Shipping labels are an important part of preparing products for transportation.
Labels can communicate instructions such as how a shipment should be handled, stored or positioned.
However, there is an important distinction:
A shipping label communicates information. Protective packaging provides physical protection.
Even a clearly labelled shipment can still experience pressure, movement, stacking forces, strapping contact or impact during handling and transportation.
For industrial shipments, effective product protection therefore requires more than labels alone.
What Do Shipping Labels Do?
Shipping and handling labels help communicate information about a shipment to warehouse employees, freight handlers and logistics providers.
Depending on the product and transportation requirements, instructions may relate to:
– Handling
– Orientation
– Product sensitivity
– Storage
– Package identification
– Shipment information
Eltete’s guidance for electronics export packaging also recommends clearly labelling shipments so warehouse workers and logistics providers understand how they should be handled.
Labels therefore have an important communication function.
But they do not strengthen the package itself.
What Shipping Labels Cannot Do
A label attached to a carton cannot physically:
– Reinforce a weak corner
– Prevent strapping from crushing an edge
– Add stacking strength
– Stop products from moving inside a package
– Separate sensitive surfaces
– Stabilise a palletised load
– Fill empty space between cargo
– Protect an exposed product edge
These requirements need to be addressed by the packaging design.
Eltete’s approach to transport packaging combines protective profiles, internal components, load bases and cargo-stabilisation solutions according to the actual product and transportation requirements.
1. Protect Corners with Edgeboard
A carton may carry the correct shipping labels and still have vulnerable corners.
Corners can be exposed during:
– Pallet handling
– Stacking
– Transportation
– Strapping
– Stretch wrapping
– Warehouse movement
Eltete Edgeboard is designed for applications including corner protection, palletisation, stabilisation, unitisation and stacking support.
For palletised loads, Edgeboard can be positioned vertically along the external corners and secured as part of the complete packaging arrangement.
This performs a completely different function from a shipping label.
Label: communicates how the package should be handled.
Edgeboard: physically protects and reinforces selected areas.
2. Protect Products from Strapping Pressure
Strapping is frequently used to secure cartons, industrial products and palletised loads.
However, concentrated strap pressure can result in problems such as:
– Crushed carton corners
– Torn packaging
– Strap marks
– Scratched surfaces
– Deformed edges
Eltete recommends suitable edge protection to help distribute strapping pressure and protect products or cartons at contact points.
A label such as a handling instruction cannot prevent this type of physical damage.
The packaging must be designed for the forces created by the securing system.
3. Protect Delicate Product Surfaces
Products with finished or sensitive surfaces may require physical separation.
Examples can include suitable:
– Panels
– Sheets
– Furniture components
– Aluminium profiles
– Industrial components
– Finished surfaces
Eltete Flatboard is designed for applications including protection between delicate surfaces, product separation and protection against strapping contact.
Placing protective material between vulnerable surfaces creates a physical barrier.
A shipping label cannot provide the same function.
4. Protect Round and Irregular Products
Not every industrial product arrives in a conventional rectangular carton.
Rolls, drums and other curved products may have exposed edges that require dedicated protection.
Eltete Wrap Around Edgeboard is designed to follow curved and irregular shapes and can be used for applications involving products such as rolls, drums, round tables and steel coils.
Depending on the application, it can also be combined with protective discs, sheets or other packaging components.
This illustrates why protective packaging should be selected according to the shape of the product, rather than relying only on general handling instructions.
5. Stabilise the Complete Pallet Load
Even individually labelled cartons may become unstable when several packages are stacked together.
Before transportation, manufacturers should consider:
– Pallet dimensions
– Product arrangement
– Load distribution
– Corner protection
– Wrapping
– Strapping
– Required stacking strength
Eltete’s load-stability guidance recommends reviewing the complete pallet arrangement and determining where Edgeboard, wrapping and strapping should be applied.
The objective is for multiple components to work together as one transport packaging system.
Shipping Label vs Protective Packaging
The difference can be simplified like this:
Shipping Label
Provides information.
It communicates instructions to people handling the package.
Protective Packaging
Provides physical protection.
