Corrugated boxes for export shippers

An export shipment can be handled a dozen times and spend weeks in a container. Shippers moving goods overseas ask us for triple wall and heavy double wall boxes, often pallet-size, as a lighter alternative to a wooden crate.

What gets packed, and how it travels

Machinery parts, chemicals in drums or bags, consumer goods for distribution abroad, and food products going out through the coastal ports. The Port of Long Beach moved a record 9,881,595 TEUs in 2025 and the Port of Los Angeles 9,447,731 in January to November alone; Port Houston, Savannah, Seattle-Tacoma and New York and New Jersey are the other big gateways.

Triple wall board is seven layers of paper, three of fluting between four of linerboard, and it ships flat until it is set up.

Where the wrong box goes wrong

Humidity in a container, long stacking in a terminal and repeated handling all weaken board. Boxes chosen for a domestic truckload can collapse on an ocean voyage. Wood is another matter: USDA APHIS requires wood packaging material entering the US to be treated and certified under ISPM 15. Corrugated is not wood, but check the rules of the country you ship to before you change packaging.

Packing for a container

Goods in an ocean container can sit at sea and in port for weeks, in heat and humidity, then be unloaded roughly. Boxes should be strong enough to survive stacking in damp conditions and be strapped to their pallets. Heat-treated or plastic pallets avoid timber treatment rules. Mark each carton clearly. Triple wall, or double wall with corner posts, is a common choice.

Destination rules also matter. Some countries require heat-treated wood for pallets and crates, so corrugated containers on plastic or treated pallets can simplify paperwork. Marking each carton with handling symbols and, where needed, the country of origin helps customs and receiving staff.

Questions buyers ask

Can triple wall replace a wooden crate?: For many loads, yes; triple wall is made as an alternative to timber, plastic or metal packaging. Heavy or point-loaded machinery may still need a crate. Send the weight and dimensions.
Do boxes need export markings?: Simple one-colour handling marks can be printed on a custom run. Shipping labels and documents are yours to apply.
Can boxes be delivered to a port warehouse?: Yes, give us the ZIP of the packing site and we will quote freight there.

Boxes for export shippers: ask for a price

Give each size you use with its grade and count, and the ZIP it goes to. Several sizes can go on one request.

Inside size: length x width x depth, in inches
Style: RSC, full overlap, telescope, die-cut or bulk
Wall and grade: read it off the stamp on your current box
Count: boxes per order, and how often you reorder
Packed weight: box plus contents
ZIP: where the boxes are delivered

After you send it

We reply by email, usually with questions first if anything is unclear
You confirm the specification, and a sample or drawing if it is a new design
We send the price, the delivery window and the count tolerance
On approval the order is scheduled and shipped to your dock