A SHIPPER'S GUIDE TO PACKAGING

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A SHIPPERS GUIDE TO PACKAGING

Shipper ResponsibilitiesShippers are responsible for proper • packaging • markingandlabeling • descriptionsonallshipperdocumentation

Shippersmustfollowallexistingtariffandshippingregulationsrelatedtotheirproduct.

Proper PackagingIntroduction

Shipmentsmustbeproperlypackedtoensuredamage-freetransportationwithordinarycareinhandling.Theproperpackagingofgoodsfortransportationrequiresagoodunderstandingoftheproductanddistributionenvironment.Therearethreeessentialstoanypackage: 1.) outerpackaging 2.) innerpackaging 3.) sealingmethod

Understandingandfollowingthesepackagingguidelinescanhelpensuredamage-freefreightmovement.

Hazards of DistributionBelowarethemostcommonhazardspresentinfreighttransportation.Theseare“normal”hazardsofdistributionandthereforemustalwaysbeconsideredwhenpreparingashipmentforLTLtransportation.

Punctures and Abrasion:Occurswhenthepackageshiftsorcomesincontactwithotherpackagesormaterialhandlingequipmentduringtransportation.Theycanalsobetheresultofimproperorinsufficientinternalpackagingthatdoesnotpreventthecontentsfromshifting.

Compression:Occurswhenexternalforcesareappliedtothesides,facesorcornersofapackage.Stacking,shock,vibration,materialhandlingequipmentandtie-downstrapsallgeneratecompressionforcesthatmayresultinpackageorproductdamage.Properpackagingwillpreventdamageduetonormalcompression.

Environmental exposures:Highandlowhumiditycanresultincondensationorcorrosion,anditcangreatlyreducetherigidityandcompressionresistanceofpaper-basedproductssuchascardboardcontainers.Temperatureextremescanrangefromsubzerototempsinexcessof100degreesFandcandramaticallyaffecttheperformancecharacteristicsofpackagingmaterial.Othercommonenvironmentalexposuresinclude,butarenotlimitedto,dirt,dust,odorsandprecipitation.Ifaproductorpackagewouldbeconsidereddamagedifexposedtothesehazards,theshippermusttakeextrameasurestoensurethepackagingcanprotecttheshipment.

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Shipment Handling:Propercushioningcanreducedamagecausedbytheshockincurredduringhandlingandovertheroadtransportation.Itisimportanttonotethatshipmentswillmostlikelybehandledwithaforkliftatsomepointduringdistribution.Properpackagingmustprotectthecontentsfromthedropsandimpactscommonlyassociatedwithhandlingoperations.

Shock:Occursduringhandlingandtransportationasaresultofimpactswithmechanicalhandlingorroadconditions.Propercushioningcanreducedamagecausedbyshock.Mostproductswillrequiresomelevelofshockprotectiontopreventdamageduringnormalhandlingandtransportation.

Vibration:Isnormaloccurrenceinovertheroadtransportation.Propercushioningcanabsorbandreducethenegativeeffectsvibrationcanhaveonproducts.

The National Motor Freight Classification. (NMFC) IntegraltotheNationalMotorFreightClassification(NMFC)areinternationallyrecognizedspecifications,rulesandrequirementsfortheproperpackagingofgoodsmovingbymotorcarrier.

ThepackagingprovisionsintheNMFCfallintothreebasiccategories: 1. Generalpackagingdefinitionsandspecifications 2. Specificationsforpackagesthathavebeenapprovedexpresslyfor thetransportationofcertaincommodities 3. Performance-basedpackagingcriteria

Thegeneralpackagingdefinitionsandspecificationsareforcommonlyusedpackages,suchasbags,crates,drumsandofcoursefiberboardboxes.TheseprovisionsarefoundinvariousruleswithintheNMFCandsetrequirementsfortheconstructionandintegrityofthepackage.Forinstance,theItem222seriesofrulesenumeratestherequirementsforfiberboardboxes,includingsizeandweightlimits,thestrengthofthefiberboardused,andtheboxmanufacturer’scertificatethatmustappearonallconformingboxes.

