Auto Parts Boxes.

With a modular size system: usually 8 to 12 box sizes that cover the whole catalogue, each printed with the same layout. The part number, the application panel and the barcode zone sit in the same place on every size, so a picker recognises the range instantly and ordering stays simple. Tooling is cut once per size rather than once per part.

We do not design each part its own box. That approach costs more and gives a worse warehouse.

E-flute corrugated for most of the range, and B-flute where the part is dense. The board grade is set by the weight of the part and how deep the boxes get racked, not by the box size. A bracket and a hub carrier can share a footprint and need different board.

One board grade across a whole catalogue is the mistake we see most. Either the light parts are overpacked or the heavy ones crush on the bottom of a stack.

A grease-resistant liner on the inside face of the board. Parts arrive oiled or coated and the residue wicks into plain corrugated, leaving dark patches that read as damage at a trade counter. The liner keeps it out.

Bare and machined metal in long storage gets a VCI liner instead, which releases a vapour corrosion inhibitor inside the closed box. The two liners solve different problems and we spec them separately.

Oversized, high contrast and on several faces, because the number is worth more than the branding. Boxes are shelved on edge and racked several deep, so the spine and at least one end need the number too. Flexo in one or two colours is the usual print for trade supply, with full CMYK reserved for consumer-facing aftermarket retail.

The barcode zone gets a fixed position with quiet space around it, so it scans first time without the counter staff hunting for it.

6 by 4 by 3 inches and 12 by 8 by 5 inches are typical anchor points, with the rest of the set stepping between and above them. Boxes are measured internally, length by width by depth, so the part sits without rattling. We map your catalogue by part dimensions and weight and then propose the smallest set of sizes that covers it.

Tuck-end and heavier-duty formats can share the same visual system.

Each size runs from 500 units. A range of ten sizes therefore means ten runs at that minimum or more, with tiered pricing on any size that goes above 1,000. Fast-moving part numbers usually justify the bigger tiers and slow movers stay near the minimum.

Runs up to 100,000 units are available on any size in the set.

Each size takes 7 to 10 business days on the standard schedule, or 5 to 7 business days rushed. Samples of any size come through in 5 to 7 business days. On a new range we suggest sampling the heaviest part and the lightest, because those two prove the board grades.

Sample charges are credited against the production order.

Yes, if the board is graded for the stacking load rather than for the part alone. Boxes racked several deep put the whole column's weight on the bottom carton, and edge crush strength is what keeps that one square. B-flute carries more than E-flute for the same footprint.

Corrugated board is also widely recycled, and a kraft outer takes flexo print without any coating, which keeps the box recyclable at end of life.