Single-use packaging

Do not confuse export value with packaging expense; match your shipment costs to net tonnes moved.

A foam box does not cool meat, it holds its temperature. Risk starts when the meat was not at the regulatory limit at loading, when the primary pack leaks, or when the box is cracked or dirty.

An empty box is light but bulky. Sunlight, the pressure of one narrow contact point and look-alike models are the three ways stock gets damaged; each one comes with a figure and a check.

The inner box should not shift, and supports should not crush its walls or lid. Validate the pack with the carrier's applicable test conditions.

Inspect an empty box on a level surface along all four edges; use a maker specification or approved packaging trial for criteria.

An unexplained odour is a risk of transfer to the food's sensory properties. The box is set aside and its last load and storage are recorded.

The label goes on a flat, dry surface away from edges. Polystyrene is rough and cold, so adhesion is tested on the real box.

Keeping boxes within the pallet footprint is only the start. Bottom-layer pressure, alignment, interlayers and stretch tension need joint control.

A liner can help manage leakage and contact, but it is not closed the same way for every product. Suitability and condensation paths matter.

Reuse depends on three figures: wash water temperature, how much water the foam takes up, and the share of boxes lost on each return. Each has a limit, and each changes the cost per use.

Appearance alone is not decisive. Check damage location, lid fit, surface loss and written acceptance criteria.

Tape holds a seated lid closed; it does not fix a gap or a crushed edge. Dry-fit the lid first, then trial the tape on a real shipment.

Do not treat density as a quality score; compare net weight, dimensions, tolerances and samples for the same model.

Five steps, each with its limit: checking the box, bringing the product to temperature, working out how much coolant the load needs, placing it, and recording the closure.

An intact EPS body takes up almost no water; leaks come through poorly fused beads, the lid line, corners and the base. Test the box with water while it is empty on receipt.

EPS and EPP look alike from outside but behave differently under crushing and impact. Density, the permanent deformation limit and measured thermal conductivity are below.