TheNMFCalsoprovidesspecificationsforliterallyhundredsofpackagesthatareauthorizedexpresslyforthetransportationofcertaincommodities.Theseareessentiallyexceptionstothegeneralpackagingdefinitionsandspecifications,andeachisassignedauniquepackagenumber.Throughlaboratorytestingand/oractualtestshipments,thesenumberedpackageshavebeenproventoofferadequateprotectioninthemotorcarrierenvironmentforthetransportofparticularcommodities.

Examplesofpackagedesignrequirementsare: Item222 FiberboardBoxes Item245 CrateDesignRequirements Item255 Drums Item265 Pallets Item258 PlasticPails

Theseareonlyafewexamples.LiterallyeverypackagedesignisreviewedintheNMFC.ShippersareencouragedtorefertotheNMFCforallpackagingrequirements.

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GeneralpackagingrequirementsareaddressedinItem680.Asummaryincludes:

Item 680 PACKING OR PACKAGING-GENERAL Sec. 1. (a)Thedefinitionsoforspecificationsforpackingrequirementsarenamedin:(1)Items200through299,(2)numberedpackagesand(3)Notereferences.

Thematerialandconstructionspecificationsthereinareminimumrequirementsandmustbeobserved.

Whetherornotinteriorpackingdevicesareapartofspecificrequirements,interiorpackingdevicesmustbeprovidedwheresucharenecessarytoaffordadequateprotectionagainstdamagetothecontentsofacontainer.

Articlesorarticlesandnecessaryinteriorpackingdevicesmustreasonablyoccupythefullcubiccapacityoftheoutershippingcontainer

Sec. 7. (b)Articlesinpackagesorshippingforms,asauthorizedinindividualitemdescriptions,willbeacceptedwhenunitizedorsecuredonlifttruckskids,palletsorplatformsmeetingtherequirementsofItem265.Unlessotherwiseprovided,wheninthespecificationsofnumberedpackagesorinindividualitemdescriptionsarticlesarerequiredtomoveonlifttruckskids,palletsorplatforms,suchskids,palletsorplatformsmustmeettherequirementsofItem265.Exceptwhererequiredinindividualitemdescriptions,itisrecommendedthatarticlesunitizedorsecuredonlifttruckskids,palletsorplatformsnotoverhangtheskid,palletorplatformdeck.

Selecting Corrugated Fiberboard Boxes EventhoughCFBsarethemostcommontypeofshippingcontainer,manypeopledonotunderstandthestrengthsandweaknessesofthepackage.Corrugatedfiberboardcandegradeovertime,losingasmuchas50percentofitsstrengthaftersittingjustsixmonths.Humidityandmoisturealsocausemajorproblemsforthispaper-basedproduct.Arelativehumidityof90percentcanweakenCFBbyasmuchas60percent.MostCFBsdonotmaintainenoughstrengthandintegritytobereusedandshouldbethoughtofassingle-usepackages.

ThegreatestcompressionstrengthofCFBiswithin1”oftheedgescreatedbytwoadjacentpanels.• Thelengthofthedottedarrowisproportionaltotheload bearingabilityatthatpoint.

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NMFC Item 222 addresses the requirements for CFBs. Boxmakers’certificates(BMC)aretypicallyfoundonthebottomflaps.TheBMCstatesthemaximumsize(length+width+height)andthemaximumweighttheboxcanholdbasedonthematerialusedtoconstructit.Thesesizeandweightlimitshavelongbeentheminimumrequirementscitedbythe

NMFC.TheBMCsindicatethemaximumsizeandthemaximumweightallowed.Exceedingtheselimitscouldresultinadamageclaimbeingdenied.

Box Maker’s Certificate

Inner Packaging NMFCItem680notes“Whetherornotinteriorpackingdevicesareapartofspecificrequirements,interiorpackingdevicesmustbeprovidedwheresucharenecessarytoaffordadequateprotectionagainstdamagetothecontentsofacontainer.

Articlesorarticlesandnecessaryinteriorpackingdevicesmustreasonablyoccupythefullcubiccapacityoftheoutershippingcontainer.”

