Zippers are light, small and easily damaged. A carton that arrives crushed, damp, or with the count short creates a sorting job that costs more than the freight saved by packing tighter. Packaging is therefore a specification, not an afterthought, and it belongs in the purchase order alongside the colour and the length.
This guide covers the carton specification, the contents of a shipping mark, and the defects to look for at goods-in.
1. Specify the carton properly
For export, a five-ply corrugated carton is the normal choice, with a burst strength of at least 1,100 kPa or an edge crush test value suited to your stacking height. Keep the gross weight at 20-25 kg; above that, handling damage rises and manual palletising becomes unsafe.
Ask for internal dimensions rather than external, with 5-10 mm clearance around the packed goods. A carton that is exactly the size of the contents crushes at the corners under stacking, and the corners are where zipper tape gets damaged.
2. Fix the pack ratio
State pieces per polybag and bags per carton, for example 100 pieces per bag and 10 bags per carton, with a size or colour break where needed. Mixed cartons are efficient in theory and slow in practice: if a carton contains four colours, receiving takes four times as long and errors multiply. Where mixing is unavoidable, require an inner label on every bag showing the colour, length and quantity.
Also state the bag type. Zippers should never be stapled through the bag; staples pierce the tape and create a corrosion site that appears weeks later in the wash.
3. Control moisture
Sea freight crosses humidity cycles that produce condensation inside a container. Add a desiccant unit per carton for long routes, and consider a moisture-barrier liner for metal zippers and plated sliders. Tape that absorbs moisture can develop a musty odour and, on metal parts, visible corrosion before the garment is even cut.
4. Write the shipping mark in full
A complete shipping mark carries the buyer name, purchase order number, style reference, colour, size ratio, quantity per carton, carton number in the form three of twelve, gross and net weight, carton dimensions, country of origin, and handling symbols for fragile and keep-dry. Add the shade band number if the programme uses bands, and the production lot code for traceability.
The mark should be printed on two adjacent sides, in characters large enough to read from a metre away, and it should match the packing list exactly. A mismatch between carton mark and packing list is the single most common cause of a customs query.
5. Use barcodes where the warehouse needs them
If your distribution centre scans, specify a GS1-128 label with the purchase order, article and quantity, and an SSCC for the pallet. A printed label is more reliable than a handwritten mark and removes a data-entry step at receiving.
6. Inspect at goods-in, every time
Receiving inspection should take ten minutes per pallet and catch most problems before they reach production:
- Carton count against the packing list, and carton numbering continuity.
- External condition: crushing, water staining, re-taping, or a broken seal.
- Weight check on two or three cartons against the marked gross weight.
- Count check on one carton per colour, opened and recounted.
- Shade band and lot code present and matching the mark.
- Tape condition: creases, contamination, rust spots, or staple holes.
Photograph anything abnormal before opening further. A claim supported by photographs of the carton as received is settled quickly; one supported by a description is argued for weeks.
7. Pallet and container loading
Cartons survive the warehouse and fail in the container. Specify a maximum stacking height, typically five to six cartons for a 20-25 kg box, and require a pallet pattern that does not overhang. Overhanging cartons lose their corner strength and arrive crushed even when the total weight is within limits.
For full-container loads, ask for a loading plan with carton counts per row and a photograph of the loaded container before the doors close. Condensation forms on the container roof during a long sea voyage, so keep cartons off the floor with a pallet or dunnage and away from direct contact with the walls.
Mixed pallets should carry a pallet label listing every carton on the pallet. Without it, a warehouse must open cartons to find a colour, which defeats the purpose of the shipping mark.
If the route includes a transshipment or a long rail leg, increase the desiccant quantity and stretch-wrap the pallet. Vibration during rail transport loosens cartons more than sea freight does, and a loosened stack is where tape gets creased.
Finally, agree who pays for pallets. Pallets are sometimes chargeable and sometimes returnable, and an unstated assumption reappears as an unexpected line on the freight invoice.
Checklist: nine requirements to write into the order
- Five-ply carton with a stated burst or edge crush value.
- Gross weight capped at 20-25 kg.
- Internal dimensions with 5-10 mm clearance.
- Pieces per bag, bags per carton and the colour break rule.
- Inner label on every bag with colour, length and quantity.
- No staples through the bag.
- Desiccant or moisture barrier for long sea routes.
- Full shipping mark on two adjacent sides, matching the packing list.
- Barcode label and pallet SSCC where the warehouse scans.
Packaging is one of the cheapest places to prevent a claim. Suppliers such as YCC and Donglong already run export packing to these standards, so the task is usually to confirm the specification in writing rather than to change it.