Choosing the correct packaging dimensions is essential for businesses looking to optimise costs, reduce waste, and enhance the customer experience. At Grounded, we are frequently asked about this topic. The truth is, there are many considerations when finding packaging that not only fits your product but also saves money, protects your goods, and aligns with sustainability goals.

To help you navigate these decisions, we’ve created a guide to finding the ideal packaging dimensions for your product.

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Why Getting Packaging Dimensions Right Matters

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Cost Efficiency

Proper dimensions reduce packaging material costs and shipping fees. When your packaging is just the right size, you avoid unnecessary bulk, leading to lower dimensional weight shipping costs.

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Product Protection

Packaging that’s too tight can damage your products, while oversized packaging increases both cost and waste. Striking the perfect balance is crucial for ensuring product safety and minimizing material use.

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Sustainability

By reducing excess packaging, you minimize waste. A smaller dimensional weight also leads to lower freight emissions, making well-considered packaging dimensions a step toward more sustainable operations.

Understand the key conditions you are operating within

To determine the right packaging dimensions for your products, consider the following key factors:

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Your product: know the volume

Understanding the volume of your product is a crucial first step. Every product is different, and as a result, will require differing sizes. For example, 500g of roasted coffee beans takes up a different volume than 500g of dry pasta or protein powder.

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We have put together a guide to get you started based on differing product volumes below, where we go into a bit more detail. Soon, Grounded will be launching a volume calculator in our 3D prototyping tool, Blueprint, to help you determine the right size.

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Your brand: packaging is part of the story

Packaging plays a key role in your brand’s identity and marketing. Customers often see the packaging before they experience the product itself. The size and shape of your pouch can influence branding and storytelling, so consider how packaging reflects your brand's values.

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Many brands adjust their packaging size or shape to stand out on store shelves. While this is ultimately your choice, it’s an important factor to consider when making these decisions.

Grounded’s 3D prototyping tool, Blueprint, is perfect for designing and visualising your packaging in different styles and formats.

Logistics and shipping: optimise for efficiency

Optimizing your packaging size is essential for reducing shipping costs. By designing packaging that occupies less space, you can maximize pallet and container efficiency, allowing for more units per shipment. This not only saves you money, but also lowers your carbon footprint.

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You might also be engaging a co-manufacturer or co-packer who will be responsible for packing the pouches. Consider talking to them about optimal pouch sizes that can maintain their efficiency and not slow down their operations.

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If you are stocking your product in a retailer, it’s important to understand if they have any specific size requirements, as many big retailers do. Retailers might have restrictions on sizes based on the size of their shelves, or even based on the size of other products that may site beside yours. While you want your product to stand out, make sure you align with retailer requirements.

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Alternatively, if you have an ecommerce product, you might be sending your product via courier. The size and shape of your packaging will determine gross weight, and it fits in a letterbox. Ultimately both these factors can save you fees with courier services.

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Once you have identified the conditions you are operating within, we can dive into the nitty gritty of formats, features, and more.

The nitty-gritty: formats, gussets, seals and features

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Choose your preferred pouch format

There are several pouch formats to choose from, each holding your product differently. For example, a stand-up pouch for 1kg of coffee will have different dimensions than a flat-bottom pouch for the same amount. This depends on the product’s volume and the pouch’s holding capacity.

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The main difference between pouch formats is the presence of side or bottom gussets, which increase the internal volume without significantly altering the pouch’s height or width.

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Think about what your preferred format is first. If you are changing existing packaging from one format to another, be sure to keep this in mind.

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Seals

Seals are vital in flexible packaging, as they protect your product and prevent breakage. Most pouches require 7mm of sealing around the edges, though larger or heavier products may need more substantial seals. The seal will reduce the internal dimensions of the pouch, so be sure to factor this in.

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Also worth noting with seals, that you don’t want to put too much undue stress on the seals. This can be avoided by leaving enough extra space within the bag, particularly with delicate materials like compostables.

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Features: Gussets and Zippers

Features will also have an impact on the internal volume capacity of the pouches, notably gussets and zippers.

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Gussets are folds or expansions at the bottom or sides of a pouch that allow it to expand and stand upright. They impact the dimensions of a pouch in the following ways:

• Volume Capacity: Gussets increase the internal volume of the pouch without significantly increasing its height or width, allowing it to hold more product.
• Stability: They provide a stable base, enabling the pouch to stand upright on shelves, which is important for retail display.
• Shape and Appearance: The size and design of the gussets affect the overall shape of the pouch, influencing its visual appeal and how it fits in packaging layouts.

Overall, gussets are crucial for maximizing space efficiency and functionality in pouch design.

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There are two common types of zippers: standard or pocket zipper. Both zipper types impact the capacity of all pouches that can have these zippers (which is most formats, except for side gusset pouches). Standard zippers on flat bottom and quad seal pouches necessitates creating what is known as a “terminated gusset”. This means the side gussets do not reach the top of the pouch, and instead ‘terminate’ below the zipper. In practical terms, this constricts the opening of the pouch, making it harder to fill and reducing the overall capacity. The pocket (or ripper) zipper attaches only to one side of the pouch and don’t require a terminated gusset - very common for flat bottom and quad seal pouches. Conversely, this type of zipper makes filling easier and doesn’t restrict capacity as much.

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A typical zipper is added to a pouch approximately 30mm (1.18”) from the top of the pouch. However, this can be adjusted based on your preferences, but will ultimately impact how you want the pouch to hold your product.

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TLDR? We’ve provided some dimension guides below to get you started

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We’ve put together a guide with suggested dimensions for various product types and packaging formats. While it’s a great starting point, remember that each product and brand is unique, and dimensions should always be sampled and tested with your product.

Testing dimensions: sampling

Once you have picked dimensions that you think work best, these are not set in stone. Samples are a powerful way for you to test different formats, shapes, and sizes. We have a number of sampling avenues available to you:

• Produced samples: You can purchase a sample pack from Grounded or test your product with packaging from competitors to see what works best
• Handmade samples: Early on in the process, we can provide handmade prototypes—simple mock-ups using paper and tape to get a feel for the dimensions.
• Custom sample run:  For final testing, we recommend a custom sample run. This allows you to test the packaging for stability, check finishes, and confirm gross weight before committing to a full production run.

Really not sure where to start?

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Test out other brands

We always recommend to all of our customers to test other packaging on the market! This will give you an idea of what you do and don’t like. It will also give you an idea of what might be standard for products in your industry. You can also order a sample pack through our website, packed with existing customer pouches: https://www.groundedpackaging.co/product/sample-pack

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Test with Grounded’s 3D prototyping tool Blueprint

Test your designs using Grounded’s 3D prototyping tool. With Blueprint, you can explore various pouch styles and materials, access real-time sustainability data for your selections, and request a quote seamlessly.

https://www.groundedpackaging.co/blueprint