ManyproductsareavailabletomeettheNMFCrequirementsregardinginnerpackaging.Someexamplesarenotedbelow.Theshippershouldcarefullyreviewtheirproductandselectthemosteffectiveinnerpackagingmaterial.

Inner Packaging MaterialsBubble Wrap Bubblewrapisalightandflexiblepackagingmaterialmadeoflow-densitypolyethylene,idealtoprotectfragileandirregularlyshapedproducts.Thisgivesaverygoodsurfaceprotectionandpreventionagainstshocks.Bubblewrapcanalsobeusedtofillvoidsinsidetheshippingcontainer.

Corrosion Protection Packaging Material Duringstorageandtransport,non-treatedmetalscancorrode.Corrosionisaresultofoxidationoraggressiveelementsintheair.Traditionalprotectionmaterialsagainstcorrosionsuchasoil,greaseorpaintaretimeandlaborintensiveandnotenvironmentallyfriendly.VCI(Vaporcorrosioninhibitor)technologyprotectsuntreatedmetalagainstcorrosion/oxidation.

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Foam Cushioning Whenproductsneedprotectionfromvibrationsandshocks,awiderangeofdifferentmaterialsisavailableManypackagingvendorscandesignfoamcushioningspecifictotheneedsoftheproduct.

Honeycomb Honeycombisapackagingmaterialconsistingofkraftpaperformedintocontinuousuniformhexagonalcells.Duetothewiderangeofapplications,thehoneycombcanbeconsideredasbothinnerandouterpackaging.

Loose Fill Loosefillisavoidfillingandshockabsorbingpackagingmaterial.Polystyreneistraditionallyusedasarawmaterialbutloosefillcanbemadeofdifferentmaterials

Thispackagingmaterialisveryflexible.Itfillstheemptyspacesintheouterpackaginganddependingontheshapeoftheloosefillitcanalsoprotectagainstshock.

Paper Pad Paperpadisablocking,fillingandwrappingmaterialthatissuitableforirregularshapedproductsandfragileparts.Alsocushioningpropertiescanbeachieveddependingonthesystemused.

Marking and Labeling ShipmentsAllfreightmustbeproperlylabeledandmarked. Eachpiecemustbelegiblyanddurablymarkedwiththenameandaddress,includingcorrectZIPcodeoftheshipperandconsignee.

Handling and Precautionary Markings Handlinglabelsshouldbehighlyvisibleand,withfewexceptions,onallsidesofthepackage.

Itisrecommendedthatbothpictorialmarkingsandtextbeusedforeachofthespecialhandlingrequirements.ForacompletelistofacceptablemarkingsrefertoNMFCitem682.

Belowareafewexamplesofhandlingmarkingscommonlyused.

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NMFC Item 682 - PICTORIAL PRECAUTIONARY MARKINGS

Symbolsmaybeprintedoradheredasalabel.Forprominence,suchsymbolsmaybewithinaborderorhaveanopposingbackgroundcolor.

Fragile–HandleWithCare UpArrows

TopHeavy KeepDry ProtectFromFreezing

Labeling Eachpiecemustbelegiblyanddurablymarkedwiththenameandaddress,includingcorrectZIPcodeoftheshipperandconsignee.

Theshipperandconsigneeinformationonthecartons/freight,mustmatchtheshipperandconsigneeinformationonthebilloflading.Addressmarkingsshouldbelocatedasshownintheexamplesbelow.

DOThazardousmateriallabelsarerequiredwhenshippinghazardousmaterialsasspecifiedbytheDOT.

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Sealing Sealingthepackageproperlykeepstheboxintactandthecontentssecureinside.

RecommendedThree-StripTapingMethod(HTapingMethod) • Usepressure-sensitiveplastictapeatleast2”wide • Distributethetapeevenlyacrossflapsandseams,usingtheHtapingmethodshown. • Applyatleast3stripsoftapetothetopandbottomsidesofthecarton. • Tapeacrossallseamsandflaps. • Rubtheentiretapesurfacetoensurecontactandadhesion

Non-packagingtapessuchasmaskingtape,ducttape,cellophaneandothersuchtapesshouldnotbeusedasasubstituteforqualityboxsealingtape.

