Home textiles are usually packed twice, once for the retail shelf and once for the journey. The retail pack is typically a polybag with a printed insert card, a zip bag with a hanger, or a folding box, and these units go into 5-ply or 7-ply export cartons that are then loaded loose or on pallets, depending on what your warehouse requires. Both layers need to be specified in writing, because the exporter will otherwise use whatever it packed for its last customer.
Packing is decided late in most orders and then becomes a source of complaints. Crushed boxes, torn polybags and missing insert cards are rarely the fault of the shipping line. They usually come from a carton that was too weak, a pack that was too tight, or a label that was agreed verbally and never written down.
Retail packing options
- Polybag with insert card: the cheapest and most common option for sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers; specify the bag thickness, whether it is resealable, and any suffocation warning text.
- Zip bag with hanger or handle: a clear PVC or PEVA bag that lets the shopper see the product; usual for duvet sets, quilts and curtain pairs.
- Folding box or box with window: used for premium bedding and gift sets; the board grade and print need a proof before production.
- Belly band or ribbon: a low-cost presentation for towels and table linen, often combined with a hang tag.
- Insert card and labels: product name, size, fibre content, care symbols and barcode, in the languages your market requires.
Export cartons and markings
Export cartons for home textiles are typically 5-ply for lighter products such as sheet sets and pillowcases, and 7-ply for heavy or bulky items such as quilts and curtain sets, or for anything that will be stacked high. Ask for the board grade and the bursting strength in the specification, and have the exporter send a carton for a drop test before the order is packed. Cartons should be filled, not overfilled, because a bulging carton loses most of its stacking strength.
Carton markings usually include your purchase order number, the item code and description, the colour, the quantity per carton, the carton number out of the total, gross and net weight, dimensions and the country of origin. If you use a barcode on the carton, send the exporter the exact artwork and check a printed carton under a scanner before the whole order is marked.
Pallets and container loading
Many retailers and distribution centres now require palletised deliveries, which means pallets of a stated size, a maximum height and stretch wrap or strapping. Wooden pallets must be heat treated and stamped under ISPM 15 or they will be refused at the port of entry. Plastic pallets avoid this but cost more and take space in the container.
Loose loading, where cartons are stacked directly in the container, fits more product in but needs careful stacking and is slower to unload. Decide between the two before the price is agreed, because palletising reduces the usable volume of the container and changes the number of pieces you can ship.
What Creston & Co does
We write the packing section of the specification with you, check the retail pack and carton against it at the factory, and watch the loading so that cartons are stacked the way the plan says. We send weekly photo updates during packing. If you are planning an order, a free 20-minute sourcing review is a good place to settle the packing questions early.