How to tape a shipping box: the H-taping method, step by step

A box that opens on the way is the most avoidable failure in shipping. The product inside can be cushioned perfectly, and it can still fall out of the bottom because one strip of tape lifted at the edge.

We make packing tape on our own plant at Jagannath Polymers in Jaipur, so I think about tape more than most people do. This lesson is the taping method I would want every new packer in our own company to learn first. It is called H-taping, and it becomes quick once your hands have done it a few times.

The quick version: use plastic packing tape at least 48 mm wide. Tape the bottom before you fill the box. Run one strip along the centre seam, then one strip across each end seam, so the tape makes the letter H. Do the same on top after filling. Then press every strip down firmly.

Why one strip down the middle is not enough

Let us look at the bottom of a closed box. There is one seam in the middle, where the two long flaps meet. There are two more seams at the ends, where those flaps meet the end panels of the box.

One strip down the middle closes only the first seam.

The two end seams stay open. When the box is lifted or dropped, its weight pulls on those open edges, and that is where a bottom usually starts to give way. DHL's Essential Packing Guide for Express Shipments (valid from 2026) asks for all seams to be sealed with the H-taping method. The UPS Packaging Guidelines (November 2024) also ask for three strips of tape on the top and three on the bottom.

What you need

1. Plastic packing tape, at least 48 mm wide. DHL recommends polypropylene tape (the brown plastic packing tape most of us know) and asks for a width of at least 48 mm. India Post's own Parcel Packaging Standards (Department of Posts, 2022) also set a minimum width of 2 inches for the BOPP tape it specifies.
2. A tape gun (a hand-held dispenser with a blade). You can tape by hand, but I recommend a gun from the first day, because it is faster and gives a straighter, tighter strip.
3. A clean, flat table, so you can press down against something solid.

The H-taping method, step by step

We tape the bottom first, while the box is empty.

1. Fold the box into shape. Close the two short flaps first, then the two long flaps, so the long flaps meet in the middle.
2. Turn the box upside down on the table.
3. Strip one goes along the centre seam. Start on one side panel, about a palm's width below the edge. Pull the tape across the full length of the seam and finish a palm's width down the opposite side.
4. Strips two and three cover the two end seams. Lay each strip along the edge where the flaps meet the end panel, with half the width of the tape on the flaps. Then fold the other half down over the edge onto the panel. Let each strip run past the corners and a little down the sides.
5. Now we look at the bottom. You should see the letter H, with the centre strip as the crossbar.
6. Rub every strip down with your palm, from the middle outwards.

Then we turn the box over and pack it. Our lesson on how to pack a parcel covers what goes inside. When the box is full, close the top flaps and repeat steps 3 to 6 on top.

If the box is heavy, we add more strips. DHL's guide says the same. I would start with a second strip along the centre seam, overlapping the first.

Press it down properly

The adhesive we coat on our tape, like the adhesive on all packing tape, is what is called a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The glue grips the box when it is pressed into the surface. A strip that is only laid on lightly holds with only part of its strength.

So we press.

Rub along the full length of every strip with a flat palm, or run the roller of the tape gun over it with firm pressure. Pay most attention to the places where the tape crosses a seam or bends over an edge, because that is where it is pulled hardest.

If tape still lifts after a firm press, something else is going on, such as a dusty, recycled or very cold box. That needs a different fix from the one in this lesson.

Using a tape gun for the first time

A tape gun looks awkward in the first week. We will go through it in the order you use it.

1. Load the roll so that the sticky side faces the box as the tape comes off the roller. Many guns show the path with a small arrow or a picture.
2. Set the tension knob. Tighten it until the roll stops spinning freely when you let go, but not so tight that the tape stretches or tears as you pull.
3. Place the roller on the side panel and press it down so the tape sticks.
4. Pull the gun across the seam in one smooth movement, keeping light pressure on the roller.
5. At the end, tilt the gun forward so the blade touches the tape, and pull up sharply. The blade cuts and the roller presses the last bit down.

The blade is sharp.

Keep your fingers away from it, put the gun down on its side and not on the floor, and keep it out of reach of children if you pack at home.

If you tape by hand, fold the last few millimetres of tape back on itself to make a small tab. Then you will not have to search for the end with your fingernail next time.

Tapes and materials to avoid

Both the UPS and the DHL guides list materials that do not belong on a shipping box. I agree with all three items below.

1. Stationery tape (often called cellophane tape) is too narrow and too weak for a shipping box.
2. Masking tape is made to peel off cleanly, so it will.
3. String or rope can snag on equipment, and both guides say not to use it to close a box.

Now an honest point about paper tape. We make kraft paper tape as well, and I like it for parcels where everything else is paper. But DHL's guide lists kraft paper tape under "avoid using", and the UPS guide says not to use water-activated paper tape. So for express or international parcels, I suggest plastic packing tape, unless your courier tells you in writing that paper tape is fine. For domestic parcels, ask your courier before you switch.

How much tape is too much?

Some new packers wrap the whole box round and round in tape to feel safe. I understand the feeling. But it costs more tape, and extra rounds do little that a well-pressed H does not already do.

It can also cause trouble.

India Post's packaging standard notes that tape should not cover address labels or barcodes. A barcode under a layer of shiny tape may not scan at the hub.

Taping a box you are reusing

Before we seal a reused box, we peel off any old tape that is loose or lifting. New tape on top of old, lifting tape holds only as well as the old tape underneath it. Remove or cover old labels too, so only your label can be read.

Check your work

Let us finish with three quick checks.

1. Turn the box over and look for a clean H on the bottom.
2. Run a finger along each strip. There should be no lifted edges and no air bubbles over the seams.
3. Lift the packed box a few centimetres off the table with your hands under the sides. Watch the bottom seams. If one opens even slightly, add a strip.

I suggest you tape one empty box tonight for practice, top and bottom, with a tape gun. It takes a few minutes, and you will feel the difference a firm press makes.