Palletizing CartonsStacking and Palletizing Palletoverhang,widegapsbetweenpalletboards(apertures),misalignmentswithinacolumnstackandincorrectweightandsizedistributionallcontributetolossofcontainerstrengthandpoorpalletizationresultinginproductdamage.

Column Stack Acommonmisconceptionisthatinterlockingcartonsonapalletisa goodpracticeandhelpstostabilizethepalletizedload.Interlockingstackingcanreducethecarton’stop-to-bottomcompressionstrengthupto50percent.Therefore,column-stackingistherecommendedmethod.Stackboxesincolumns,corner-to-cornerandedge-to-edgeforthegreateststackingstrength.Thepalletcanbestabilizedandsecuredwithbandingorstretch-wrap.

Overhang Cartonsthatoverhangthepalletedgecanhavetheircompression strengthreducedbyasmuchas32percent.Overhangalsoexposesthepackagestotears,puncturesandimpactsduringnormalhandlingandsortingoperations.

HTAPINGMETHOD

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Misaligned Misaligningcartonscanreducetheboxes’compressionstrengthbyasmuchas30percent.

Degrading Long-termstoragecandegradecorrugatedandotherpaper-basedproducts.Cartonssittinginawarehousecanloseupto50percentoftheirstrength.

High Humidity Donotstorecorrugatedorotherpaper-basedpackagingmaterialinhighhumidity.Arelativehumidityof90percentcouldreducethepackages’resistancetocompressionby60percent.

Pyramid-Shaped Loads Pyramid-shapedpalletloadsareoneofthebiggestpackagingproblemsconfrontingthetransportationindustry.Sincepyramidpalletloadsdon’tprovidealevelsurface,thetopcartonsareexposedtopotentialdamagefromothershipments.Alevelsurfacewillprovidemaximumstrengthandstability,andensuresthattheload,totheextentpracticable,willremainintact.

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Pallets NMFC Item 265 Palletsassistintheconsolidationandhandlingofpackagesbyallowingmechanicalhandlingequipmenttomoveshipments.Forkliftsandpalletjacksareusedtoloadandunloadpalletizedproduct.Ahighqualitypalletcangreatlyreducedamageassociatedwithmechanicalhandling.

• Palletsshouldbelargeenoughtoaccommodatetheshipmentwithoutoverhang. Anythingoverhangingthepalletedgeswillbesubjecttoimpactsthancanresultin punctures,abrasionsandcompressiondamage. • Palletswithbrokenormissingpartsmustnotbeused. • Anyfastenersthatprotrudemustberemovedorresecuredsotheyareflushor belowthesurfacebeforeloadingpackagesonthepallet. • Spacingbetweenthedeckboardsshouldbeasnarrowaspossibletoensurethecorners ofcorrugatedboxesaresupportedandnotalignedoverthegapstopreventforkliftdamage frombelow. • Knowtheratedcapacityofthepalletandneverexceedit. • Bottomdeckboardsshouldalwaysbeused.Theyincreasethestrengthandintegrityof thepalletandcanhelpstabilizetheloadduringhandingandtransportation. • Alwaysuseafour-wayentrypallet.

Afour-wayentrypalletallowsforkliftaccessfromallsidesmakingiteasiertoloadandhandle.Italsolimitsthepalletsexposuretodamagewhencarriershavetochiselunderanedgeofapalletwhenthereisnoentrypointavailableonsidesorends.

Wood Packages Cratingshipmentscanhelpprotecttheproductandallowforsafe,damage-freetransitifitisdoneproperlyusingqualitylumber.

• Alwaysuseinterlockingcornerswhenbuildingcrates. • Donotlocatefastenersintheendgrainofwood,especiallyplywood.A fastener’sresistancetopulloutcanbereducedby35percentwhenlocated inendgrainratherthaninthesideoredgegrainofaboard. • UseplywoodnotOrientedStrandBoard(OSB),MediumDensityFiberboard (MDF)orParticleboard.Experiencehasshownthesematerialsdonot withstandthenormalrigorsoftransportationaswellasplywood. • Knotscannotbelargerthanone-thirdofthesurfacetheyappearin. Forexample,a3"-wideboardshouldnothaveaknotthatoccupiesmore than1"ofspaceacrossthewidthoftheboard. • Fastenersshouldnotbelocatedinknotsorotherdefectiveareasofthewood. • Usediagonalbracesoneachpaneltoincreasethe strengthandintegrityofthecrate.

