Shipping can be a complicated process for your business, especially when it comes to some of the packaging details like strapping. There are many different types of strapping available on the market and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
What Is Strapping for Shipping?
How Do You Choose the Right Kind for Your Product or Shipping Needs?
There are many types of strapping available on the market, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
These are the
different factors to consider:
- The type of product you are shipping
- The weight of the product
- The size and shape of the product
- The number of products you need to strap together
- The environment in which the strapping will be used (indoor or outdoor)
- Whether the strapping needs to be reusable or not
As a handy guide, use the following:
- Steel
- Pallet weight in excess of 2500 lbs.
- Sharp Edges
- Non-compressible loads
- Polyester
- Pallet weights up to 2500 lbs.
- Non-compressible or moderate settling loads
- When polypropylene has failed. i.e. loads shifting or breaking
- Polypropylene
- Pallet weighs up to 2500 lbs.
- Moderate settling loads
- Most palletizing of corrugated boxes
- What is the correct strap for you? Do the math!
- Weight of Pallet x 1.5
- # of Straps Used = Recommended Tensile Strength
- Example: Pallet Weighs 1100 lbs and 3 straps are used
Strapping: How Materials Have Changed
What Are the Different Kinds of Strapping Materials?
There are three primary types of strapping materials: steel, polyester, and composite. Steel strapping is the most common type of strapping used in shipping because it is strong and durable.
Polyester strapping is also strong and durable but it is not as heavy as steel so it can be easier to work with. Composite strapping is made from a combination of materials, such as steel and polyester, which makes it more flexible than either type of material alone.
Benefits of Strapping
The primary benefit of strapping is that it can help to keep your products secure during transit. This is especially important if you are shipping items that are valuable or fragile. Strapping can also help to protect your products from damage that could be caused by shifting or movement during transit.
In addition to these benefits, strapping can also help to improve the efficiency of your shipping operation. This is because strapping can help to keep your products organized and in place, which can make it easier and faster to load and unload them.
Strapping Best Practices
Once you’ve found the right strap for your deliverables, you’ll want to make sure you’re using it correctly. Applying straps too loosely can result in your shipments becoming loose and unsecured, while strapping them too tightly can damage the goods inside or make them difficult to open.
In general, you should:
- Use at least two straps per shipment
- Position the straps so they’re evenly distributed across the length and width of the shipment
- Avoid placing straps over sharp edges or corners
How To Find The Right Strapping For Your Needs
It’s important to use the correct type and size of strapping when securing your shipments. Using the wrong type or size of strapping could result in your shipment becoming loose and possibly damaged during transit.
At
PackageIt, we have a wide variety of strapping options available to meet your shipping needs. Our service associates are ready to help work with you to identify the best solution for your product and shipping needs – big or small. We also have other shipping materials and warehouse supplies to help you get your shipment from point A to point B safely and securely. Contact us today.
