Honeycomb Paper Mailer: Specifications, Sizes and Lead Times

Last reviewed 23 October 2026 · Written by HuanCheer New Protection Material, Jiangsu, China

Sizing, material structure, printing and lead times for kraft honeycomb paper mailers — written for the person who has to put a specification into a purchase order.

What the product is

A honeycomb paper mailer is a kraft-paper padded envelope built from three layers: two kraft facings with an expanded honeycomb kraft core between them. The core is what does the protective work — it is expanded during manufacture into a hexagonal cell structure, so the cushioning is geometric rather than bulky.

Consequences of that construction, stated without marketing language:

• Single material. Kraft facings, kraft core. No film layer bonded to a paper layer, nothing for the end user to separate before recycling.
• Flat storage. Mailers ship and store flat, so warehouse volume per thousand pieces is far below a pre-formed padded format.
• One part. For many products it replaces an outer bag plus void fill, which is a change to the bill of materials and to packing time, not just to unit price.

Sizes

Standard range runs from 10 × 12 + 5 cm to 50 × 60 + 5 cm, where the +5 cm is the flap. Sizes outside that range are cut to order. The sizing discipline that matters: specify against the packed product, not against a nominal "small / medium / large", because the void-space rule under PPWR makes an oversized mailer a compliance question as well as a cost one.

Specification table

Production capacity

Choosing a size: the method that avoids a re-order

1. Measure the packed product at its largest point, not the product alone — a garment in a polybag is bigger than the garment.
2. Add the protective allowance you actually need. For a honeycomb mailer this is small; the core is the cushion.
3. The result should sit within 1–2 cm of a stock size. If it sits 6 cm below one, take the smaller size and check the fit rather than defaulting upward.
4. Sample before committing. Stock sizes that nearly fit produce exactly the void percentage PPWR is written against.

Compliance documents

Heavy-metal test report on the base material and the technical documentation inputs (material composition, recyclability position, weight and volume per unit) are available on request. They are issued per specification, so ask at sampling stage and the documents arrive with the samples rather than after the container.

To get started

Send the packed dimensions of one SKU, the quantity per size, and whether printing is required. Samples cut to the actual product ship in about seven days unprinted, fifteen printed.

Current product range

• Multi-size honeycomb paper mailer — 3-layer, self-adhesive seal
• Mailer with easy-tear strip — self-seal, e-commerce shipping
• Crush-resistant mailer — heavier duty construction
• Black mailer — for luxury shipping
• Natural white mailer — retail presentation
• Long-format mailer — rolled and elongated goods
• Small-format mailer — small goods and accessories

Sleeves for bottles, glassware and lampshades are made on the same honeycomb process — see the full catalogue.