PACKAGING EXPRESS SHIPMENTS PROPERLY

At DHL Express, we do everything we can to ensure your shipments are always delivered on time and in perfect condition. Before reaching their destination, packages often travel thousands of kilometers through our global network. Make sure to package your shipments with the right materials and in the right way. Here, we provide you with the best packaging tips.

Check our packaging guide

There you'll find general instructions and examples of proper packaging.

To the packaging guide

Shipping materials

Are you a DHL Express customer? Order our free standard DHL shipping materials, such as envelopes and small boxes. For a fee, other DHL shipping materials are also available, including larger boxes and triangular tubes.

Get ready for the holiday season now. Order your shipping materials no later than Monday 24 November 2025, before the ordering cutoff. After that, you can place new orders starting from 5 January 2026.

Order your DHL shipping materials

Packaging guidelines for boxes

DHL Express stands for fast and careful delivery of your shipment. DHL will of course handle your shipment with the utmost care. But you can also contribute to the quality yourself. To ensure that your shipment arrives quickly and in the best possible condition, we give you some practical tips for packing and labeling your shipment correctly.

 

  • Pack the goods in sturdy cardboard box with appropriate dimensions.
  • The contents of your package must be protected as well as possible against bumps or shocks.
  • Make sure the cardboard box is in perfect condition: complete, without any fragile, torn or damp parts.
  • Keep the space between the contents and the packaging as small as possible and fill the space with filling material.
  • Cut the sides of the box so that they can be folded shut. Then less filling material has to be used and the box becomes more sturdy.

 

  • Coordinate the content, type and size of the packaging. Packages with too little filling collapse and an overfilled package bursts.
  • For valuables you can use an extra heavy quality double layered cardboard.
  • The closure must be solid. Use sufficiently strong tape and avoid straps, tie-wraps (Ty-Raps, zip ties), or rope. These can damage our sorting machines, cause additional handling and delays, and may result in extra charges.
     

Packaging guidelines for pallets

Pallets are ideally suited for transporting larger quantities of goods. When these goods need to be delivered quickly anywhere in the world, you can transfer the transport of pallets to DHL Express with confidence.

 

To ensure that your shipment arrives quickly and in the best possible condition, we give you a number of practical tips for packing pallets correctly.

  • Use GMA or EURO pallets made of wood or plastic. Check whether the pallet is suitable for the weight of the goods you want to ship.
  • Stack the individual packages on the pallet well so that the pallet forms a stable whole.
  • Avoid pyramid stacking; as a result, boxes are more likely to be damaged by other shipments.*
  • Prevent damage to your shipments during transport by reinforcing the edges. Use edge protectors and corner profiles for this.
  • Secure your shipments securely on the pallet, for example by sealing. Also seal the top.
  • Please consider the maximum product dimensions* for DHL Express shipments

 *Additional charges may apply. Please refer to our rates & transit times page.

 

Avoid unnecessary costs and make sure to avoid the following when preparing the pallet:

  • Unstable (pyramid-shaped) stacking
  • Strange/protruding shapes on pallet
  • Goods without packaging on pallet
  • Round or pyramid shapes on pallet
  • Open top of a pallet crate
  • Fragile goods on pallet
  • Consider sending shipments as multi-pieces.