What are mailer boxes?

A mailer box, also called a large letter postal box, is a small cardboard box typically used by ecommerce businesses to send small items to their customers.

Read on to find out more about different types of mailer box, differences between mailer boxes and other boxes, and benefits of using mailer boxes.

What’s the difference between shipping boxes and mailer boxes?

Firstly, let’s explore the differences between mailer boxes and other types of cardboard boxes.

A mailer box is fairly small, ideal for shipping flat or narrow and light items, and typically use less glue (and cardboard) than larger shipping boxes. Shipping boxes, on the other hand, are basically large cardboard boxes that need to be taped closed and are designed to hold larger, heavier items.

Shipping boxes tend to be heavy duty cardboard boxes that can withstand some damage while protecting their contents. Mailer boxes are also different to single walled cardboard boxes, which are a lighter weight version (although similar in size) to shipping boxes.

What’s the most common mailer box size?

Mailer boxes come in different sizes so you can tailor them to suit your needs. These are some sizes that mailer boxes:

• 162 x 114 x 20mm
• 229 x 162 x 20mm
• 324 x 229 x 20mm
• 128 x 97 x 40mm
• 152 x 152 x 89mm
• 320 x 320 x 70 mm

At Smith Packaging, we supply the most common sizes of mailer boxes, which are:

• 162 x 114 x 20mm
• 229 x 162 x 20mm
• 324 x 229 x 20mm

Remember to buy mailer boxes that are slightly longer, wider, and higher than the items you’re sending so that they can fit comfortably in the box and you can include padding to protect the items.

What can you send in a mailer box?

One of the most common uses for mailer boxes is for regular subscription items, but they’re used for everything from secure documents to expensive items like phones and tablets.

You can also send books, letters, jewellery, and any other precious things that need to go through a letterbox. A mailer box is also the perfect slim size for smaller clothing items like t-shirts and socks.

How are mailer boxes made?

Mailer boxes are typically made from corrugated cardboard, which makes them strong and lightweight, as well as being fully recyclable.

But how are boxes actually made? A layer of ‘fluting’ – a wavy piece of cardboard, is sandwiched between two flat pieces of cardboard and glued together.

This cardboard is then cut to the required size, stacked, and then sent through a trimming machine. The trimmer makes the more complex cuts, things like holes and handles.

The result is a flat mailer box. They can then be shipped in this form, or put through a bending machine which folds the cardboard into the required shape of box.

Benefits of mailer boxes

Mailer boxes, usually used for ecommerce packaging, provide many benefits to both businesses and their customers.

• Many mailer box sizes fit through letterboxes, so there’s no need to sign for a parcel and customers won’t miss it if they’re out and have the hassle of collecting it
• Their size also means they’re cheaper to send, and they’re lightweight, so they don’t add any excess postage fees
• They’re strong and very durable, so items are well-protected
• Creating custom mail boxes means you can add your brand, make your parcel memorable, and create that ‘wow’ factor for your customers
• Mailer boxes can be quickly and easily assembled, and don’t require tape to keep them secure
• Most mailer boxes (like the ones you can buy from Smith Packaging) are made from recycled materials and are 100% recyclable

Buy mailer boxes from Smith Packaging

You can buy all the mailer boxes you need from Smith Packaging. As one of the leading names in packaging, we are committed to helping ecommerce businesses with their packaging requirements.

Whether you need one or one thousand mailer boxes, our versatile no minimum order policy and cost-effective pricing are designed to meet your budget needs.

We also place a huge emphasis on being as environmentally friendly as possible, meaning that our mailer boxes are 100% recyclable and are made in the UK.

Buy mailer boxes today.