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Corners and Diagonal Braces Diagonalbraceshaveadramaticeffectonthestrengthofacrate.Thegraphicsbelowillustratetherelativestrengthoffourdifferentdesigns.Itisnottheamountofwoodusedasmuchashowthewoodisused.

100Units 120Units 667Units 1130Units

NMFCItem245detailsdesignrequirementsforcrates.

Item 245 DEFINITION OF OR SPECIFICATIONS FOR CRATESCratesarecontainersconstructedofmembersmadeofsawnwoodorstructuralpanelsormetalwithaperturesbetween,ormembersmadeofsawnwoodorstructuralpanelsormetalcombinedwithfiberboard,securelynailed,bolted,screwed,riveted,welded,glued,dovetailed,orwiredandstapledtogether,havingsufficientstrengthtoholdthearticlepackedthereinsoastoprotectitfromdamagewhenhandledortransportedwithordinarycare.Cratesmustbeconstructedsoastoprotectcontentsonthesides,ends,topsandbottoms,andinsuchmannerthatthecratecontainingitscontentsmaybetakenintooroutofthevehicle.Contentsmustbesecurelyheldwithincratesandnopartshallprotrude,unlessotherwiseprovidedinindividualitems.Surfacesliabletobedamagedmustbefullycoveredandprotected.Allmoveablecontentswithinthecratemustbeblockedand/orbracedtopreventanyshiftingduringtransportation.Commoditieswithlegsmustbesuspendedawayfromalledgesofthecratebyatleastoneinch.Iftheweightofthecommodityexceeds500pounds,astandardcratemustbeusedinsteadofawireboundcrate.

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Wooden crates,otherthanwireboundcrates,mustbeconstructedasfollows: 1) Lumbermustbeseasoned,reasonablysound,andfreefromcrossgrainandknotswhichwould interferewithnailingorstapling,orknotswhicharegreaterthan1/3thewidthofthelumber. 2) Cratesmustbeconstructedwithouterframeworkconsistingofuprightandhorizontalmembers andwithadditionaldiagonaluprightandhorizontalmemberswherenecessarytoprovide properstrengthandrigidity. 3) Cratesmustbeconstructedwiththree-waylockingcorners,wherememberswillbejoinedwith nailsorstaplesdrivenintosidegrainofjoiningmembers.Examplesareshownbelow: 4) Alljoiningcratemembersmustbefastenedbydoublenailingorstapling. 5) Cratesmustbedesignedandconstructedwithtransversecross-membersatbasesufficientin strengthtoprotectundersideofarticlefromdamagebymechanicalhandlingequipment. 6) Structuralpanels,includingplywood,orientedstrandboard(OSB),andwaferboard,mustbe manufacturedwithexteriorglue.

Pipes and Similar Freight: Thesetypesofshipmentsrequirespecialpackagingtopreventdamagetotheproductandtopreventtheproductfromdamagingorpuncturingequipmentorothercargo.Thebestpackagingdesignisawoodencrate.

Pipecanbetransportedsafelyonproperlyconstructedoversizedpalletsiftheproductisproperlysecured.Themethodillustratedbelowworksformostpalletloads.

Anyshipmentwheretheproduct(s)cantelescopeawayfromtherestoftheloadwillrequireendprotection.

Examplesinclude,butarenotlimitedto,pipes,rods,tubing,antennacomponents,angleiron,steelorotherheavyobjects.

Bundle:Twoormorearticlesboundtogethertoformasinglepackageorpack.Multiplebundlesmayalsobecombinedtofurtherunitizealoadandensurecontainmentthroughoutdistribution.Thiscanbedonewithstrappingorfilamenttape.Bundlingincreasestheintegrityoftheloadandcanreducelossanddamageintheeventtheloadbecomesseparatedfromthepalletduringtransportationandhandling.

