{"id":2039,"date":"2020-12-30T11:34:45","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T11:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refinepackaging.com\/?p=2039"},"modified":"2025-01-02T06:56:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T11:56:37","slug":"primary-secondary-tertiary-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refinepackaging.com\/blog\/primary-secondary-tertiary-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Levels of Packaging: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might not think much about the product packages that arrive on your doorstep.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But did you know that product packaging has different levels?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Known as <\/span>primary, secondary and tertiary packaging<\/b>, each package has its place and its purpose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we’re going to reveal the differences between each <\/span>type of packaging<\/b>, when each one is used, why they matter and how to find a professional packaging company to help ensure your product packaging is designed right every step of the way. Let\u2019s take a closer look.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Primary Packaging\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"primary<\/p>\n

Primary packaging is the packaging that comes in direct contact with the product itself. <\/b>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A cereal box wouldn’t be considered primary packaging, <\/span>but the bag inside the box would<\/span><\/i>, since it’s the part that actually holds the contents of the box. If all cereals were contained in the box alone (without the bag), they’d be much more susceptible to going stale or being affected by moisture or light, which could degrade their taste, texture and consistency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The main job of primary packaging is to protect and preserve the product inside.<\/b> In this example, bags are rather clunky and liable to slip out of your hands. Plus, they don’t exactly fit neatly in a cupboard. It’s harder to print information about the product on them, and thus we have the bag inside the box — to keep the product fresh and outside of light, moisture and other elements that could affect it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Primary packaging is often referred to as retail packaging, although this term is sometimes used to describe secondary packaging as well. Using our cereal example above, primary packaging doesn’t just reference the bag that the cereal comes in, but the box that the bag is stored in, as well. As you’ll know if you’ve ever been down the cereal aisle in the grocery store, the brightly-colored boxes with deeply-textured images of cereal are designed to attract your eye and your attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of what’s considered <\/span>primary packaging<\/b>, you can think of it as the answer to a simple question — is this the packaging that the product is normally bought in? If so, then that would be considered its primary packaging. As another example, carbonated drinks are kept in a can — the can would be considered the primary packaging because it’s how the product is delivered to the consumer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Secondary Packaging<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"secondary<\/p>\n

Secondary packaging is generally used to group a certain amount of products together into a cohesive unit that’s easy to identify. <\/b>The SKU, or Stock Keeping Unit, makes it easy for vendors to identify the movement of stock as well as inventory. Secondary packaging makes it possible to group products so that they can be more easily tracked. Smaller shipments of products are often shipped using secondary packaging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The packaging itself can be made up of several individual pieces including:<\/span><\/p>\n