Difference Between Packing and Packaging

Packing vs Packaging

Though the words packing and packaging are used indiscriminately by people who think they are same, they are not synonyms and cannot be used interchangeably. Packaging refers to the way products are kept inside a carton or any other box either individually or in sets using wrapping material to protect products from any damage during shipping or transportation. Thus packaging transforms product or products into something that is seen by the end consumer or receiver. Packing on the other hand refers to wrapping of single objects into a casing so that they look beautiful to consumers and arrive safely and securely in malls from where they are purchased.

This is why people who are aware of how cargo is handled emphasize on efficient packaging and packing to ensure no damage of products while they are loaded and unloaded several numbers of times during shipping. Packed material can face rough handling as well as rough weather. Sometimes, cartons get dropped accidentally. If there is any lapse in packing, products that have been packaged and inside a master carton may rub against each other and damage the product’s finish or cause fibers to break in the case of baskets or any similar items. It is the duty of the supplier to pack and package the products in the most efficient manner so that they reach the buyer in a perfect condition.

Another way to look at packing and packaging is to see them from the context of shipping. Packaging is how finally objects are made up into a carton that is to be handles like a cargo during shipping while packing refers to the materials used to keep the products safe inside the bigger carton. These packing materials could be newspapers, foam, cotton, cloth, etc that prevents products from getting damaged by rough handling. However, there is some overlapping between packing material and packaging material as both are used by factories while packing and packaging, and there may be common items such as tape, nylon threads etc.

When we buy a product from the market, we see it wrapped in a packing such as a soap wrapped inside packing material. However, when soaps are sent from the manufacturer to the mall or a supermarket, it is their packaging that is done properly to arrive safely at the mall. Similarly crèmes and ointments are packed inside small cartons. However, there are some products for which the word packaged is used instead of packing such as packaged milk, packaged drinking water etc.

Another difference pertains to the fact that packing is a verb as you perform an action while packing your clothes into a brief case. On the other hand, packaging is a noun that refers to material being employed in the process of packing.