Tubes and quattropacks – a convenient way to ship custom parcels
3min read
03/03/2021
When you need to send a regular parcel – you pack it in a cardboard box, but what about when you need to send a so-called non-standard parcel? What do you need to pack it in so that the courier company is willing to ship it and the contents are not damaged? Round cardboard tubes and square cardboard tubes, or quattropacks, come to the rescue.
Non-standard shipments – or what kind of shipments?
A non-standard or unsorted parcel is one that is not packed in a rigid cardboard box, has an uneven load distribution, is wrapped in plastic and does not move freely on the belt, is marked with warning parcel labels “Caution glass”, “Caution”, etc. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all definition of a non-standard parcel, as each courier company has its own rules and regulations that define the characteristics of such a non-standard parcel.
Shipping tubes – applications
Cardboard tube packages are used to send, among other things, advertising materials such as posters, as well as for packing wall calendars, transporting decorative posters, maps, plans, sketches, pictures printed on flexible plastics, graphics, wallpaper, decorative papers, fabrics, graphic designs, etc. Cardboard tubes, however, are used not only for shipping paper materials, but also for other elongated-shaped items such as vases, bottles, glass spikes, rods and other such items. The tubes can also be used to store documents – they can be easily inserted and removed.
The cardboard tubes are made of thick and strong cardboard in brown or white. They are fitted with plastic stoppers at both ends to prevent the contents from falling out. These make the tubes reusable.
Quattropacks – what are they?
TheQuattropack is a cardboard square tube. Thanks to this shape, it is possible to place an item inside it together with the soft filling. This prevents the contents from moving during transport, as it makes it more difficult to roll. The second advantage is that this type of packaging is stackable. Quattropacks are made of strong, three-layer corrugated cardboard protecting the contents from mechanical damage and moisture. They are recyclable and therefore environmentally friendly. The square tubes are stable thanks to their square base and close easily – with an adhesive strip on both sides. They are not only used for shipping customised items, but also for archiving documents.
Traditional cardboard tubes are classified by carriers as non-standard shipments, making the charge much higher – by up to 50-100%. It turns out that the square tube, or quattropack, makes it possible to reduce these costs. By using a square tube, there is no surcharge for a non-standard package.
Square tubes also save storage space compared to traditional tubes. They can be stored in folded form. They fold up very quickly – just like flap cartons.
Square tubes also have the advantage that they can be easily stacked or stored on top of each other. They are not unstable like those with a round cross-section. In addition, it is easy to apply address labels to them. Square tubes are certified and approved for use throughout the European Union and can therefore also be used for cross-border shipments.
Round and square tubes can also be used for storing documents and various graphic designs. They can also be used in more creative ways, such as a cat scratching post wrapped in sisal tape, decorative plant pots or containers for bulk foodstuffs. The larger cross-section tubes can also be used as minimalist gift packaging for wine.
Most importantly, however, the tubes are eco-friendly, recyclable, made from recyclable cardboard, can be used repeatedly and do not increase waste.
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