Corrugated shippers
Know enough to RFQ:
- Board grade / ECT (or burst) — stacking & rough handling hints
- Flute (E/B/C/etc.) — print surface vs cushioning vs caliper
- Single vs double wall — when crush risk or stacking demands it
- Coatings / water resistance — outdoor last mile, cold chain adjacent
AI prompt pattern: ask for questions to ask the supplier, not a fake mill cert.
Mailers
| Type | Fits | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Poly | Soft goods, water | Optics, recycling access |
| Soft paper | Plastic-free goals | Tear, weather |
| Rigid mailer | Docs, flat goods, some light electronics | Corner crush, overkill weight |
| Padded | Mild shock needs | Mixed-material recycling |
Cushioning
- Paper — tunable density; labor sensitive
- Air — speed; film choice & customer perception
- Foam — protection; end-of-life story harder
- Molded pulp / custom fiber — great for repeat shapes at volume
- Foam-in-place — awkward shapes; equipment & training
Tie cushioning to SKU class and a damage target.
Closures & tapes
Closure failures look like “carrier damage.” Specify tape type, number of strips, and whether water-activated tape is worth the station change. AI can draft the standard; time it on the line.
Inserts & partitions
Design partitions before panel art. Kits fail when components fight each other in transit. Ask AI for movement maps: what rattles, what scratches, what leaks.
Labels & inks
- Label placement for sortation scans
- Covert vs decorative labels
- Ink/coating impacts on recyclability claims
Building a materials shortlist with AI
- State mandates (plastic-free? food-adjacent? moisture?).
- Ask for 3 options with tradeoff table.
- Send the table to suppliers as an RFQ spine (prompt 17).
- Pilot on one A-mover SKU before catalog rewrite.
Related
Decision tree (start here)
- Soft & compressible? → mailer family first.
- Needs stacking / retail shelf? → corrugated path.
- Fragile geometry? → insert/partition before fancy outer.
- Liquid? → containment path; cosmetics rules may apply — verify.
- Plastic-free mandate? → filter options, then re-check damage.
Run the tree before asking AI for “premium eco packaging ideas.”
Spec questions that save weeks
- What are tolerance ranges on LWH?
- What happens to coatings in high humidity?
- Are inks soy/vegetable and does that actually change recyclability?
- What is the substitution board grade if primary mills allocate away?
- Can we get a small pilot lot without full tooling?
AI should generate these as a checklist tailored to your SKU class; suppliers answer them.
Inventory reality
Exotic inserts that only fit one SKU create warehouse archaeology. Prefer modular cushioning systems unless volume screams custom. Ask AI to propose a modular kit covering 80% of SKUs before approving one-off heroes.