§33 articles

Packaging Basics

Articles about Packaging Basics on the Propacks Journal.

Articles

Pump Output Sizes: How to Pick the Right cc

¶Packaging Basics

Pump Output Sizes Explained: How to Pick the Right cc per Stroke

Every pump dispenser has a number stamped somewhere in its spec sheet: 0.5cc, 1.0cc, 2.0cc, 4.0cc. That number is the output per stroke, the exact volume of product that comes out each time a customer presses the pump head down. Get it wrong and one of two...

May 9, 2026Six-minute read

Closure Torque: Why Caps Leak or Will Not Open

¶Packaging Basics

Closure Torque: Why Your Caps Leak or Will Not Open

Your cap is on. The bottle is sealed. Two weeks later, product is leaking on the shelf. Or worse: a customer cannot open the bottle at all and returns the entire order. Both problems come from the same place. The cap was tightened with the wrong amount of...

May 8, 2026Eight-minute read

PP vs PET vs HDPE Closures: Which Cap Material?

¶Packaging Basics

PP vs PET vs HDPE Closures: Which Cap Material Is Right for Your Bottle?

You picked your bottle. PET for clarity, HDPE for chemical resistance, whatever your product needs. Now you need a cap. And the cap material decision matters more than most brands realize, because it determines whether your finished package is actually rec...

May 7, 2026Eight-minute read

Label Compliance: FDA, CPSC, FTC Rules

¶Packaging Basics

Label Compliance Checklist: What FDA, CPSC, and FTC Require on Your Packaging

You picked the perfect bottle. You nailed the formula. Your label design looks great. Then a retailer rejects your product because your net contents statement is in the wrong spot, or the FTC flags your "recyclable" claim as deceptive, or you find out your...

May 6, 2026Ten-minute read

How to Spot Bottle Defects Before They Cost You

¶Packaging Basics

How to Spot Bottle Defects Before They Ruin Your Product Launch

A cracked neck finish will leak your serum across a shipping box. A cloudy PET bottle will make your $40 moisturizer look like it came from a dollar store. A bottle that will not stand upright on a shelf is not a bottle. It is a liability. Most small bran...

May 6, 2026Nine-minute read

Cap Liner Types: Foam vs Pressure Sensitive vs Induction

¶Packaging Basics

Cap Liner Types Explained: Foam, Pressure Sensitive, and Heat Induction

The liner inside your cap determines whether your product leaks in transit, whether the seal survives a shelf life measured in months, and whether your customer needs equipment to close the bottle. Most brands pick a closure and never think about the liner...

May 5, 2026Seven-minute read

What Is rPET? Recycled PET Plastic Bottles Explained

¶Packaging Basics

rPET Bottles Explained: What Recycled PET Means for Your Packaging

rPET stands for recycled polyethylene terephthalate. It is PET plastic (resin code #1) that has been collected from consumers, sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new resin. That resin is then molded into new bottles, jars, and containers. PET is the mo...

May 1, 2026Five-minute read

Oz to mL Conversion Chart for Bottles (1 oz to 32 oz)

¶Packaging Basics

Oz to ML Conversion for Bottles: Beauty and Personal Care Sizes

1 fluid ounce equals 29.57 milliliters. But if you are sourcing bottles for a beauty or personal care product, the conversion is only half the answer. You also need to know that a "4 oz bottle" does not hold exactly 4 oz of product, and the size printed on...

May 1, 2026Three-minute read

How Many Bottles Fit on a Pallet? (Counts by Size)

¶Packaging Basics

How Many Bottles Fit on a Pallet? A Guide for Beauty and Wellness Brands

A standard GMA pallet (48 x 40 inches) holds anywhere from 1,200 to 6,000 bottles depending on the bottle size, case pack configuration, and stacking height. That range is too wide to be useful, so this guide breaks it down by the specific bottle sizes tha...

May 1, 2026Four-minute read

Bottle Neck Finish Guide: 20-410, 24-410, 28-410 Explained

¶Packaging Basics

Bottle Neck Finish Guide: How to Choose the Right Size for Your Product

A 24-410 closure will not seal on a 24-400 bottle. The diameter is the same. The threads are not. That single digit difference in the finish code means your entire closure order is unusable if you get it wrong. This is the most expensive mistake in packag...

