Packing

Packaging and labelling guidelines

When using any courier service it's really important that your goods are packaged sufficiently for transportation. Your package will be handled multiple times during transit and exposed to environmental pressures. If your goods are not packaged sufficiently it may invalidate any claim you make in the event of damage to your goods. Please follow the below guidelines to ensure your packaging is sufficient:

Use a rigid box that is strong enough for the goods that you are shipping - If the box is not strong enough for the contents, it may compromise the box strength resulting in it bursting at the seams or collapsing during transit. To ensure your goods are properly protected, you should use the following box strengths:

• Over 10kg: double-lined corrugated box
• Over 30kg: triple-lined corrugated box
• Over 40kg: rigid wooden box or pallet

Use strong packaging tape. Make sure the joins have enough tape to secure the box. Run tape in both directions across the box, ensuring all joins are covered. We recommend you adding at least 3 strips of tape in both directions that go all the way around the box.

Make sure each item in your box is individually wrapped in bubble wrap or another suitable insulation.

Ensure that each product is suspended inside the box with no part of the product touching the inside walls of the box. This is important because if there is any impact to the box, if the item is not suspended inside the box, the shock can go can through the product and potentially cause it to shatter.

Fill the box with insulation material such as bubble wrap or Poly Styrene inserts so that there is no movement inside the box. If the products can move around inside the box, then they may hit against each other during transportation potentially causing damage to the items.

If any package exceeds 30 kg, then you may need to provide the collecting courier with assistance in loading the goods into the collecting vehicle.

If any package in your shipment exceeds 70 kg in weight, then they will need to be palletised. Union Couriers does not provide a lifting or removal service, so your goods will need to be accessible to load the goods onto the collecting vehicle.