What are Packaging Inserts? Intro to Types, Selection Tips, & Legal Compliance

When a box arrives and the product sits perfectly in place — no shifting, no rattling, no bubble wrap piled around it — that’s a packaging insert doing its job. Inserts transform a generic box into a precise fit for your product, protecting it during transit and creating a better opening experience for the customer.

Packaging inserts also create prime real estate for marketing. The inside of a box is private real estate — the customer opens it and there it is. That’s why inserts fall into two categories: structural inserts that protect the product, and promotional inserts that engage the customer.

Box Inserts: Structural Protection

Structural box inserts serve four core functions:

• Blocking and bracing: Preventing side-to-side and up-and-down movement during storage, transport, and hand delivery — reducing shock and the damage that results from impact
• Compartmentalizing: Keeping multiple items separated so they don’t rub against each other
• Reducing labor: Structured inserts eliminate the need to hand-apply protective wrap or assemble loose void fill around each product
• Improving presentation: Products that sit correctly in a fitted insert arrive looking intentional, not thrown in

Corrugated Carton Inserts

Made from the same fluted corrugated material used in shipping boxes. The fluting layer cushions and reduces shock from impact during storage, transport, and delivery. Corrugated inserts work well as dividers, inlays, and pads for medium-to-large products. Due to their thickness, they’re less suited for small or complex-shaped products. Available in white (for color printing) and kraft (for black-and-white printing).

Chipboard Inserts

Several recycled paper sheets glued and pressed together make chipboard — thinner than corrugated board, with no fluting. That thinner profile makes chipboard more appropriate for lightweight, non-fragile items. Like corrugated inserts, chipboard works well as dividers, pads, and inlays for stacked items in subscription boxes or gift sets.

Paperboard Inserts

Thinner than corrugated but easy to fold and customize into precise shapes. Solid bleached sulfate (SBS) is the standard for high-quality color printing; unbleached kraft is common for black-and-white printing. Paperboard inserts are among the most cost-effective options and pair well with folding carton boxes. Their versatility makes them popular for cosmetics, personal care, and consumer electronics.

Molded Pulp / Paper Pulp Inserts

Made by combining recycled paper and cardboard into a slurry that’s molded into precise shapes to match the product’s contours. Molded pulp is one of the most sustainable insert options — 100% recycled content, fully recyclable and compostable. It’s used widely in electronics packaging (phones, tablets, earbuds) and is gaining ground in cosmetics and fragile product categories as sustainable packaging expectations grow.

Foam Inserts

Cut or molded foam (polyurethane, polyethylene, or EVA) provides the highest level of cushioning and a very clean, premium presentation. Foam inserts are common in tool kits, electronics, medical devices, and luxury goods where maximum protection and a precise custom fit matter most. They’re more expensive than paper-based options and carry higher environmental cost — a trade-off worth evaluating based on product value and fragility.

Plastic Inserts (Thermoformed / Blister)

Clear thermoformed plastic trays hold products in a fixed position and make the contents visible from the exterior or when the box is first opened. Blister packaging seals a product in a pre-formed plastic cavity backed with paperboard. Both are common in retail for cosmetics, electronics, toys, and food. Thermoformed trays can be made from PETG, PVC, or PET — recyclable options are increasingly available.

Promotional Inserts: Engagement Inside the Box

Promotional inserts use the space inside the package to deliver a marketing message at the moment customers are most engaged — when they open the box and hold your product for the first time.

Thank You Cards

A simple, well-designed thank you card with the customer’s first name and a genuine message creates a personal moment at scale. Cards can include an invitation to follow on social media, a review request, or a referral code. Low cost, high impact.

Discount or Coupon Codes

A discount code for a future purchase — “10% off your next order” — drives repeat purchase behavior. Subscription-based businesses use this effectively to reduce churn and reward loyalty from inside the first delivery.

Product Guides or Lookbooks

A small folded booklet or a saddle-stitched guide showing how to use the product, care instructions, or the full product range. Particularly effective for cosmetics, supplements, and tools where customers benefit from guided usage.

Samples

A sample of another product from your line gives the customer something new to try and introduces SKUs they may not have discovered otherwise. This is most effective when the sample is relevant to the product they ordered — a skincare brand including a sample of a complementary serum in a moisturizer order, for example.

How to Choose the Right Packaging Insert

Consider these factors when selecting inserts:

• Product weight and fragility: Heavier, more fragile products need stronger cushioning — foam or corrugated. Lightweight, non-fragile items can use chipboard or paperboard.
• Box size relative to product: If the product fits snugly, a simple chipboard liner may be sufficient. Significant empty space needs more engineered cushioning.
• Presentation goals: For premium, luxury, or gift products, foam or thermoformed inserts deliver a cleaner, more intentional opening experience. For functional shipping, corrugated or chipboard is more practical.
• Budget: Paper-based inserts (chipboard, paperboard) are the most cost-effective. Foam and thermoformed options cost more but provide maximum protection and the cleanest presentation.
• Sustainability: Molded pulp, chipboard, and paperboard are recyclable and compostable. If sustainability is a brand value, these are preferable to foam or plastic thermoformed inserts.

Legal Compliance for Inserts

Certain product categories have legal requirements for what must be included with the product inside the packaging:

• Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals: FDA regulations require specific information in drug packaging, including directions for use, warnings, contraindications, and manufacturer information. These can be delivered via a printed package insert (PI) that meets precise formatting requirements.
• Medical devices: FDA requires instructions for use (IFU) with most medical devices. Format and content requirements vary by device classification.
• Electronics: Safety warnings, regulatory compliance statements (FCC, CE), and disposal instructions are commonly required.
• Children’s products: CPSC regulations may require age warnings, safety instructions, and choking hazard notices.

Before finalizing promotional insert design, verify whether your product category has mandatory insert requirements and account for those in the package design before adding optional marketing content.

EdgeCraft Packaging offers custom packaging inserts — corrugated dividers, chipboard pads, paperboard trays, and branded promotional cards — alongside your custom box order. Request a quote to discuss insert options for your product.