It is designed to help manage pressure, impact, movement, stacking and contact during handling, storage and transportation.
Load-Securing Materials
Help unitise and secure the shipment.
Depending on the application, these may include wrapping or strapping.
A well-prepared industrial shipment may therefore require all three.
They should not be treated as interchangeable.
“Handle With Care” Does Not Replace Proper Packaging
A package may be labelled with handling instructions, but the packaging should still be capable of protecting the product through its expected logistics process.
For example:
– Vulnerable carton corners
Consider suitable Edgeboard protection.
– Strapping pressure
Consider a protective profile between the strap and vulnerable surface.
– Delicate surfaces
Consider Flatboard or another suitable separation component.
– Round products
Consider Wrap Around Edgeboard.
– Internal movement
Consider suitable cushioning, dividers or customised components.
– Unstable pallet load
Review the complete pallet, Edgeboard, wrapping and strapping configuration.
Eltete emphasises selecting components according to the actual transported product, handling process, required strength and available space.
– Labels Should Remain Visible
Protective packaging should also be positioned so that important shipping information is not unnecessarily obstructed.
Eltete’s corner-protection guidance specifically notes that Edgeboard positioning should avoid blocking important labels while remaining correctly positioned around the load.
This means the shipping label and protective packaging should be considered together during packaging design.
For example:
1 – Determine where shipping and handling labels need to remain visible.
2 – Identify vulnerable product and carton areas.
3 – Position appropriate protective components.
4 – Apply wrapping or strapping where required.
5 – Confirm that important identification and handling information remains visible.
The goal is not to choose between labelling and protective packaging.
The goal is to make both work together.
Packaging Should Match the Actual Product
Different products require different types of protection.
A packaging solution may need to consider:
– Product dimensions
– Product weight
– Product shape
– Surface sensitivity
– Load distribution
– Handling method
– Storage conditions
– Transport method
– Strapping position
– Required stacking strength
– Destination
Eltete’s customised packaging approach allows different paper-based components to be combined according to these requirements.
For example, a solution could include:
– Edgeboard
for exposed straight corners.
– U-Profile
for suitable three-sided edge protection.
– Flatboard
for flat surfaces and separation.
– Wrap Around Edgeboard
for round or irregular products.
– Paper Pallet or Slip Sheet
for suitable load-handling requirements.
– Customised internal components
for product positioning and protection.
– Wrapping or strapping
for completing the unit-load arrangement.
Not every shipment requires every component.
The appropriate combination should be determined from the actual packaging application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q – What are shipping labels used for?
A – Shipping and handling labels communicate information about a shipment so that warehouse employees, logistics providers and other handlers can identify or handle the package appropriately.
Q – Can shipping labels prevent product damage?
A – Shipping labels communicate instructions, but they do not provide physical reinforcement, cushioning, corner protection or load stabilisation.
Physical risks should be addressed through suitable packaging design.
Q – Is “Handle With Care” enough for fragile products?
A – A handling instruction can communicate that a product requires care, but the package itself should still be designed according to the product’s protection requirements.
Q – How can carton corners be protected?
A – Eltete Edgeboard can be applied to suitable carton and pallet-load corners to provide physical protection and reinforcement.
Q – How can products be protected from strapping?
A – Suitable Edgeboard, Flatboard or other protective profiles can be positioned at contact areas depending on the product and packaging arrangement.
Q – Can protective packaging cover shipping labels?
A – Important shipping information should remain visible. Eltete’s Edgeboard positioning guidance specifically recommends avoiding obstruction of important labels.
Labels Communicate. Packaging Protects.
Shipping labels are an important part of preparing goods for transportation.
But they should not be expected to compensate for inadequate physical packaging.
For industrial and export shipments, businesses should consider both:
Q – What information does the handler need?
and
Q – What physical protection does the product need?
Combining clear shipment information with correctly designed protective packaging creates a more complete approach to transportation.
Eltete Malaysia provides paper-based transport packaging solutions including Edgeboard, protective profiles, Flatboard, Wrap Around, Paper Pallets, Slip Sheets and customised packaging components.
Contact Eltete Malaysia to discuss protective packaging according to your product, handling and transportation requirements.
