Exporting honeycomb paper from India: containers, Incoterms and documents

Honeycomb paper is light and bulky. That one fact drives everything on this page.

A roll weighs little, but it takes a full pallet place. So the cost of getting it to you depends more on how many rolls fit in the container than on anything else. This is why we talk in pallets and containers, not kilos.

What fits in a container

These are our real loading figures for standard rolls of 380 mm x 250 m flat, our most exported item.

Our standard pallets carry 40 rolls each and stand about 1,200 mm high, so they go into the container double-stacked: 10 floor positions with two pallets each in a 20 ft, and 20 floor positions in a 40 ft. Tall pallets of 96 rolls go in single-stacked: 11 in a 20 ft and 24 in a 40 ft.

Each 250 m flat roll opens to about 400 m of wrap when pulled, so a 40 ft container carries roughly 640 km of expanded honeycomb paper.

Other widths and lengths change the count. For example, a pallet of 490 mm rolls carries 63. Tell us your mix and we will send a loading plan with the quote.

Minimum order

We prefer orders of one full 40 ft container. A 20 ft container is fine, and for a first order it is often the right size, because you want to test the product in your market before you commit to more.

Several widths, grades and other paper products from our range can share one container. As a working rule, plan at least 4 pallets of each item.

Port, Incoterms and currency

Export packing

Paper and sea containers need care. Moisture in a closed container condenses on the cold steel and drips back onto the cargo.

1. Each roll is wrapped after production in our moisture-controlled plant.
2. Rolls are stacked on pallets and the pallets are stretch-wrapped.
3. Pallets are labelled with the item and, for private label, your own codes.
4. Pallets are loaded dry.

We supply ISPM 15 heat-treated and marked wooden pallets for countries that require them. Tell us your destination and we will use them as standard.

Custom packing

Our standard is 40 rolls on a pallet about 1,200 mm high, double-stacked in the container. Some buyers prefer 96 rolls on one taller pallet, loaded single-stacked, which means fewer pallets to handle at both ends. Neither is the only way. Different buyers have different warehouses, racking and forklifts, so we pack to your specification:

1. Rolls per pallet, and the pallet height your racking takes.
2. Pallet size and type.
3. Rolls in cartons, for buyers who sell by the carton.
4. Your own labels and codes on rolls, cartons and pallets.

These are the packings the trade uses most, and we can supply any of them:

Your market also decides the pallet itself. A pallet that fits your racking and your forklifts saves trouble at every stage after the port.

Container figures for the Euro and North American pallets are from Teuvia's guide to pallets per container, checked October 2026. Exact counts depend on the loading pattern.

Tell us how you receive and store goods, and we will send a pallet plan with the quote. The container count changes with the packing, so the plan shows the real number before you order.

Documents that travel with the goods

1. Commercial invoice, with the FSC claim and our certificate code on each FSC line.
2. Packing list, pallet by pallet.
3. Bill of lading.
4. Certificate of origin. We can issue preferential certificates under India's trade agreements, including those with the UK, Australia (ECTA) and the UAE (CEPA), so your duty is lower where the agreement applies.
5. Any other document your customs broker asks for. Tell us before loading, not after.

Our FSC certificate details are on the quality page, so your team can check them before the first order.

HS code

Classification is your customs broker's decision in your country, but two public rulings help as a starting point.

1. In India, the Uttar Pradesh Authority for Advance Ruling placed honeycomb paper wrap under HSN 4823 90 13 in 2022 (summary on TaxGuru).
2. In the US, Customs ruling NY N319560 (June 2021) classified slit kraft honeycomb paper under 4823.90.8680.

In the EU, some sub-headings of 4823 depend on roll width, so a 380 mm roll may not land where a narrow one does. If you import regularly, a Binding Tariff Information ruling from your customs authority removes the guesswork.

EU buyers: PPWR and EUDR

Two EU rules matter for paper packaging imports, and your compliance team will ask about both.

1. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 has applied since 12 August 2026. Among other things, it caps lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium in packaging at 100 mg/kg combined.
2. The EU Deforestation Regulation covers paper, with application from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators. Products made entirely from recovered (waste) material sit outside its scope, which is one reason recycled-fibre grades matter.

For PPWR we can supply a heavy-metals test report and an EU Declaration of Conformity. Tell us early which documents your team needs for each rule. It is far easier to prepare them before the container is loaded.

How a first order runs

1. You send your specification, monthly volume and destination port.
2. We send samples by courier, with the specification on each label.
3. You test them and we agree the quote, the packing and the documents.
4. We produce, test the lot and load the container.
5. You get the shipping documents for your customs broker.

I would always start with samples, even if you are in a hurry. Our samples are free and leave within 5 days; you pay only the courier. A wrong container costs a season.

Where our honeycomb paper already goes

Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the Gulf, South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. If your country is not on the list, that is fine: the containers, documents and Incoterms work the same way.