How to reduce breakage rates of fragile glassware during long-distance transportation?

Before analyzing solutions, it's necessary to understand the structural causes and challenges of breakage. We have conducted drop tests on tape machine packaging for reference.

1. Cumulative Impact from Transportation Vibration

During long-haul sea or road transport, continuous vibration can cause micro-displacement of the product within the box. Long-term accumulation may lead to cracks or structural fatigue.

2. Drop Impact

During sorting or loading/unloading, cartons inevitably experience drops from a certain height. If internal cushioning is insufficient, the impact force will be directly transmitted to the glass products.

3. Deformation of Box Structure Under Pressure

During stacked transport, cartons may experience pressure from above. If the sealing structure is unstable, box deformation increases the risk of internal breakage.

4. Increased Return Costs in Cross-Border E-commerce

For cross-border e-commerce, a single instance of glass product breakage not only means product loss but also includes logistics costs, platform fees, and damage to customer experience.

Therefore, reducing breakage rates is essentially a systems engineering problem.

An effective transport structure for glassware typically includes a three-layer protection system:

1)Individual item wrapping layer

2)Inner box cushioning layer

3)Stable box sealing and pressure-resistant layer

These three layers work together to form a complete impact-resistant system.

Honeycomb Wrapping Paper—Impact Reduction and Product stabilization

Honeycomb paper is made from paper as the base material, stretched to create a three-dimensional honeycomb structure, forming a multi-point support system. Under tension, it possesses excellent cushioning and impact reduction capabilities.

In glassware transportation, honeycomb paper is commonly used for:

1）Wrapping individual glass cups or bottles

2）Preventing direct contact between products

3）Reducing micro-displacement during transportation

Due to its recyclable paper-based structure, it aligns with current green logistics trends and is gradually replacing some traditional plastic cushioning materials.

Inflatable Air Cushion Film – A Lightweight Filling Solution

Air cushion film is inflated individually using an air cushioning machine. The air cushioning layer absorbs some of the impact force, making it suitable for filling gaps inside boxes.

Advantages include:

1）Lightweight, helping to control shipping costs

2）Suitable for bulk shipping in e-commerce scenarios

3）Fast packaging and customizable sizes and logos

4）Transparent appearance enhances the unboxing experience

However, under long-distance, high-pressure stacking conditions, the cushioning effect of the air cushion film may decrease due to continuous pressure. Therefore, it is more suitable as an outer filling layer rather than a core load-bearing structure.

Custom Water Activated Tape – A Safe and Environmentally Friendly Sealing Solution

Sealing systems are often overlooked, but in long-distance transportation, the integrity and stability of the box directly affect the internal cushioning effect and the safety of the transported goods.

Water activated tape, after being activated by water, bonds with the cardboard fibers to form a unified structure, improving the box's compression resistance and reducing the risk of stacking deformation.

A stable sealing structure prevents the internal cushioning from loosening due to box cracking, thereby reducing the overall breakage rate.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, three distinct trends are emerging in the fragile goods transportation sector:

1. Increased Proportion of Paper-Based Cushioning Materials

Driven by global sustainability regulations and brand ESG strategies, paper-based materials (such as honeycomb paper) are expected to see wider adoption. Companies are focusing not only on breakage rates but also on material recycling rates and carbon footprints.

2. Structural Design Takes Priority Over Material Stacking

Future packaging optimization will emphasize structural engineering design rather than simply increasing material usage. Through appropriate wrapping and filling structures, breakage rates can be maintained or even reduced while minimizing material usage.

3. Comprehensive Cost Assessment Becomes Core Decision-Making

Companies will increasingly focus on "comprehensive costs" rather than single material costs, including:

1）Material costs

2）Impact of transport weight

3）Return costs due to breakage rates

4）Customer satisfaction

Under this trend, the combination of honeycomb paper + lightweight air cushion filling + stable sealing systems is gradually becoming one of the directions for balancing cost and sustainability.

Based on current industry practices, we recommend that companies implement the following measures during long-distance transportation:

1）Use honeycomb paper for individual item wrapping and isolation

2）Reduce internal movement within the box using air cushion film or paper-based filler materials

3)  Use water activated tape to enhance sealing stability

Through a systematic approach, rather than simply replacing individual materials, companies can effectively reduce transportation losses while controlling costs.

In the context of increasingly complex cross-border e-commerce and global supply chains, reducing the breakage rate of fragile glassware during transportation has become a crucial aspect of enhancing customer experience and brand competitiveness.

From cushioning structure design to material selection, and considering the impact of sustainability trends towards 2026, companies need to examine packaging solutions from a more systematic perspective.

By rationally utilizing materials such as honeycomb paper, air cushion film, and water activated tape, combined with scientific transportation testing and structural optimization, companies can achieve a balance between cost and environmental goals while ensuring transportation safety.