Packaging and labeling for export

Cargo travels further and gets handled more roughly than most first-time shippers expect: loaded, stacked, shipped for weeks, unloaded, trucked, and often left waiting in humid or hot storage along the way. Packaging built for a short domestic trip often fails on an international one.

Labeling matters for a different reason. Customs officers, warehouse staff, and carriers all rely on labels to know what something is, how to handle it, and whether it is allowed in at all. A missing or wrong label can hold up an entire shipment, not just one box.

• Pack for the whole journey, not just the truck ride. Assume your goods will be stacked, jolted, and stored in changing temperatures and humidity.
• Use export-grade materials. Double-walled cartons, proper cushioning, and moisture protection cost little compared to a damaged shipment.
• Secure pallets properly. Shrink wrap and strapping stop shifting inside a container, which is one of the most common causes of damage.
• Watch wood packaging rules. Wooden pallets and crates often need heat treatment or fumigation certification (commonly referred to as ISPM 15) to cross borders. Untreated wood can get an entire shipment rejected.

Labels generally need to identify what is in the box, who it is from and to, and any handling instructions. Depending on the product and destination, you may also need:

• Country of origin marking, showing where the goods were made.
• Handling symbols such as fragile, this-way-up, or keep-dry, where relevant.
• Product-specific labeling, for example ingredient or safety labels for food, or voltage and safety markings for electronics.
• Shipping marks matching your documents, so the carton numbers and details line up exactly with the invoice and packing list.

• Reusing domestic packaging that was never designed for weeks at sea.
• Untreated wood pallets, a surprisingly common and entirely avoidable cause of rejected shipments.
• Labels that don't match the paperwork, creating doubt for customs even when nothing is actually wrong.
• Skipping product-specific labeling because it feels like a formality, until it holds up the shipment.