Blog · 13 pieces

Specs

Dimensions, construction, grades and the arithmetic that decides whether a box survives.

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Specs (13)Operations (7)Field notes (5)Market (5)Sustainability (5)Buying guide (3)Freight (2)

August 2, 20266 min

ECT vs Mullen: what your carrier actually checks

Two stamps, two completely different tests, and a surprising amount of money riding on which one is printed in your box maker's certificate.

May 21, 20269 min

Octabins versus gaylords for resin: fourteen months of data

We tracked 1,900 bulk containers through three resin processors. The eight-sided ones lasted 40% longer and emptied in half the time — but they are not always the right answer.

April 2, 20266 min

The five-minute test for a rackable pallet

Most pallets are condemned too early and a few dangerous ones stay in service for years. Here is the sequence our bench actually uses.

January 29, 20269 min

Moisture: the quiet killer of reusable packaging

It is not rain. It is condensation from a cold trailer into a warm dock, and it destroys more reusable containers than forklifts do.

November 20, 20257 min

Reading a Box Maker's Certificate, line by line

That round stamp on the bottom flap is a legal document, a performance claim and a shipping limit all at once. Most people have never read one.

April 17, 20256 min

Corner boards: the cheapest insurance in packaging

Strapping applied directly to corrugated is the second most common cause of early container death we see. The fix costs pennies.

February 13, 20258 min

Honeycomb panel versus plywood: a dunnage swap, measured

Three manufacturers replaced plywood dunnage with recovered-board honeycomb. Here is what happened to weight, cost, damage rates and the one place it failed.

January 23, 20256 min

The anatomy of a gaylord lid

A separate telescoping cap adds two to three trips to a container's life for a fraction of its cost. Almost nobody buys them.

November 14, 20248 min

ISPM 15, export crates and the corrugated alternative

Wooden export packaging carries a phytosanitary compliance burden that corrugated simply does not have. For a lot of lanes that is the whole argument.

July 18, 20247 min

Static, dust and powders: antistatic liners explained

Fine powders in corrugated bulk containers generate static that is at best a dust problem and at worst an ignition source.

November 30, 20237 min

Liner or coated box? A decision that is usually made backwards

Moisture-resistant corrugated and a lined plain container solve the same problem very differently, and one of them has no end-of-life outlet.

June 14, 20237 min

Can a used box touch food? The honest answer

No — and no certificate changes that. But lined used containers are standard practice across produce and agriculture, and the distinction matters.

March 8, 20237 min

The pallet pattern decision, and the strength you throw away

Interlocking layers look stable and sacrifice more than half your box's rated compression strength. Column stacking looks precarious and keeps it.

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Operations

7 pieces

Open 02

Field notes

5 pieces

Open 03

Market

5 pieces

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