How To Tape Boxes For Shipping | Complete Guide 2022

Taping boxes for shipping is a very important task, because if you don’t do it right, it might cost you important goods. There is no rocket science to tape boxes for shipping, but we have to be careful with what kind of things we store in the box , how we store them and most importantly, how to pack them properly.

So this guide will serve as a complete resource to tape boxes for shipping.

So, What’s The First Thing You Should Do When Taping Boxes For Shipping?

The first thing you should consider when taping your box is the type of stuff you intend to store in your box.

What Can You Store In Cardboard Boxes For Shipping?

You can store pretty much anything in your moving box but avoid storing the following stuff:

1. Valuable Items: Storing valuable items in your box would be a bad idea, you definitely don’t want to do that, unless you don’t care about them.
   
2. Plants: Don’t try to store plants in your boxes, because storing anything moist, or full of insects will lead the box to deteriorate faster and will result in a bad odor and a damaged box.
   
3. Hazardous Materials: Do Not store any kind of flammable material or chemical in your box, if you are then store it in plastic boxes and then store those plastic boxes in your cardboard box.
   But avoid it as much as you can.
   
4. Perishable Foods: Perishable foods such as milk, bread , fruit and the like should be avoided storing in boxes because they attract bugs and insects, apart from that the main concern is that they rot, and will eventually result in a damaged box.
   
5. Electronics: You can store electronics but you can’t store them effectively, because water might get in the box and damage it or any kind of liquid will ruin the electronic devices.

Is It Worth It To Tape Boxes For Shipping Or Should You Try Another Way?

Taping boxes is a cheap and effective way to ship boxes, because it saves you time and effort, but there’s the proper way to do this and the improper way.

Obviously, we’re going to take you through the proper way, so not only does your box reach the destination , but the contents inside of it are safe and sound.

Here’s How You Can Properly Tape Boxes For Shipping

First let’s go through what you’ll need to tape your box:

1. You need a thick box first: Get a thick box and make sure that the cardboard is thick enough, preferably 1/8th of an inch thick, to ensure that even if some water does manage to touch your box, your contents are safe.
   
2. Packing Tape: The 2nd thing you need is packing tape, don’t use masking tape, or scotch tape, they won’t be able to stick to the box.
   
3. Bubble Wrap: This is an absolute essential item because we will use this to line up the cardboard box to protect the contents.

That’s pretty much all you need to properly tape your box for shipping.

So, What’s The Process?

There are multiple methods to tape your boxes, but let’s go through the best ones:

1. The Full-Cover Method: This Method works best if you’re storing fragile items, first you need to line the inside of your box with bubble wrap, then carefully stack your items on top of each other.
   
   • Now here’s the main part, what you need to do now is to start off by taping the sides of your box, then tape it wherever you can find gaps, and finally, cover your entire box with tape.
     
2. The “H” Method: This is the most commonly used method for taping boxes, first you need to tape the line at the center of your cardboard box.
   
   • Then you need to carefully tape all of the side edges of your box, and it’ll automatically make an “H” shape, this method is used to protect any type of contents inside.
   • As an extra reinforcement , you can use the full-cover method to add an extra layer of protection for the box.
     

These are the 2 best ways to protect your box by taping it the right way.

What Is The Best Way To Tape Boxes For Shipping?

The best way is the “H” method followed by the full cover method, because it ensures that you’re protecting all of the edges and adding an extra layer so the contents are completely safe.

What Tape To Use For Shipping Boxes:

You can use any type of tape you want, but packing tape is generally the recommended choice because it helps you properly seal the box.

How To Tape A Heavy Box For Shipping?

When it comes to taping heavy boxes, you need to make sure that you’re taping the bottom of the box as much as you can , because a heavy box can result in the contents leaking from the bottom.

They won’t leak or come out from the top or sides, they’ll put pressure on the bottom of your cardboard box and as a result , they will start to damage the box and eventually leak.

So what you should do is focus on the “H” method, and when adding the full-cover method, just add multiple layers of tape to the bottom.

Where To Tape Shipping Label On A Box?

You Should always tape the label on the top of the box, on the lid basically, because it’s the first thing anyone sees and you should also cover it with transparent tape.

Can I Tape Boxes Together For Shipping?

You should avoid doing that at all costs, because if something happens to one box, it’ll start to spread like wildfire and eventually happen to other boxes as well.

The greatest example of this is water, if water gets to one of your boxes, it will effect 2 or 3 more boxes as well.

So avoid taping boxes together.

Conclusion: How To Tape Boxes For Shipping

This is a complete guide to taping boxes for shipping, take a look at storageboxdirect for more boxes.