A two-piece carton where the lid slides over the base. It is the strongest of the carton formats and the one to use when the pack goes to a retailer more or less as it arrives. The double wall at the sides takes stacking load well, so the bottom layer of the pallet does not carry the crush that an open-top format has to absorb.
It is also the most expensive per kilo of product, because you are paying for more board per tonne and filling more cartons per container. Where it earns its cost is in reduced damage and a pack that presents well without rework.
The volume formats. An open top means the grade is visible the moment the pallet is broken down, which speeds up inspection and reduces the temptation to open cartons at random. Cheaper per kilo than the 6 kg, faster to pack, and the standard choice for wholesale and food-service buyers.
The trade-off is stacking strength. Open-top cartons rely on corner posts and the pallet pattern to carry load, so the pallet configuration matters more than it does with telescopic cartons. If you are buying 15 kg open-top, ask what corner protection is used and how many layers high the pallet is built.
Roughly 600 kg in a single bin, typically for processors and large repackers who will grade and pack themselves. The lowest packaging cost per tonne by a wide margin, and the fewest handling operations at origin. It only makes sense if you have the equipment and labour to handle the crop on arrival — otherwise you have simply moved the packing cost to the more expensive end of the chain.
Carton count, stacking pattern and strapping should be specified, not assumed. A Euro pallet and a standard pallet do not hold the same number of cartons and do not fit a 40-foot reefer the same way, and the difference changes how many tonnes you land per container. Agree the pallet type, the layers per pallet, the cartons per layer and whether the pallets are strapped, corner-boarded or both.
Ventilation matters as much as count. Sweet potato respires, and a pallet built so tightly that air cannot move through it will arrive warmer in the middle than the set point suggests. Carton vent holes need to line up between layers — a detail that is easy to specify and easy for a packhouse to get wrong under pressure.
Most serious importers eventually want their own carton. Supplying your own artwork is usually straightforward provided lead time allows the board to be printed before the season starts — which in practice means deciding in spring for an autumn programme. If your supplier prints their own brand on the carton, check whether the design leaves room for your label, or whether you are committed to their branding for the season.
