Packaging Is a Specification, Not a Preference
Packaging is where a well-made zipper becomes an unusable one. Tape crushed in a carton that was stacked four high, polybags without a desiccant in a humid container, cartons with no size marking that take an extra day to receive: none of these are manufacturing defects, and all of them cost money. The packaging clause exists to make those outcomes someone's responsibility before they happen.
Treat it as a specification with numbers. Counts, dimensions, material grades, marking text and label positions can all be written down, inspected and rejected. "Suitable export packing" cannot.
Inner Packing Rules
- Unit count per polybag, stated as a fixed number with no plus or minus, for example 50 pieces.
- Bag material and thickness, with a minimum of 0.05 mm for tape protection and a vented bag where condensation is a risk.
- Desiccant quantity per carton, stated in grams, for any route with a transit time over 21 days.
- Direction of packing: sliders aligned, tape not folded at a radius below 30 mm, no compression on the chain.
- Mixed sizes forbidden unless the carton is marked as mixed and the ratio is listed on the packing list.
- One polybag per size and colour; a bag containing two dye lots is not acceptable under any circumstance.
Cartons and Pallets
State the board grade, the burst or compression strength, the maximum gross weight and the stacking limit. A five-ply carton rated for 15 kg that is stacked five high in a container is a crush waiting to happen, and the clause should say so in numbers rather than adjectives.
- Carton dimensions fixed to the millimetre, with a tolerance of plus or minus 5 mm.
- Gross weight not exceeding 15 kg, or 20 kg where manual handling rules allow.
- Pallet footprint 1200 by 1000 mm or 1200 by 800 mm, stated in the order; cartons overhanging the pallet are rejected.
- Maximum stack height 1.8 m, with corner boards and two straps per pallet.
- Stretch film applied to at least three turns, with a top sheet for sea freight.
Shipping Mark Template
The mark is the only part of the packaging that the buyer, the forwarder, the customs broker and the warehouse all read. Ambiguity here produces delays that no quality clause can recover. Specify the content, the font size, the position and the ink colour, and attach a sample image to the contract.
SHIPPING MARK - PRINTED ON TWO ADJACENT SIDES -------------------------------------------------- BUYER : (full legal name) PO NO. : PO-2026-0417 ARTICLE : ZN-5-AUTO-LOCK / R001 COLOUR : 0417 BLACK QTY : 500 PCS CARTON : 1 OF 24 NET / GROSS : 11.8 KG / 12.4 KG MEAS. : 60 X 40 X 30 CM MADE IN : (country of origin) DESTINATION : (port or DC code) HANDLING : KEEP DRY / DO NOT CRUSH -------------------------------------------------- Font: sans serif, minimum 10 mm cap height. Ink : black, water resistant, no hand writing.
Labels, Barcodes and Placement
The carton mark is only half the job. The inner label carries the traceability that a claim depends on: article, colour, size, dye lot, quantity and production date. If the label is missing, the claim becomes a conversation about which lot the goods came from, and that conversation is unwinnable.
- Inner label on the outside of every polybag, readable without opening it.
- Barcode at the specified symbology and size, verified with a scanner at 0.5 m before shipment.
- Dye lot printed as text, not only encoded, so a warehouse worker can read it.
- Label position fixed at the top right of the bag face, 20 mm from the edge.
- No label applied over a seam or a fold that could obscure the barcode.
Inspection and the Cost of Getting It Wrong
Add packaging to the pre-shipment inspection checklist with the same weight as the product. Count the cartons, weigh three of them, measure one, scan one barcode and photograph one mark. It takes fifteen minutes and catches the errors that generate the most expensive emails.
State the consequence too. Rework of marks at the buyer's warehouse is charged back at a fixed rate per carton, and a shipment that arrives without the required marks may be refused at the dock. YCC applies a per-carton chargeback for re-marking because the alternative, reprinting labels at a distribution centre, costs several times more and delays the receipt.
Two further details are worth writing down. First, mixed articles in one carton: if the order covers several colours, each colour needs its own bag and its own label, and the carton mark must list the ratio. A carton that mixes two dye lots defeats the traceability the label was meant to provide. Second, the packing list must match the carton marks exactly. A discrepancy of a single carton between the mark and the packing list will stop a customs clearance faster than any quality issue, and it is almost always caused by a factory that changed the count after the mark was printed. Require a reprinted mark and a revised packing list for any quantity change, never an amendment in pen.
A Note on Use
This article is general commercial reference, not legal advice. Packaging requirements interact with dangerous goods rules, wood packaging regulations and destination labelling law, which vary by market. Confirm the final wording with your logistics provider and qualified counsel.