Buyer guide Pack and ship
Most acrylic damage that shows up at the warehouse was packed in, not made in. Optical faces travel film-on. Cube corners need a block, not a hope. A freight number without an Incoterm is not a shipping plan. This page is how to specify pack and compare freight. It is not a carrier rate sheet, and it is not a material data sheet.
What usually fails in transit
Working observation. Clear acrylic fails in shipping as a corner chip, a scratched face, or a crushed hollow part. It rarely fails because the sheet “could not take the ocean.” The pack and the handling do.
- Corner chip on a cube. An unprotected 90-degree corner hits the carton wall.
- Face haze or scratches. Film was peeled, or two polished faces rode together.
- Warp-looking marks on a plinth. Straps or a tight carton compressed a hollow box.
- Loose hardware. Magnets or feet were not retained, and rattled.
Inspect pack before you inspect the part. A clean cube in a loose carton is a claim waiting for the next handler.
Pack rules that prevent most claims
| Rule | Why | If you skip it |
|---|---|---|
| Film stays on | The mill film is the face protection | Scratches that look like factory defects |
| Faces do not touch | Acrylic on acrylic marks, even with care | Transit haze on the camera face |
| Corners blocked | Impact lands on the corner first | Chipped cube, rejected at the store |
| No crush on hollow parts | A plinth is a box, not a beam | Compression marks that look like warp |
| Hardware retained | Loose magnets and screws become impact tools | Dents inside an otherwise good box |
| Carton mark matches the PO | The receiver has to find the right SKU | A good lot opened as the wrong one |
Individual polybags help on small polished parts. They do not replace corner blocks on a cube. Foam that is too soft lets the part migrate; foam that is too tight on a hollow plinth crushes it. The right pack is the one that holds the part without loading the faces.
Pack by product type
Five-sided box or cube
Corner blocks or a die-cut insert. Film on. Do not nest cubes face-to-face. One cube per cell if the faces are polished.
Flat tray or holder
Stack with film on, or with a slip sheet. Limit stack height so the bottom piece does not bow. Lips catch on each other — orient them.
Tall stand or plinth
Brace the hollow body. Do not strap across the middle. Ship upright if the drawing says so, and mark the carton.
Printed or lined part
Keep print off the wipe path of the next piece. Lined inserts should not shed onto a clear face. Bag if the liner is soft.
Those are the usual export shapes: boxes, trays, and display stands.
What to write on the carton spec
“Standard export packing” prices whatever the plant usually does. Write the method:
- film on or film off at shipment;
- individual bag, slip sheet, or cell;
- corner protection, yes or no, and the type;
- pieces per carton, and whether mixed SKUs are allowed;
- carton mark: PO, SKU, quantity, destination;
- assembled or flat, if the part can go either way.
A change in carton spec is a change in the order. It can move the unit price and the cube of the shipment. Confirm it before the cartons are sealed.
Incoterms and the damage window
Term rule. Incoterms allocate cost and risk. They do not describe the acrylic. An EXW quote ends at the factory door. A DDP quote is supposed to include duties and delivery to the named place — if the quote actually says so.
| Term | Risk generally passes | What to confirm on the quote |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | At the seller’s premises | Who books the truck from the plant |
| FOB | When the goods are on board the vessel at the named port | Named port, and who pays origin charges |
| CIF / CIP | Still at origin shipment, with insurance arranged by the seller | Insured value and what the policy covers |
| DDP | At the named place of destination | That duties are inside, and whose calendar includes clearance |
ICC Incoterms are the reference. A plant’s email that says “shipping included” without a named term and a named place is not a term. Ask for both before you compare two freight numbers.
Sanait’s FAQ describes air, sea, or rail when those are quoted, and duties prepaid when that is the quoted term. That is one plant’s offer. Other exporters will package the same modes differently. Compare the term and the pack, not the word “shipping.”
Air, sea, and courier
- Courier or air. Days, higher cost, still enough handling to chip an unprotected corner. Use for samples and for a launch that cannot wait.
- Sea. Weeks, plus origin and destination handling. Pack for humidity and for a carton that will be stacked. Film and corner blocks matter more, not less.
- Rail, where the lane exists, sits between the two on calendar. Ask which border and which terminal.
A thin brochure holder can cost more to air-freight than to make. Say the mode on the RFQ if landed cost is how you will choose.
How to handle a damage claim
- Photograph the carton before you open it, then the pack, then the part in side light.
- Note whether film was still on. A scratch under intact film is a different claim from a scratch after peel.
- Check the Incoterm. The term tells you whose risk window the damage sits in.
- Hold the pack. A claim without the carton is harder to support.
A chip on an unprotected corner is usually a pack specification miss, agreed at order time. A chip on a blocked corner is a handling or term question. Write which one it is before you email.
FAQ
Should acrylic ship with the protective film on?
Yes, on optical faces, until the fixture is installed. Peel only where glue or print required it. Film-off shipment is a scratch risk unless the pack fully replaces the film.
Is a polybag enough for a polished cube?
No. A bag protects the face from dust. It does not stop a corner hitting the carton wall. Add corner blocks or a cell.
Why did a hollow plinth arrive looking warped?
Often it was strapped or carton-crushed, not bent at the factory. Compression marks on acrylic can look like warp. Check the pack before you reject the part as out of flat.
Does DDP mean the seller pays if a corner chips?
DDP places delivery risk on the seller until the named place, if that is the agreed term. It does not forgive a pack the buyer specified as film-off or corner-free. Read the term and the pack spec together.
Should I insure a sea shipment of displays?
If the term does not already include insurance you accept, arrange cover for the commercial value. CIF is not a promise that every chip is paid. Read what the policy covers.
Can I change from sea to air after production starts?
Usually yes, at a freight difference. Pack may also change. Confirm before the cartons are built for a container.
Sources
Packing practice below is shop-floor method. The references are the trade terms that make two freight numbers comparable, and the sheet standards a job card may cite. They do not set a carton design.
- International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms® rules. iccwbo.org
- ISO 7823-1:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 1: Cast sheets. iso.org
- ISO 7823-2:2003, Plastics — Poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets — Part 2: Extruded sheets. iso.org
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