In order to find good quality moving boxes we need to be able to disqualify the cheap quality boxes to pick from only the best options. We can do this by identifying the main factors that every good moving box should have. From there use these as a checklist against the boxes to identify the best ones.
This guide will help you sift through the cheap and low quality moving boxes. Putting your hard earned cash towards only the highest quality items.
Edge Crush Test Rating
Any moving box that we buy should be edge crush tested. This means resisting crushing and collapse under force at the edge of the box. The better the box does this, the higher the rating it will be given.
| ECT Rating | Maximum Weight Capacity | Number of Corrugated Walls |
|---|---|---|
| ECT-32 | 65lbs | Single |
| ECT-44 | 95lbs | Single |
| ECT-48 | 100lbs | Double |
| ECT-51 | 120lbs | Double |
| ECT-90 | 280lbs | Triple |
| ECT-155 | 300lbs | Triple |
Clearly then the more durable, strong, and higher quality boxes will have a higher ECT rating. This is an indicator of overall strength, it can be overkill buying the strongest rated box if you don’t need to carry items weighting much. Approximate how heavy each box you are using will likely be, then choose a box at that can hold that maximum capacity or a little more if you want to give yourself peace of mind that your box can handle some extra content weight if needed.
Shipping Conditions of Good Quality Moving Boxes
We want our boxes to be shipped to us completely flat. The flat pack style prevents most forms of serious damage and reduces the space you need to store them away. Damage may still occur, but since less surface area of the box is exposed the damage, if it does occur is greatly reduced.
As we know these boxes are often sold in many multiples. Shipping them tightly packed together means the overall strength of the package is increased. The chances of the box walls bending and deforming by outside forces is thus greatly reduced when the boxes are correctly flat packed in this way.
When looking at making a purchase ensure that flat pack shipping method is used and try to buy them in quantities of at least 3 for most box types. This may not be practical if you are buying a TV moving box for example. The likelihood is that you will only need 1 box of a particular size to move your TV. There are of course the rare cases where you have multiple TV sets of the same size in your home.
The manufacturer can bundle and pack their boxes to the best of their abilities. Even still the shipping company may handle them inappropriately and potentially arrive damaged. Hence the reason why their packing and shipping methods are so important. It mitigates the risk of your boxes arriving damaged, regardless of the conditions they were shipped in.
Cut Out Handles
The benefits of handles are quite obvious. They make carrying and moving your loaded boxes far easier.
If you have wardrobe or larger moving box, handles help tremendously when it comes to lifting and moving them around.
To identify quality here we will need take a close look at the shape, size and smoothness of the cut out holes.
The holes should be an ergonomic shape to fit our hands, i.e. a nicely rounded off shape at the edges to maximise the comfort.
An added bonus here would be cut out handles in a double walled corrugated box. In other words, a box with a rating of ECT-48 or more. With this, the area around the handle holes will be far more tear resistant.
Comes From Reputable Manufacturer
Idealistically, you’ll want minimal gaps between the closed lid flaps and symmetry between all the sidewalls and flaps.
This is determined by a quality controlled manufacturing process with tight machining tolerances. While this is somewhat difficult to determine as a buyer, the safest bet you can make is to buy from a reputable source. An indicator of good quality manufacturer is one that has been around for a long time, with good track record of repeat buying customers.
For boxes with a non taped style tops or lids, the tolerances will need to be even more accurate. What that ensures is great reliability of boxes, as they’ll need to be to survive either long distance or turbulent trips.
Useable Dimensions of Good Quality Moving Boxes
The last really important factor to consider is the depth and width of our desired box. We want to ensure that these measurements are enough to fit all the items we need to transfer safely to our destination.
In addition, the shape of the box needs to be practical and reasonable enough so that it fits the most common household items. Of course this will likely be a cubed style shape. Alternatively for special items such as picture frames and artwork, our most ideal shaped moving box will take on a flatter shape.
With larger sized boxes and oddly shape boxes, you’ll want to ensure even more so that the quality is the best standard as they’ll typically be used to carry heavier loads that require additional protection.
Conclusion – How To Find Good Quality Moving Boxes
When we use the correct metrics we can quickly find the highest quality moving boxes available to us.
These include but are not limited to:
- Useable dimensions, Is the box a practical shape and size
- Manufacturer from a reputable source. We can trust that the quality control is at a high standard
- Cut out handles, these handles if present are strong and have an ergonomic shape
- Shipping conditions, the box should be packaged flat and in such a way that minimalizes any damage from shipping
- The box should have an ECT rating. Its your job to make sure this rating is high enough to withstand your planned maximum load and stacking requirements.
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