Sending Parcels with DPD? Why the Right-Sized Cardboard Box Matters
10th Sep 2026
If you regularly send parcels with DPD, choosing the right cardboard box can help protect your products, reduce unnecessary void fill and make packing your orders quicker and easier.
You've sold the product. It's ready to go. You've printed your DPD label.
Now you just need to pack it.
So you grab the nearest cardboard box that your product will fit inside, add enough packing material to stop it moving around, tape it up and send it on its way.
Sound familiar?
There's nothing necessarily wrong with this approach. But if you're regularly filling large amounts of empty space inside your parcels, there's another question worth asking:
Why is all that empty space there in the first place?
Choosing a cardboard box that's closer to the size of your product can reduce unnecessary space before you've even started packing.
And when your parcel is about to make its way through the DPD delivery network, getting the packaging right matters.
What packaging should I use for DPD parcels?
DPD's packaging guidance emphasises that packaging needs to be suitable for the weight and contents of the parcel and capable of protecting the goods during transportation.
DPD recommends sturdy cardboard outer packaging and says that the contents should be protected and fixed in place so they cannot move around inside the parcel.
That makes sense.
Your parcel doesn't simply travel directly from your business to your customer.
Along the way it may be collected, transported, sorted, moved along conveyor systems, loaded with other parcels and handled again before eventually reaching its destination.
The packaging has an important job to do.
Why does movement inside a parcel matter?
Imagine putting a delicate product into a large cardboard box without any additional packaging.
Pick the box up and shake it.
If you can hear or feel the product moving around inside, it's easy to understand why that could become a problem during transportation.
DPD's guidance recommends using suitable internal packaging to prevent movement and protect the contents.
You could achieve that by filling all the empty space.
But there's another option.
Reduce the empty space to begin with.
Start with a box that fits your product
Let's say your product measures:
300mm × 200mm × 100mm
But the nearest stock cardboard box you've found measures:
450mm × 350mm × 250mm
The product fits.
But so does a lot of fresh air.
You now need to fill that additional space with paper, air cushions, bubble wrap or another protective material to stop the product moving around.
Instead, imagine starting with a box manufactured much closer to the dimensions your product actually requires.
You've immediately reduced the amount of empty space you need to deal with.
Less empty space. Less unnecessary void fill. Less opportunity for the product to move around.
But don't eliminate the protection your product actually needs
There's an important distinction to make here.
We're not suggesting that you should make a cardboard box exactly the same size as a fragile product and eliminate all protective packaging.
Right-sized doesn't mean tight-sized.
Fragile and delicate products may still require space for cushioning around them.
If you're sending glassware, ceramics, electronics or another vulnerable product, that protective material is there for a reason.
The aim is to provide the space your product needs for appropriate protection – without lots of additional space that then needs filling.
Measure the product.
Consider the protection it requires.
Then choose the box dimensions around both.
Can a right-sized box help reduce breakages?
No cardboard box can guarantee that a product won't be damaged during transportation.
But good packaging can reduce the risk.
DPD advises that goods should be secured and protected so that they don't move around inside the parcel.
Starting with an appropriately sized box can help you achieve that.
Rather than relying on large amounts of void fill to hold a product in the middle of an oversized box, you can create a packaging solution specifically around the item you're sending.
Add appropriate cushioning where it's needed and you've created a much more considered packaging solution.
The box provides the structure.
The protective packaging provides the cushioning.
Both have a job to do.
Use less unnecessary void fill
Void fill isn't necessarily bad.
Sometimes you need it.
The question is whether you're using it to protect the product or simply to compensate for an oversized box.
There's a big difference.
If you're routinely adding handful after handful of paper to every parcel just because your standard box is too large, you're buying one packaging material to compensate for another packaging material not fitting properly.
A custom-sized box tackles the problem at the beginning.
And if your product still requires additional cushioning, you can add an appropriate amount exactly where it's needed.
Pack your DPD parcels faster
Right-sizing can have another benefit that's easily overlooked:
Packing time.
Consider how you currently pack an order:
Build the box.
Add some void fill.
Insert the product.
Add more void fill around it.
Check whether it moves.
Add a little more.
Close the box.
Tape it.
Now multiply that process by 10, 50 or 100 parcels.
If the box already closely matches the product and its required protection, packing can become much simpler.
Build. Protect. Pack. Seal. Label.
For an ecommerce business sending orders every day, saving even a small amount of time on each parcel can quickly add up.
Store less cardboard
Before your boxes become DPD parcels, you've also got to find somewhere to keep them.
Cardboard boxes normally arrive flat-packed, but they still take up space.