Pallet:Thepalletmustbeelevatedenoughtoallowforforkliftaccessandaidinhandling.Theplatformmustelevatetheentireloadatleast6"fromthegroundandallowforforkliftaccessfrombothsidesandbothends.Longshipmentswillrequireaplatformtoruntheentirelengthtoallowforendblocking.

Blocking:Materialsusedinpackingandloadingtomaintainshipmentsinafixedpositionduringtransitbybracingthemagainsttheshipment.Themostcommonmaterialusedforblockingiswood.Theblockingisfastenedtothepallettopreventtheloadfromshiftingandkeeptheindividualpiecesfromtelescopingoutfromtheendoftheshipment.

Securing:Usestrappingmaterialtosecurethebundledloadtothepallet.Thestrappingisdesignedtoholdtheshipmenttothepalletandpreventitfromcomingoutoftheblocking.Thestrappingshouldfitsecurelyagainstthebottomdeckboardsandnotbeexposedtotheforkliftblades.

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Drum and Pail Shipments Securing Drums to Pallets

Pallets • Mustbesturdyandstrongenoughtosupporttheload.Hardwoodlumberisrecommended. • Nobrokenboardsorprotrudingfastenersallowed. • Minimizegapsbetweenthedeckboards. • 4-wayforkliftentry

Corrugated Sheet • Mustbebetweendrumandpalletdecking. • Nopieceshouldbesmallerthanthebaseofonedrum.

Banding cleats • Securesthebanding • Preventssteel-on-steelcontactandslipping. • Spreadstheforceexertedbythestrapping.

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Loading the Drum • Keeploadasclosetocenteraspossible. • Donotallowoverhang. • Multipledrumsmustbebundledtightly togetherusingtheleastamountofpallet surfaceareaaspossible.

Strapping • Steelstrappingispreferredbecauseitstretchesverylittle. • Strapmultipledrumstogetherfirst.Thiscreatesoneunitthatis easiertosecure. • Usebandingcleatsunderthestrappinganddrumtodistributethe loadandpreventslipping.Thisisnotrequiredunderthestrapusedto bundlemultipledrumstogether. • Keepstrappingasclosetothedrumsidesaspossible.Thislimitsthe loadshiftingandprotectsthestrappingfromdamage.Thismayrequire

runningthestrappingbetweendeckboardsinsteadofouttotheedge ofthepallet.

Securing Pails to Pallets Securingpailstopalletsallowscarrierstohandlethemefficientlywithforkliftsandgivestheabilitytoeasilyblockandsecurethemduringtransit.

Spools and Reels Securing Spools and Reels Handlingissues:Theseitemscanrollandshiftduringtransportationduetotheirshape.Theyarehardtoliftandmovewithoutdamagingtheedgeorrim.Someproductspackagedonspoolsandreelscanonlybehandledintheverticalorientationwithouttheproductbeingdamaged.Spoolsandreelsshouldbesecuredtoaforkableplatformfortransportation.

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Blocking Materialsusedtokeepobjectsinafixedpositionduringtransportationandhandling.Themostcommonblockingmaterialiswood.Theblockingshouldbeplacedtightlyagainsttheobjectbeingsecuredtopreventanyandallmovement.Metalstrappingwillhelptoholdthereelinthe“cradle”.

Transit Cases Ifyouareshippingtransitcaseswithcasterwheels,theymustbepalletized. • Removethewheelsorusetraditionalblockingmethodstoprevent movementontheskid. • Ifthewheelsarenotremoved,thepalletdeckmustbesolidtoprevent wheelsfromfallingthroughtheslatsandbeingdamagedbytheforklift

Banding and Stretchwrapping Typically,anydamageduringtransittopalletizedcorrugatedboxesoccursbecausetheshipmentwasimproperlystacked,bundledorsecuredfortransport.ThisisaparticularissuewithretailgoodssuchasTVsandDVDplayers.Ifthereiscosmeticcartondamage,thecustomerislikelytoassumethecontentsarealsodamaged.

