cheaper than a crash lock base box that pops into shape. This is because crash lock boxes require additional gluing in manufacture, but they are much quicker to assemble. Consider packing time vs. cost in your price analysis.
• Custom printing: Depending on the quantities required, custom printing can add additional costs if you are ordering low volumes. Economies of scale help reduce the price—i.e., you'll get a cheaper price per unit for 100,000 postal boxes vs. 1,000.

Customised postal boxes are a great way to create unboxing excitement, tell the story of your brand and personalise the shopper experience.

Postal boxes can be customised with either external or internal print – or of course, both!

Utilise connected packaging, for example printing a QR code on the inside lid making it highly visible. This can take your customer to the next step of their journey - perhaps a website, instructional video, social media platform or review page. The opportunities to increase engagement are limitless.

Depending on the type of presentation you need for your products, white postal boxes appear more “high-end” than plain brown postal boxes.

Consider the journey of the box though as, unless protected by a mailing bag, a white pack will show scuffs and scrapes when going through the postal system.

A good presentation option is to select a kraft brown postal box with a white lined inner. This delivers a great unboxing presentation.