The larger the box, the larger the flat blank of cardboard required to manufacture it.
If you're storing 50, 100 or 500 boxes that are considerably larger than your products require, you're potentially giving up valuable storage space unnecessarily.
Right-sized boxes can mean smaller flat-packed boxes waiting to be used.
For a business operating from a small warehouse, stockroom, workshop or even a spare room, that space can be valuable.
Smaller parcels are easier to handle
There's also the finished parcel to consider.
A box doesn't stop taking up space once you've packed it.
You might have finished parcels waiting for collection.
You might need to move them around your warehouse.
You might be dropping them at a collection point.
Or you may simply need to fit today's orders into the back of your car.
Twenty appropriately sized parcels can occupy considerably less space than twenty oversized ones.
It's another reason why the physical size of your packaging matters beyond the cost of the cardboard itself.
What strength cardboard box should I use for DPD?
Size isn't the only consideration.
Your box also needs to be strong enough for the product inside.
DPD's packaging guidance says that the packaging should be appropriate for the weight of the contents and able to withstand the stresses associated with transportation and sorting.
At ASC Direct, you can choose different cardboard grades depending on what you're sending.
For lighter everyday products, a Single Wall cardboard box may be suitable.
For heavier products or items requiring additional protection, Double Wall or Heavy Duty cardboard may be more appropriate.
The objective isn't simply to choose the strongest cardboard available.
It's to choose the appropriate box size and board grade for the product you're sending.
What about stock cardboard boxes?
Stock boxes can be extremely cost-effective.
They're manufactured in very large quantities, so if you find a standard-sized cardboard box that fits your product well, there's often little reason not to use it.
We're not suggesting custom boxes are automatically better than stock boxes.
The problem comes when you're compromising significantly on size simply because that's the closest stock box available.
A stock box might cost less per unit.
But if you're then using more:
- Void fill
- Protective packaging
- Packing tape
- Storage space
- Packing time
the price of the empty box isn't the only thing worth considering.
Sometimes paying more for a box that actually fits can make the overall packing process more efficient.
Can I use paper-based packaging for my DPD parcels?
For many products, yes.
If you're looking to reduce the amount of plastic used in your packaging, you could consider combining a right-sized corrugated cardboard box with paper-based packaging materials.
For example:
Right-sized cardboard box
HexcelWrap® paper protection where required
This can help create a predominantly paper and cardboard-based packaging solution.
It's particularly worth considering if you're currently using an oversized cardboard box, filling it with plastic bubble wrap or air pillows and then sealing it with plastic tape.
Rather than simply swapping materials, start by asking whether you need to use as much packaging in the first place.
Right-sized packaging is about using what you actually need
At ASC Direct, sustainability isn't simply about whether cardboard can be recycled.
It's also about trying to avoid unnecessary packaging in the first place.
The cardboard boxes we manufacture use FSC® Mix 70% certified material and contain a minimum of 70% recycled content.
But even when you're using responsibly sourced and recycled materials, it still makes sense not to use significantly more cardboard than the product requires.
The same applies to void fill.
Use enough packaging to protect the product – without using packaging simply to fill unnecessary space.
Custom-sized DPD shipping boxes from just 25 boxes
If you're struggling to find a stock cardboard box that fits the products you regularly send with DPD, ASC Direct can manufacture one to the dimensions you require.
Our online Box Builder allows you to enter your required internal length, width and depth, select your box style and cardboard grade and get an instant price online.
And custom doesn't have to mean ordering thousands.
You can order custom-sized cardboard boxes from just 25 boxes.
That makes right-sized packaging accessible to small ecommerce businesses as well as larger companies regularly dispatching products through DPD.
Sending with DPD? Don't just fill the empty space. Question why it's there.
DPD's packaging guidance is clear that products need to be properly protected and prevented from moving around inside a parcel.
Void fill is one way to achieve that.
But before you start filling the gaps, take another look at your box.
Is all that empty space actually necessary?
If a low-cost stock box already fits your product well, use it.
But if you're buying an oversized box and then spending additional time and money filling the space inside it, a custom-sized cardboard box could be worth considering.
Start with the product.
Allow the space it genuinely needs for protection.
Then make the box fit around it.
Less unnecessary space. Less unnecessary void fill. A box made for what you're actually sending.
BUILD YOUR CUSTOM-SIZED DPD SHIPPING BOX →
James Palfrey-Smith is the General Manager at ASC Direct with extensive experience in both operations and sales. James is passionate about solving packaging problems, delivering fast customer support, and building lasting relationships. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. A fan of real ale and business podcasts, he continuously seeks personal and professional growth.
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