Cardboard K-Bins®, Correx® or moulded? 3 options analysed…

You’re ready to take the plunge.

Your inventory has been planned and organised (or reorganised), your picking and packing processes are in place, you have a well-trained team of order pickers, and your marketing team (or perhaps even yourself) are readying the campaigns that will start driving increased sales.

But you still need to source your picking bins.

Once you begin looking, there is actually a wide range of options, including different materials, branded items (such as K-bins® or Linbins), and custom picking bins. You need to consider stacking, sizes, colours, etc.

But where should you start?

There are actually a huge number of options to consider, all of which should be taken into account before you decide which type of picking bin is most suitable for your business.

For starters, you need to consider your inventory and the types of products or components you will be storing. Obvious factors such as the size, weights, and fragility of them, but also the total amount of items, the number of product groupings and the expected stock turnover rate.

Besides this, you need to consider the environment where your picking bins will be placed. Is it a cold, damp warehouse, or a heated annexe to your main offices? How much, and what types of space (e.g., racking, shelving, floor, etc.) are available?

And, if it’s relevant, are there any regulations that are specific to your industry that might influence the type of material your parts bins should be made from?

All of this can be distilled down into three main choices.

So, whilst there is a huge array of specific choices within each of these different types of picking bins, you essentially have one of three choices.

• Corrugated cardboard
• Corrugated plastic (Correx®)
• Rigid plastic

Although commonly used to manufacture packaging and boxes, corrugated cardboard is also widely used to make picking bins, too (including the well-known K-Bins®).

You may not be familiar with the term Correx®, but this is described by some as being “plastic cardboard”. Almost any cardboard product can be made from Correx®, but it is stronger, longer-lasting and resistant to water, etc.

Finally, moulded or rigid plastic bins are, as the name suggests, tough, usually made of polypropylene, moulded into various shapes and sizes. Popular and well-known brands in this segment include Lin-Bins and SSI Schaefer Euro Bins.

The first option you should consider, and one of the most popular, is corrugated cardboard picking bins. These are quite often referred to as K-Bins®, although other branded and non-branded versions are available.

There are several reasons why cardboard picking bins are so widespread.

Firstly, the cardboard construction makes the bins exceptionally cost-effective. This means they are a relatively low-investment up front, and if any bins become damaged, they are not expensive to replace.

The corrugated cardboard material also makes them lightweight, meaning they are easy to handle, whilst their construction allows them to be delivered flat (saving on delivery costs) and stored flat when not in use.

This means they are ideal for responding to seasonal demand peaks when you may need more inventory capacity.

They do have several drawbacks, however.

Firstly, cardboard does not ideal with water or moisture particularly well. This means that, depending on your warehouse, they may not be a suitable choice (even condensation can cause them to warp and degrade).

Cardboard is also not as durable as plastic, so if it is handled frequently, it will wear out much more quickly.

One argument is that this is not a problem, as they are relatively cheap to replace, but it can mean the lifetime cost of the bins is actually higher than that of plastic versions, which cost more but last longer.

Finally, if your cardboard bins become dusty or dirty, it is very impractical, and even impossible, to clean them. For industries like the medical or even food industries, the fibres generated by cardboard picking bins could be a problem.

Cardboard picking bins summary

• Low cost (to purchase and replace).
• Flat pack, allowing easy storage when not in use.
• Lightweight and easy to handle.
• It can’t be cleaned if it becomes dusty or otherwise dirty.
• Sensitive to moisture and water.
• Poor longevity compared to plastics.

Correx® picking bins summary

• Flat pack, allowing easy storage when not in use.
• Excellent longevity and durability.
• Varying levels of strength, up to moulded performance.
• Protection (moisture, chemicals, dust, etc.)
• Wide range of customisation options (sizes and colours).
• Best overall lifetime cost.

Seen as the premium option, and rightly so, moulded plastic parts bins are both the most durable and most expensive.

They are particularly well-suited to heavy-duty applications (e.g., industrial parts or components) where frequent handling or stacking of the bins is required. They are the strongest and longest-lasting option (although Correx® can run this close), but this is reflected in their higher price points.

However, their key strength also creates a few potential issues.

Being so strong, they are also quite heavy. This makes handling more difficult for any staff using them.

Being moulded also means that there is only a set number of sizes (custom sizes are eye-wateringly expensive). Whilst they are usually tailored to standard racking, this may mean you are forced to select the next size up, leading to wasted space.

On the subject of wasted space, it is also impossible to store them flat. This means that they take up a lot of space when not in use.

However, for almost everyone who does not require a heavy-duty solution, moulded plastic bins will probably be over-specified.

Moulded plastic picking bins summary

• Strongest option for heavy-duty applications.
• Ideal for very heavy items and stacking.
• Limited sizes and styles.
• Heavy, reducing the ease of handling.
• Can’t be stored flat when not in use.
• Most expensive upfront cost but longest lifespan.