Postal packaging can be tough to deal with sometimes, especially if you’re trying to send items that require extra care or carry extra weight. While this is usually applied to cardboard boxes, the same rule can apply to cardboard tubes too.
As we like to often remind people, cardboard tubes can also be used in a wide variety of recreational activities like fireworks, which further enhances the need for ways of improving the strength of the tubes.
With that in mind, we have come up with some easy ways to improve the durability of your cardboard tubes and keep your items safe without any damage.
Reinforce the gaps
If you’re looking for a way to increase the integrity of your postal tubes, try reinforcing them by glueing any gaps or spaces in these parts. For those with no glued materials, reinforce them using glue on the bottom to make sure they are sturdy enough for heavier items.
In any case, making sure there is no structural weakness is essential. By filling in any gaps or anything that just looks suspect, you can eliminate the need to worry about your packaged item incurring any unwarranted damage.
Add an extra layer
Double packaging your tube is a quick fix for cardboard tubes that have lost their structural integrity. By placing one tube inside the other you can get double the strength and carrying power of your original, damaged, single-tube model!
While this does seem very obvious, you may be surprised at how many people fail to do this. Moreover, this is important to understand the value of reusing packaging as best as you can. By doing this, you avoid the need to buy your own packaging and you can instead reinforce old cardboard tubes with new ones that you acquire either directly or through a package you have received.
By reusing them this way, you can not only ensure that you have reliable packaging to use for posting items, but you also have guaranteed that the postal packaging will be incredibly strong and should fulfil its proper purpose.
Use a strong wrap
Another method for improving cardboard tube strength is to wrap the exterior with something strong and durable. Watered down glue can do the trick if you experiment with the measurements you use, but this is more or less the cheapest option.
One better option would be to use epoxy resin which is known for strengthening surfaces. Coating the cardboard tube with resin can essentially develop a hard case shell for the tube, allowing it to be further protected from any potential damage.
Although it may not necessarily count as wrapping due to it being on the interior, adding a wall of fibreglass to the inside of the tube can be another effective way of getting the job done.
We all know fibreglass to be an incredibly strong and lightweight material making it the perfect fit for strengthening postal packaging. By adding an extra layer of this material, you can ensure that the cardboard tube will be greatly protected, especially if you combine it with some of the other methods previously mentioned.
(Bonus) Buy the correct one
Now we know this is not a direct method of strengthening existing cardboard tubes but this is more of a lesson to help you in the future. By making sure you buy packaging that is fit for the job, you can eliminate the need to go through the trouble of the previous steps.
When purchasing a cardboard tube for a certain job, getting the correct size and thickness is vital. You should try and identify whether you need industrial cardboard tubes or something more lightweight. By doing this, you will already have packaging that is fit for a certain purpose in the future. The more you hold on and reuse these tubes, the easier it will be in the future to deal with items that need stronger packaging.
Furthermore, purchasing the correct packaging will make it easier to work through the previous methods mentioned, especially double layering your cardboard tubes.