Load Protectors and Edge Boards Topandbottomload-protectorpads(corrugatedpad/tray)helpreducedamagetotopandbottomlayersofyourshipment.Theyalsohelpdistributetheweightoftoploadedfreight.Bottomloadprotectorsprovidealevelsurfaceandhelpkeepboxesfromslippingintothegapbetweentheboardsonthepallet.Corneroredgeboardsshouldrunthefulllengthofthestacktohelpstabilizetheload,increaseverticalstackingstrengthandreducedamagetoboxedgesthatmakeuptheloadcorners.

Banding Bandingistypicallyusedtosecurethebundledloadtothepallet.Youshouldbandcorrugatedstacksoneachsideasshown.Asageneralrule,keepthebandingclosetotheloadtoavoidexposure,damageorbreakage.BandCleatsorstrapprotectorswillpreventthebandingfromcrushingtheedgeofthecardboardboxesoredgeprotectors.

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Stretchwrap Forcompleteprotectionduringlongdistanceshippingapalletneedstobeunitized–wrappedtoptobottom.Baggedgoods,boxesgoods,cannedandbottledgoodaregoodapplications

Bags Addasolidbottomcushionorloadprotector(corrugatedpad/tray)tohelppreventpuncture,andusetheinterlockstackingmethodtohelpguardagainstproductsshiftingduringtransit.Allbagsmuststaywellwithinthepalletperimeter.Cushiontheoutsideofbagswithcardboard.

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Wrapping Techniques

Unitizationtechniquesincludex-wrapping,wrappinglowandcross-topwrapping.Acombinationofthesetriedandtestedtechniquescanprotectapalletizedshipmentfromfallingapartduringovertheroadtransit.

X-wrappingkeepsthepallettight,helpingtopreventloadshiftandgivesextrasupporttoheavyloads.Thetechniquepullstheloadfromdiagonalcorners,lockingthefreighttothepallet.Thismakesthefreightandthepalletoneunit.

Method:Anchorthestretchfilmtothebottomofthepalletbyslidingitbetweentheloadandthe pallet(diagram1).

Thenpullthefilmdiagonallyuptothetopcorneroftheload(diagram2)

Bringthefilmdownandcatchitonthediagonalpalletcorner(diagram3).Oncethefilmiscaughtonthepallet,bringitdiagonallyuptothetopoftheload.(diagram4).Thenbringthefilmdowndiagonallytothenextpalletcorner(diagram5).Repeatasneededtoassuretheloadissafelysecuredtothepallet.TocompletetheXpatternontheremainingtwocorners,skipatopcornerandtakethefilmalongthebottomofthepallet(diagram6).Aftercatchingthefilmonthepallet,proceeddiagonallyuptothenexttopcorner(diagram7.)ContinuingthisprocessontheremainingcornersformsanXpatternonallfoursidesofthepallet,securelyholdingthefreightduringtransit.

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Cross Top Wrapping Crosstopwrappingpullsthetopofthepalletizedloadtogetherandprovidesadditionalstabilizationduringtransit.Crosstopwrappingalsoprovidedadditionalsecurity.Freightcannotbepilferedwithoutshowingobvioussignsoftamperingduringtransit.

Method:Pullthestretchwrapdiagonallyacrossthetopofthepallet,holdingtherolltight.(diagram1).Oncethewrapisoverthetopcorner,diptherollbelowthenextcorner(diagram2).Raisetherolloverthefollowingcorner(diagram3)anddipitbelowthenextcorner.Continuethisprocess,eachtimemovingtowardthecenterofthepalletuntilthetopcompletewrapped(diagram4)

Oncethepalletizedloadissecuredtothepalletandtopcrossed–thepalletcanbestabilizedbysimplywrappingthesidesoftheload.

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Method:slidetheendofthefilmbetweentwoboxesorsecureittothepalletandpullthefilmupdiagonallytostarttopbanding.(diagrams1and2)

Pullthefilmtightlyaroundtheupperportionofthepalletandwrapittightlyaroundthecorner.Pullittightandtear.(diagram3and4).

PalletsmovingtheLTLenvironmentshouldeventieredandflattopped.InLTLtransportation,manydifferentcommoditiesareco-loadedandstacked.A“pyramid”shapedpalletissubjecttodamage.