People often look at the boxes sold at the retail stores and wonder why the boxes used in the industry looks so different. There are few reasons why and these are rather significant reasons.
Design is one big difference. The totes, or the returnable plastic bags, which the industry uses are designs for reuse and strength. There are two key features of this design.
Handling – easy to lift and carry, no sharp corners or edges.
Clean – with minimum areas exposed to dirt, they are very easy to clean.
These design features make handling of the boxes a rather easy job. It also helps to keep the products safe. However, extra money is spent to achieve this design.
Industry also uses different raw materials. There are two major raw materials needed, plastic and UV protector. The quality and quantity of both make the difference.
Plastic boxes are made of one of the two materials; either polyethylene PPE or high density polyethylene HDPE. Depending upon how the box is going to be used, these materials have certain advantages.
PPE is the most common raw material used for boxes. This is much more flexible than HDPE. While, for plastic boxes, flexibility is not a great feature nor the difference is much noticeable, it makes the boxes less brittle and thus cracks are less likely to form. As the result, these boxes have much longer life and can be used roughly in day to day life.
HDPE is much harder and provides boxes which are less likely to gain scratches from daily use. However, this means that the boxes are more brittle. However, HDPE boxes can be used in high temperatures which makes them ideal container for food products as food containers need sterilisation before use.
There are different additives which are often added to plastic to create better performing boxes. The most important of all the additives is the UV protector. UV protectors help the boxes handle the sunlight in a better way. They are less brittle and degrading in the sunlight when the additives are used. This is the most common difference between the retail and commercial boxes. Commercial boxes have enough additives to sustain for 5 years or more. The life expectancy is much larger in the UK where the sun is less hard.
These boxes are often used in transit packaging and thus transit packaging has emerged as the most popular form of packaging.
Design is one big difference. The totes, or the returnable plastic bags, which the industry uses are designs for reuse and strength. There are two key features of this design.
Handling – easy to lift and carry, no sharp corners or edges.
Clean – with minimum areas exposed to dirt, they are very easy to clean.
These design features make handling of the boxes a rather easy job. It also helps to keep the products safe. However, extra money is spent to achieve this design.
Industry also uses different raw materials. There are two major raw materials needed, plastic and UV protector. The quality and quantity of both make the difference.
Plastic boxes are made of one of the two materials; either polyethylene PPE or high density polyethylene HDPE. Depending upon how the box is going to be used, these materials have certain advantages.
PPE is the most common raw material used for boxes. This is much more flexible than HDPE. While, for plastic boxes, flexibility is not a great feature nor the difference is much noticeable, it makes the boxes less brittle and thus cracks are less likely to form. As the result, these boxes have much longer life and can be used roughly in day to day life.
HDPE is much harder and provides boxes which are less likely to gain scratches from daily use. However, this means that the boxes are more brittle. However, HDPE boxes can be used in high temperatures which makes them ideal container for food products as food containers need sterilisation before use.
There are different additives which are often added to plastic to create better performing boxes. The most important of all the additives is the UV protector. UV protectors help the boxes handle the sunlight in a better way. They are less brittle and degrading in the sunlight when the additives are used. This is the most common difference between the retail and commercial boxes. Commercial boxes have enough additives to sustain for 5 years or more. The life expectancy is much larger in the UK where the sun is less hard.
These boxes are often used in transit packaging and thus transit packaging has emerged as the most popular form of packaging.
