Stop Shipping Air: How Fanfold Corrugated Board Reduces Your Logistics Costs
Modern e-commerce is growing at an unstoppable pace, bringing with it increasing challenges in shipping and fulfillment. One of the largest and most expensive inefficiencies in today's supply chain is the "shipping of air." When products are dispatched in oversized standard cartons, it doesn't just artificially inflate shipping rates—it wastes valuable resources. The solution to this industry-wide problem is Packaging-on-Demand: the custom creation of cartons directly within the packing process. In this in-depth expert article, we explore how the strategic use of fanfold corrugated board can lower your packaging costs, optimize warehouse space, and help you take a major step toward sustainable shipping.
The Problem: Why "Shipping Air" Slows Down E-Commerce
Have you ever wondered what percentage of an average e-commerce package consists purely of empty space? Logistics studies consistently show that up to 40 percent of the volume in standard packages remains unused. This "air" comes at a high price. Shipping carriers no longer calculate rates based solely on actual weight; they utilize dimensional weight (DIM weight). The formula is often: Length x Width x Height / divisor (typically 5000). If the dimensional weight exceeds the actual weight of the goods, you are charged the higher rate. Consequently, a slightly oversized box can lead to you paying premium shipping costs for a lightweight product.
Furthermore, excess space requires massive amounts of void fill. Whether it’s bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, or crumpled paper—all these materials incur purchasing costs, tie up labor time during packing, and frustrate the end customer, who is left to dispose of the unnecessary waste. For online retailers, e-commerce starters, and especially food shippers, this inefficiency represents a massive competitive disadvantage.
The Solution: Fanfold as the Basis for Custom-Sized Boxes
To address this, leading logistics providers rely on the principle of customization. The foundation for this is fanfold corrugated board (often referred to as fanfold or endless corrugated board). It consists of a continuous, high-quality strand of corrugated board folded accordion-style on a pallet. Instead of stocking dozens of pre-made box sizes, the board is cut and creased to the exact dimensions of the product at the very moment of packing. This is achieved either through automated box-making machines or flexible manual packing stations.
The result: custom-sized boxes that fit the product like a second skin. By using these bespoke shipping boxes, you almost entirely eliminate empty space. This makes your e-commerce logistics not only leaner but significantly more agile, as you can react to inventory changes immediately without having to order new packaging.
Pro Tip: If you are just getting started with Packaging-on-Demand, you don't need to invest in a six-figure, fully automated machine immediately. Excellent semi-automatic systems or well-designed manual cutting tables are available, which are perfect for e-commerce starters and small-to-medium-sized online retailers.
Reducing Void Fill: Ecological and Economic Gains
One of the most immediate benefits of custom-fit packaging is the drastic reduction in void fill. When a product is held firmly and securely in a custom-fit shell, it requires no additional protection against shifting. This significantly lowers your material costs. But the benefits go far beyond cost savings.
We live in an era where sustainability is a decisive factor for consumers. Sustainable shipping is no longer just a marketing buzzword—it is a concrete requirement driven by regulations (such as European packaging directives and DIN EN 13427). By eliminating unnecessary filler and reducing corrugated board usage to the absolute minimum, you noticeably improve your carbon footprint. Less volume also means more packages fit into a single truck, drastically reducing transport emissions throughout the supply chain. Your customers will appreciate the effortless, waste-free unboxing experience and associate it positively with your brand.
B2B Added Value: Warehouse Space Optimization
Storage space is expensive. Rents for logistics facilities are steadily rising, and every square meter not used for salable goods hurts your profit. Let’s look at a concrete calculation to illustrate how the switch to fanfold impacts your storage costs.
The Scenario: Traditional Cartons vs. Fanfold
Imagine you are a medium-sized online retailer with a wide, changing assortment. To cover all article sizes, you currently require 20 different standard box sizes. To achieve favorable purchasing prices, you order at least half a Euro-pallet of each size. This means:
- Number of box sizes: 20
- Storage demand per size: 0.5 pallet spaces
- Total pallet spaces required: 10
At a conservative average of 8.00 Euro per month per pallet space, your storage costs for empty boxes amount to 80.00 Euro per month—nearly 1,000.00 Euro per year. This doesn't even account for the immense administrative effort for inventory management (reordering, stocktaking, handling).
The Optimization via Fanfold:
Instead of storing 20 different formats, you now use fanfold to produce every required box on demand. For the same shipping volume, you only need two different widths of fanfold, each stacked on a single pallet.
- Number of formats (widths): 2
- Total storage demand: 2 pallet spaces
Your storage costs drop immediately to 16.00 Euro per month—an 80 percent reduction! You can now use the 8 reclaimed pallet spaces for revenue-generating goods. Furthermore, you tie up significantly less capital in "dead" packaging material by purchasing only one standardized raw material.
Special Benefits for Food Shippers and Drop Shipping
Packaging requirements vary by niche. For users of boxxco.com, on-demand production offers exclusive advantages:
Food Shipping: Ensuring the Cold Chain
Ensuring the cold chain is critical. Too much air in a package allows heat to circulate, causing coolant packs to work harder and lose efficiency quickly. Custom-fit boxes keep the cold trapped around the product, minimizing the insulated space. This saves on expensive insulation material and extra coolant packs.
Drop Shipping: Flexibility as a Trump Card
Retailers often lack control over product dimensions or face rapidly changing assortments. Fanfold offers ultimate flexibility—whether you are shipping a long, narrow pipe today or a compact, heavy cube tomorrow, the system adapts dynamically.
Pro Tip: When using fanfold for food, ensure you choose the right flute (e.g., B-flute or EB-flute). Double-wall corrugate provides excellent shock absorption and additional insulation against temperature fluctuations.
Integrating Into Your E-Commerce Logistics
Switching to Packaging-on-Demand requires strategic planning but often pays for itself within the first year. First, analyze your shipping assortment to determine the minimum, maximum, and average dimensions of your top sellers. Often, a single fanfold width (e.g., 400 mm or 600 mm) is enough to handle 80 percent of all package sizes.
Next, redefine the workflow at the packing station. Instead of grabbing a pre-made box from a shelf, the picker scans the item's barcode. The system retrieves the dimensions from the master data and signals the machine or packing table to release the exact amount of board required. The item is placed, the board is folded along the fresh crease lines, and securely sealed—ideally with eco-friendly water-activated tape.
The Psychological Component: The Unboxing Experience
Beyond cost savings and process optimization, the "soft factor" of customer perception cannot be underestimated. If a customer opens a package to find a mountain of plastic chips or meters of crumpled paper, it creates an immediate negative impression. Custom-fit boxes, however, appear highly professional. The product rests securely and elegantly in the center, conveying environmental awareness and quality. This subtle psychological branding upgrade is proven to reduce return rates and increase customer loyalty. Sustainable shipping directly contributes to your Customer Lifetime Value.
Conclusion: Systemic Cost Reduction
Switching from rigid standard boxes to flexible fanfold is more than a change of supplier; it is a strategic upgrade of your entire fulfillment process. By consistently avoiding "shipping air," you significantly reduce postage costs as dimensional weight surcharges become a thing of the past. Reducing void fill saves money and protects the environment, sharpening your profile as a sustainable company.
Whether you are shipping sensitive food, running a fast-paced drop shipping business, or are an e-commerce starter looking to scale professionally, custom-made shipping boxes from fanfold material are the key to efficient, cost-saving, and future-proof logistics.
Stop wasting space and money. Analyze your shipping process and discover how the high-quality fanfold corrugated board from Boxxco can revolutionize your operations. Optimize your storage space, protect your products perfectly, and invest your savings into your growth—not into transporting air.