How can you best package your items for airfreight? 

How can you best package your items for airfreight? 

There are so many reasons why freight by air makes sense for the shipping of all manner of goods across national borders. It is a very quick way of transporting items over long distances, and offers excellent security for any particularly sensitive goods. Airfreight can also be used for a very wide range of goods – there aren’t many items for which freight by air isn’t an option. 

If you are seriously considering freight by air for your next shipment, though, you will need to give equally serious consideration to the packaging you use. After all, your package will inevitably be loaded, reloaded, and stowed various times over its journey. Along the way, then, it could be subject to shocks, compression, abrasions, and other physical impacts. 

Plus, an airfreight shipment that is packaged well is likely to pass through customs and security checks quicker and more smoothly than less well-packaged shipments. Paying close attention to packaging is simply a good thing to do when it comes to freight by air.  

So, with all that in mind, we would urge you to do the following to make sure the packaging for your airfreight shipment is “just right”: 

• Choose the right packaging materials for your items

Various types of material are frequently used for the packaging of goods for airfreight, ranging from plastic containers or pallets to metal cans or canisters. The right ones for you to use will depend on the type, size, shape, weight, and value of the items to be transported, as well as the expected duration of the journey, and the destination. 

Whatever packaging materials you use, you will also need to check that the destination hasn’t banned their use. Packaging made from wood can present a particular issue in this regard, due to some countries requiring it to be treated for infestation. 

• Prepare your goods, including removing non-essentials

Before you start covering any of your intended shipment with packaging materials, you should take away any unnecessary items or packaging materials. This will help keep the volume and weight of your shipment as low as possible. 

Also don’t forget to incorporate the required labelling on the shipment, so that it clearly displays your name, address, phone number, and the invoice number of the sender and the receiver. Fragile, perishable, or hazardous items typically require further labelling with special symbols or instructions. 

• Cushion your goods to provide additional protection 

Padding materials, such as bubble wrap, will be crucial for filling any empty spaces in the package. This will help ensure the goods contained inside do not shift or rattle during the journey, with the associated risks of damage. 

Are you ready to take advantage of freight by air with the help of KTL UK’s freight forwarding professionals? If so, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. 

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