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How much would thermal insulated packaging be for a meal consiting of a starter- side/soup, a main, 2 sides, and a dessert
Greetings! Thank you for your request for information pertaining to the cost of thermal insulated packaging for a meal consisting of a starter, a main, two sides, and a dessert. The most useful sources for completing this research were ediblecommerce.com, MrBoxOnline.com, and Insultote.com. As your choice of insulated container size will depend upon how you ultimately package the meals, I will provide data on several options, with data on bulk prices where available. The price for individual items was found by dividing the price per case by the number of items per case. The short answer is that Styrofoam boxes range from $7.18 to $13.95 each, while insulated box inserts range from $1.45 to $7.19 each. Please see below for a deep dive of my findings.
PACKAGING OPTIONS
A survey of information pertaining to thermal insulated packaging for food shipment reveals that the best options would be either foam boxes or insulated box inserts/liners. Although foam cut sheets offer more flexibility, with the ability to custom fit the foam to your exact specifications, they may not be as effective.
Five compartment food trays measure about 10.5" x 8.5" x 1"; this length and width are utilized for approximate size needed to accommodate one meal. Depth is estimated to be greater due to the need for dry ice/cold packs, as well as greater depth required for soup containers.
FOAM BOXES
Foam boxes are sold with bottom, top lid, and an outer cardboard mailing box.
MrBoxOnline.com offers Styrofoam boxes with the following inside dimensions, all with 1.5" outer walls:
->10.5" x 8.5" x 6.25": 1+ for $9.31 ea, 6+ for $8.78 ea, 18+ for $8.51 ea, 36+ for $8.25 ea, 72+ for $7.98 ea, 144+ for $7.71 ea, 216+ for $7.45 ea, 360+ for $7.18 ea.
->12.25" x 12.25" x 12": 1+ for $10.50 ea, 6+ for $9.90 ea, 12+ for $9.60 ea, 27+ for $9.30 ea, 45+ for $9.00 ea, 90+ for $8.70 ea, 135+ for $8.40 ea, 225+ for $8.22 ea.
->12" x 10" x 9": 1+ for $9.63 ea, 6+ for $8.83 ea, 12+ for $8.56 ea, 24+ for $8.29 ea, 48+ for $8.03 ea, 84+ for $7.76 ea, 96+ for $7.49 ea.
->12" x 12" x 9": 1+ for $13.95 ea, 8+ for $13.15 ea, 18+ for $12.75 ea, 36+ for $12.35 ea, 72+ for $11.96 ea, 108+ for $11.56 ea, 180+ for $11.16 ea.
Although these are more expensive than the insulated liners found below, they do include the cardboard shipping boxes as well. Freight shipping is available for larger orders.
Polar Tech also offers similar Styrofoam shipping containers for meals and food; however, they offer greater variety in that you have the option to purchase only the container, or the container and shipping box as well. Unfortunately, their pricing information is by request/quotation only.
INSULATED LINERS
Insulated liners are manufactured to fit inside standard size shipping boxes.
Nortech Labs offers the following options for insulated box liners that would be appropriate for one meal:
->12" x 12" x 6". These are designed to fit inside Large USPS Priority mail boxes. 5 for $35.95 ($7.19 ea), 10 for $58.95 ($5.90), 25 for $110.00 ($4.40 ea).
The following prices are based upon Uline's online store each price is per case, with each case containing 25 liners:
->12" x 10" x 9": 1 case for $118 ($4.72 ea), 2 cases for $112 per case ($4.48 ea), 3 cases for $107 per case ($4.28 ea).
->12" x 12" x 6": 1 case for $122 ($4.88 ea), 2 cases for $115 per case ($4.60 ea), 3 cases for $110 per case ($4.40 ea).
->12" x 12" x 12": 1 case for $145 ($5.80 ea), 2 cases for $134 per case ($5.36 ea), 3 cases for $129 per case ($5.16 ea).
Lastly, Insultote also offers a wide variety of insulated box liners, with the ability to custom-make them for your needs. The following are their prices for stock merchandise:
CONCLUSION
In summary, my research shows that Styrofoam boxes and insulated box inserts are your two best options for shipping meals. Styrofoam boxes are a more expensive option than the inserts, but include the shipping boxes. In both cases, the price varies by size and number ordered.
Thank you for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can be of any additional assistance.