Custom Air Float Boxes

Sizing Custom Air Float Boxes Around Your Product

Start with the product's longest, widest and tallest measurements, including any stand or handle, following the steps in our measuring guide. For convoluted foam, the inner box size should be roughly the product size plus the thickness of the foam on each side once compressed, which is usually 20 to 30 mm per side for small items and more for heavy ones.

For a cut insert, send us the product itself or a precise drawing, because the cavity needs to be snug. Too loose and the item shifts; too tight and the customer struggles to lift it out. We normally leave a finger notch on each side so it can be gripped and removed without tipping the box.

Weight matters as much as dimensions. A heavy item sinks into soft foam, so a 2 kg piece of glass needs firmer foam and a thicker wall than a 200 g phone accessory. Tell us what the product weighs and we will specify the foam density and board grade to match.

Outer Board, Print and the Unboxing

The outer box is usually an E-flute or B-flute corrugated mailer with a tuck front lid, which closes without tape and gives a tidy opening. For heavier goods or long courier routes, a double wall corrugated outer adds stiffness so the box does not crush when other parcels are stacked on top of it.

Printing on the outside can be as plain or as bold as you like. Many brands keep the exterior to a one-colour logo on kraft so the parcel is understated in transit, then print the inside of the lid in full colour so the reveal happens when the box is opened. Others print the whole outside to make a statement on the doorstep.

Foam can look industrial if it is not planned. Black foam against a printed interior looks deliberate and premium, while white or grey foam reads more technical, which suits lab or electronics packaging. Choose the colour that matches the feel of the product.

Small details make a difference. A printed card sitting on top of the upper foam pad can carry care instructions or a thank-you message, and a ribbon pull under the product makes lifting it out easier. If you send spare parts or cables, a second small cavity in the insert keeps them from rattling around next to the main item.

If your product ships in several colours or variants, a small printed label on the end of the box saves packers opening every carton to check what is inside.

Packing Speed in a Busy Dispatch Room

Protection is only half the job; the box also has to be quick to pack. Convoluted foam pads cut from sheet are the fastest option because a packer simply drops the product onto the lower pad, lays the top pad over it and closes the lid. There is no lining up a cavity or fiddling with tissue, which keeps lines moving during busy weeks.

Cut inserts take a few seconds longer but remove guesswork, since every product sits in exactly the same position. That consistency helps when several people pack orders, or when temporary staff join at peak times and need packaging that is hard to get wrong.

We can also supply the foam and boxes separately if you prefer to assemble them on your own bench, or have the foam pad glued into the lid and base so the box arrives ready to use. Glued foam costs a little more but saves a step for every single parcel, which adds up quickly across a month of orders.

Testing Before a Full Run

We recommend a short sample run for any new product, particularly glass, and the same advice applies to fragile mailer boxes without foam. Pack a few boxes exactly as your team will in the warehouse and send them to a friend or a second address by your normal courier. Opening them on arrival tells you more than any specification sheet.

If a sample fails, it is usually the foam density or the gap between product and wall, both of which are easy to change before you commit to a large order. Keep notes on what worked so repeat orders match the tested version exactly.

Weigh the Item Before You Pick the Foam Density

Dimensions get a product into the box; weight decides whether the foam does its job. A 300 g tumbler and a 1.8 kg decanter can share the same outer size yet need very different foam, because a heavy item compresses soft convoluted pads flat on the first drop. So put the product on kitchen scales, note the figure next to its length, width and height, and add a photo showing any stem, spout or handle that sticks out. From that we can say whether convoluted pads will do or a cut polyethylene insert is needed, and which board grade the outer should be.

Those details are all a custom quote needs, and it comes back by email within one working day with minimums set per job, so a few hundred boxes is a normal order. A free design proof shows the outer print and, for cut inserts, the cavity layout. Production takes 4 to 7 working days once you approve it and free tracked delivery reaches UK mainland addresses in 2 to 3 working days. For items that are not fragile but must not move, retention boxes that hold goods under film are a lighter alternative worth comparing.