The sender is always responsible for packaging. It's not just bureaucratic small print - the way you prepare the parcel is the single biggest factor in whether it reaches the recipient intact. Carriers run their own quality checks and reserve the right to reclassify or refuse anything that isn't ready for automated handling.
General rules to remember
- Large appliances and electronics (washing machines, fridges, TVs) must travel on a Euro pallet and be strapped down so they cannot tip or shift.
- SEUR/DPD shipments above 50 kg should always be palletised - parcel networks are not designed for individual boxes that heavy.
- For glass and fragile contents, apply a Fragile / Frágil sticker on every visible side.
- For items that must stay upright (liquids in their original bottles, electronics with capacitors, lithium batteries), apply This way up arrows.
- Nothing may overhang the base of the pallet - all four sides must stay strictly within the 120 x 80 cm footprint (or 80 x 60 cm for half pallets).
- Eliminate empty space inside the box with bubble wrap, kraft paper, foam inserts or air pillows. Loose room is the most common cause of in-transit damage.
The H-tape method (recommended by carriers)
The H-tape method is the industry standard for sealing cardboard boxes. Done correctly it gives the carton the maximum mechanical strength to survive being stacked, dropped from belt height and rolled across sorter chutes. The name comes from the layout of the tape: two parallel strips along the short edges with a third strip joining them across the centre seam - the shape of a capital H.
- Step 1. Seal the central seam where the two top flaps meet (the cross-bar of the H).
- Step 2. Seal both side edges along the shorter sides of the box (the two vertical bars of the H), with the tape wrapping onto the sides of the carton.
Tape: use heavy-duty self-adhesive tape at least 5 cm wide. Cheap thin tape splits during sortation.
Edge protection: the tape must cross the edge of the carton and wrap onto the sides by at least 5-10 cm. This is what reinforces the corner and prevents the box opening on its own under weight.
Top and bottom: apply the H pattern to both the top and the bottom of the box - the bottom takes more strain than the top.
Carton: use rigid, rectangular boxes only. Bent, dented or previously crushed cardboard loses most of its load-bearing capacity.
Carrier-specific points to watch
UPS
- UPS drivers will not collect liquids in any single container larger than 8.5 litres. Split larger volumes into multiple sealed containers or choose a different carrier.
FedEx
- FedEx accepts car tires on its domestic services, but only passenger-car tires up to 17 inches with an outer diameter no greater than 700 mm qualify as standard handling. Pack them singly or in pairs per the official guide; anything bigger is reclassified as non-standard.
SEUR / DPD
- Plastic mailers (foliopaks) above 5 kg are always classed as non-standard, even when you use SEUR/DPD's own branded packaging. For anything heavier, switch to a rigid carton.
- Stretch-film wrapping around the outside of the carton triggers a non-standard surcharge - the film sticks to the sorter belts.
GLS
- An external stretch-film wrap is acceptable only if the box is otherwise regular and the film does not impede movement on the belts. Used boxes must have all old labels, barcodes and stickers removed - leftover codes can divert the parcel.
- Construction materials (bricks, paving stones, concrete blocks, plasterboard) cannot be sent through the GLS network.
DHL
- Anything that has to travel in a fixed orientation (vertical, gel-filled, magnetic) is treated as non-standard. Mark it accordingly and expect manual handling.
Correos / Correos Express
- Use a clean, double-walled or 5-layer corrugated carton. Old labels and barcodes must be removed - they can confuse the sorter and delay delivery.
- The carton must be large enough to hold the goods plus internal cushioning that occupies at least one quarter of the package volume around the load.
- Only durable printed goods up to 5 kg may travel in a plastic mailer or courier envelope. Before sending in this format, make sure the contents will survive being compressed under several dozen kilos.
- Match the size and strength of the box to the actual weight of the contents - oversized or underspecified cartons fail in transit.
Important
Well packed: a rigid rectangular box, sealed with the H-tape method, with no deformation of the cardboard, no overhanging contents and no surface that prevents it sliding on the sorter.
Badly packed: round, cylindrical (tubes, drums) or non-rectangular shapes; dented or bent cardboard; uneven edges or protruding parts; anything wrapped in stretch film, plastic film or another sticky material that stops the parcel moving on the belt. These are reclassified as non-standard at the first hub or refused entirely.