We are often asked about the biggest (or smallest) box Slimbox can produce.The answer is not simple but it will demonstrate the flexibility of box making on a Slimbox.
Every box always begins with a flat sheet of corrugated cardboard that is cut and folded into the desired shape of the box. The dimensions of that sheet of cardboard, the choice of box design and the thickness of the cardboard will determine both the maximum and minimum possible box sizes, no matter if those boxes are made on a Slimbox or entirely by hand.
In other words, no matter what method you use to make the box, the maximum and minimum box sizes are affected by the choices you make.
The simpler the design and the lighter the cardboard, the smaller the box which can be made. For example, Slimbox can cut a simple box design from single wall cardboard into which a golf ball will fit perfectly (approximately 4.1cm on each side).
For larger boxes, if the sides of the box are very tall, there is less of the cardboard sheet for the bottom of the box. A design with a separate top leaves more cardboard from one sheet for the sides and bottom.
As a practical matter, it is easy for Slimbox to make boxes for shipping things like skis or golf bags or even a pole vaulter's pole. Slimbox can even make a box in which you could ship the pole vaulter and pole together, if only there was a carrier which would accept a shipment containing a human!
The key take away here is that lighter weight cardboard is needed for very small boxes, because thicker double or triple wall corrugated cardboard is more difficult to fold, but thicker cardboard is required to make larger boxes.
What do you want to package?
A common mistake is to skip measuring the items which are to be shipped.
It may be a new concept that you can make right-sized boxes, but remember, Slimbox offers the ability to make the perfect size box for every shipment. Therefore, the first step in the Slimbox process is to measure the items which will go into the box. Ask yourself: What will I be putting in the box? And measure its dimensions.
This will avoid the common mistake of shipping in over-sized boxes.
Folding or glueing
There are many box designs. Some can be folded and they are ready for use; other designs require glue to make them ready to use .
The advantage of folded boxes is that they are much stronger than box designs that require glue. However, there are trade-offs; folded boxes have flaps and use more cardboard. This means that the maximum dimensions of folded box designs cut from a sheet of cardboard will be smaller. The images below demonstrate the difference in cut and construction of two boxes of same dimensions, with the one on the right requiring glue and the other one just needs to be folded.
Long and/or wide
Slimbox can process cardboard up to 1 meter (40 Inches) wide. However, the maximum length is limited only by the maximum available length of the flat sheet corrugated cardboard. Of course, you need to be able to handle the cardboard. In practice, few users will ever need to use flat sheet cardboard which is more than 2.5 meters (100 Inches) long. A sheet that is 1m by 2.5m can make a very large box suitable for shipping a door or several pairs of skis.
I still need more info
We can easily calculate for you if Slimbox can make a suitable box for the object you want to ship. So do not hesitate to contact us if you would like some help.