May 1, 2026Four-minute read

What Is PCR Packaging? Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic Explained

¶Packaging Basics

What Is PCR Packaging? Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic Explained

PCR packaging is packaging made from post-consumer recycled plastic. That means plastic that was used by a real person, placed in a recycling bin, collected by a waste hauler, sorted at a materials recovery facility, cleaned, melted down, and reprocessed i...

May 1, 2026Eight-minute read

How to Choose Bottles and Closures for Beauty

¶Packaging Basics

How to Choose the Right Bottle and Closure for Your Beauty Product

Choosing the wrong closure for a beauty product bottle is one of the most expensive mistakes a brand can make, and it happens more often than anyone in the industry likes to admit. A single mismatched neck finish means your entire order of caps, pumps, or ...

May 1, 2026Seven-minute read

Low MOQ PCR Packaging: How Small Beauty Brands Go Sustainable

¶Packaging Basics

Low MOQ PCR Packaging: How Small Beauty Brands Go Sustainable

Small beauty brands that want PCR packaging often hit the same wall: suppliers require 10,000 to 50,000 units per SKU just to place an order. That minimum order kills the conversation before it starts. A brand doing 500 units a month cannot tie up $15,000 ...

May 1, 2026Seven-minute read

Bottle Dimensions: Height, Diameter, Capacity

¶Packaging Basics

How to Read Bottle Dimensions: A Plain English Guide to Height, Diameter, Neck Finish, and Capacity

Every bottle you buy comes with a spec sheet full of numbers. If you have never ordered packaging before, those numbers look like a foreign language. 175mm x 63mm, 28-410, 250mL overflow, 8oz fill. What do any of those actually mean, and which ones matter ...

Apr 29, 2026Seven-minute read

Trigger Sprayer vs Mini Trigger: Which One Fits Your Bottle

¶Packaging Basics

Trigger Sprayers vs. Mini Triggers: A Guide to Choosing the Right Closure

Picking the wrong sprayer is a common packaging mistake that undermines a product. The closure is the primary interface between the customer and your formulation, and its performance directly shapes their perception of quality and effectiveness. The choice...

Apr 24, 2026Seven-minute read

How to Select the Right Bottle Size

¶Packaging Basics

How to Select the Right Bottle Size

Choosing the correct bottle size requires balancing your product, customer, price, and distribution strategy. The right size optimizes user experience and reinforces your brand’s value. This guide compares 2 oz, 4 oz, 8 oz, and 16 oz bottles to help you ma...

Mar 28, 2026Four-minute read

Packaging Measurements A Guide to Inches and Millimeters

¶Packaging Basics

Packaging Measurements A Guide to Inches and Millimeters

US brands operate in inches, but the global packaging industry speaks in millimeters. This disconnect can cause costly errors in production, labeling, and shipping. Understanding how to convert between these units is essential for any packaging buyer. The ...

Mar 28, 2026Four-minute read

PET vs PETG vs HDPE Bottle Material Guide

¶Packaging Basics

How to Choose the Right Bottle Material: PET, PETG, HDPE, and LDPE

The material your bottle is made from affects chemical compatibility, recyclability, clarity, flexibility, and how well it holds up to the formulas inside it. Choosing the wrong material can cause leaching, cloudiness, bottle deformation, or pump failure. ...

Mar 16, 2026Six-minute read

PCR Bottle Volume Guide

¶Packaging Basics

How to Choose the Right Bottle Volume

Choosing the right fill volume affects unit economics, repurchase rate, retail channel fit, and how your customer experiences the product over time. Too small and you lose margin on packaging cost per ounce. Too large and you increase barrier to trial and ...

Mar 16, 2026Three-minute read

PCR Bottle Color Guide

¶Packaging Basics

How to Choose the Right Bottle Color

Bottle color does more than signal brand identity. It affects product stability, regulatory compliance, shelf differentiation, and sustainability positioning. This guide covers how to choose the right color for your bottles and what to expect when you move...

