When it comes to The Packaging Club, we’re always making tweaks and adjustments to ensure our products have evolved into packaging that is the best it can possibly be, whether that means pop-up construction, interlocking tabs or flaps allowing for variable height contents without the need for void fill.
Cardboard postal tubes however are unique in that, fundamentally, they’re a basic 3D shape that is yet to be bettered in terms of design, especially in terms of strength, reliability and recyclability.
A tube is perfect for sending an item that you don’t want to have to fold: certificates, posters, prints, magazines, paintings, signs, banners, maps, architectural designs, engineering schematics etc. A tube negates the need for a ‘do not bend’ sticker and makes the ‘fragile’ one optional. So mighty is its cylindrical form that it would be virtually impossible to crease or crush anything a postal tube might contain — unless you were seriously committed to that task, and even then, you’d have to put a lot of effort in.
And it’s not just documentation that can be sent securely and virtually risk-free in postal tubes. Coming in all lengths and diameters means that cardboard postal tubes are also ideal for shipping all manner of long, thin objects, from fishing rods and umbrellas to golf clubs and walking sticks. They’re also useful for delivering art supplies like pencils, pens and brushes, as well as interior design products like wallpaper, curtains, window blinds and other fittings.
Some packaging aficionados would have us believe that triangular boxes are a viable alternative to tubes — and they certainly look slick. However, with the exception of providing us with Toblerone (which we wholeheartedly support), we respectfully disagree.
Yes, tubes can roll about a bit when stored in numbers, but that’s easily overcome with thoughtful (and inexpensive) storage solutions. Unlike rectangular packaging, tubes can’t be supplied as flat nets due to their spiral-bound manufacture. But that also means your workforce doesn’t need to assemble anything — and crucially, the spiral construction makes them incredibly strong and crush-resistant. Just ask a snail. Spirals, found everywhere in nature and maths, are built for strength.
And when it comes to cost and space in transit? Tubes hold their own there too. Why reinvent the wheel?
One consideration must be recycling. Cardboard tubes are made from wood pulp fibres — a highly sustainable material. As for the adhesive? It’s mostly starch-based or water-based, like ours, so it’s just as environmentally sound.
But don’t just recycle your tube after one use — keep it! Postal tubes can be reused many times. They’re perfect for archiving important documents or storing valuable prints. Ours are even UV-proof to prevent paper yellowing or fading over time.
If you don’t need to store anything, they’re a craft essential. Think pencil holders, model castles, marble runs, even binoculars. Search Google or Pinterest and the options are endless.
And it’s not just kids getting creative — gardeners use tubes to protect saplings, DIYers use them for shoe tidies or wine racks, and film crews use them as props. In fact, the Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand was partially rebuilt using cardboard tubes after the 2011 earthquake.
Whatever your use case, you can choose from ten sizes at The Packaging Club to get the perfect fit. Our tubes are made from post-consumer recycled material, are crush-resistant, and feature recyclable monofilament plastic end caps.
Our postal tubes are made in the UK and shipped directly from our manufacturing partners — keeping costs low and supply chains steady. Want custom printing to enhance your brand? We can help with that too. Just get in touch with our team — we might be busy building a wine rack, but we’ll always make time to find the right packaging solution for your business.
Click here to shop our full range of postal tubes.
£34.11 - £334.65
£38.25 - £394.13
£40.34 - £469.82
£35.12 - £387.76
£39.99 - £424.65
