Custom Shipping Boxes

A shipping box is a box made from corrugated cardboard, commonly used to ship large, heavy or fragile items. The standard design for a shipping box includes four flaps on the top and bottom that meet in the middle when closed. You can then use tape, such as gummed tape, to seal the shipping box. As shipping boxes are made from corrugated cardboard, it’s also possible to choose the fluting of your cardboard to maximise protection.

Yes: cardboard shipping boxes are recyclable. In fact, they can be recycled up to seven times, and the UK recycles 80% of its paper and cardboard into new products. This makes them one of the most sustainable types of packaging.

To help your customers recycle your shipping boxes, include a recycling symbol, clear information on which materials are in your box and instructions on what to do with them. If you’re doing the recycling, here’s how to recycle the right way:

1. Empty your shipping box.

2. Flatten it — this will save space. If you’re using a private recycling company that charges by volume, this will also help you reduce costs.

3. Put it in the recycling bin.

Choosing the right shipping box is crucial to delivering your product safely. Your first step is finding the correct size, which means big enough to accommodate your product and any interior packaging like box dividers. That said, it shouldn’t be any larger. If your shipping box is too big, it can lead to wasted space, increased material and shipping costs, and less protection. Once you’ve found the right size, you can simply enter your dimensions when customising your shipping box online.

Your next decision is materials. At Sourceful, we have two materials (brown and white kraft liner) for the outside of your shipping box and one for the inside (brown testliner). Brown materials are generally more sustainable and cost-effective as they are unbleached and uncoated. White kraft liner, however, is better for printing and colours. All our materials are FSC-certified and 100% kerbside recyclable.

A final important decision is fluting. Fluting is the wavy layer between the two sheets of liner that together make up corrugated cardboard. Each type of fluting has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, B-flute (2.5-3.5mm) is the most common fluting for shipping boxes. It has good crush resistance but it isn’t the best surface for printing. So if you have detailed artwork, it may not be the best option. You can choose between three different flute profiles depending on your needs.

We validate all supplier claims and third-party certifications such as ISO, BRC and FSC. And we ensure suppliers adhere to UK and EU laws on chemicals and product components, like UK REACH. This allows businesses to confidently buy high-quality products that align with a net-zero trajectory.

Look for our FSC® certified products.

We visit and vet every supplier we work with. We use our code of conduct to do this, which defines what we consider to be ethical working conditions. To work with Sourceful, suppliers and their manufacturing sites must meet this code. We then review their practices every year.

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Every order from our suppliers undergoes a quality inspection process before it’s shipped. Any order that fails quality inspection is returned to the manufacturer or reproduced.

For orders manufactured internationally (outside the UK), we follow the Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) method defined by ISO 2859 - 1.

For orders manufactured domestically (inside the UK), our suppliers perform the quality inspection process which we then verify through spot checks throughout the year.

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We send our shipping boxes for independent testing throughout the year. Shipping boxes are then subject to an Edge Crush Test and Box Compression Test.