Mar 16, 2026Five-minute read

PCR Bottle Shape Guide

¶Packaging Basics

How to Choose the Right Bottle Shape for Your Product

The bottle shape you choose affects shelf presence, closure compatibility, fill line efficiency, and how customers interact with your product every day. This guide covers every plastic bottle shape Propacks carries and which applications each one is built ...

Mar 16, 2026Five-minute read

Is rPET Safe for Food and Beverage Packaging?

¶Packaging Basics

Is rPET Safe for Food and Beverage Packaging?

Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) is safe for food and beverage packaging. For rPET to be sold for food contact applications in the United States, its manufacturing process must be reviewed by the FDA. This stringent evaluation ensures the recycle...

Mar 13, 2026Four-minute read

Food Grade PCR Plastic Explained

¶Packaging Basics

Food Grade PCR Plastic Explained

Using Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic for food and beverage packaging is possible, but only specific materials from certified processes are safe and approved for food contact. Food-grade PCR is typically made from recycled PET (rPET) or recycled HDPE ...

Mar 12, 2026Four-minute read

Pre-Consumer vs Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic

¶Packaging Basics

Pre-Consumer vs Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic

The difference between pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled plastic is its source. Post-consumer recycled (PCR) material is made from waste that a consumer has used and discarded in a recycling bin. Pre-consumer recycled (PIR) material, also called post...

Mar 11, 2026Four-minute read

Plastic Code #6: What PS Means for Packaging

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #6: What PS Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you may encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #6. This code refers to PS, or polystyrene, a plastic used in both rigid packaging and lightweight foam products. Polystyrene is valued for its clarity, ri...

Mar 9, 2026Three-minute read

Resin Code #5 PP (Polypropylene): Meaning, Recycling, Uses

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #5: What PP Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you may encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #5. This code refers to PP, or polypropylene, a plastic widely used in food packaging, closures, and durable consumer containers. Polypropylene is valued f...

Mar 9, 2026Three-minute read

Plastic Code #4: What LDPE Means for Packaging

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #4: What LDPE Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you may encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #4. This code refers to LDPE, or low-density polyethylene, a plastic commonly used for flexible packaging and thin films. LDPE is widely used in packaging ...

Mar 9, 2026Two-minute read

Resin Code #3 PVC: What It Is, Why It Is Hard to Recycle

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #3: What PVC Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you may encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #3. This code refers to PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, a plastic used in a variety of industrial, construction, and specialty packaging applications. PVC is v...

Mar 9, 2026Two-minute read

Resin Code #2 HDPE: Recycling and Uses

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #2: What HDPE Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you will often encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #2. This code refers to HDPE, or high-density polyethylene, one of the most widely used plastics for rigid containers and household packaging. HDPE ...

Mar 9, 2026Three-minute read

Resin Code #1 PET: The Most Recycled Plastic Explained

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #1: What PET Means for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you will often encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #1. This code refers to PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, one of the most widely used plastics in consumer packaging. PET is especially common in ...

Mar 9, 2026Three-minute read

Resin Code #7 Other: Safety and Recycling

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Code #7: What “Other” Plastics Mean for Packaging

If you evaluate packaging materials, you may encounter products labeled with plastic recycling code #7. Unlike common plastics such as PET (#1) or HDPE (#2), code #7 represents a category known as “Other” plastics. This classification includes materials t...

Mar 6, 2026Two-minute read

What Is rPET? Recycled PET Plastic Explained

¶Packaging Basics

What Is rPET?

rPET is one of the most widely used recycled materials in packaging today. If you have seen a bottle labeled with recycled content or a sustainability claim, there is a good chance it was made with rPET. This guide explains what rPET is, how it is made, an...

Mar 4, 2026Two-minute read

Plastic Recycling Codes 1-7: Complete Guide with Chart

¶Packaging Basics

Plastic Recycling Codes 1–7: What They Mean for Packaging

Every plastic container, bottle, and bag carries a small number inside a triangle. That number is a resin identification code (RIC). It tells you what kind of plastic the item is made from. It does not tell you whether your local recycler accepts it. Under...

Feb 27, 2026Five-minute read