Cartons

Cartons is the list of box templates your packers choose from. A template stores the dimensions of a box and the weight of the empty box. A packed box then gets its size and weight without anyone typing them at the packing station.

Where to find it: Warehouse → Configuration → Cartons

When you'll use it

• You start packing several items into one box and want the box sizes ready to choose.
• You buy a new box size.
• A box size is no longer used and should disappear from the packing station.

You do not need cartons for products that ship in their own packaging. Those are packed with the No carton option on the packing station.

Key concepts

• Carton — a template, not a physical box you count. It has a name, three dimensions in centimetres and a tare.
• Tare — the weight of the empty box, in kilograms. When a box is closed, its weight is the weight of the contents plus the tare.
• Active — only active cartons are offered on the packing station. If you may need a carton again, switch it off instead of deleting it.
• Closed boxes keep their data. Editing or deleting a carton changes nothing on boxes that were already closed with it.
• Cartons are not stock. Complaia does not count how many boxes you have left.

The screen

The section Box templates shows the number of cartons, for example Defined cartons: 3, and a table:

Column	Shows
Name	The name packers see on the packing station
Dimensions (L×W×H)	In centimetres
Tare	In kilograms
Status	Active or Inactive

Each row has Edit and Delete buttons. Header buttons: Refresh and Add carton.

With no cartons yet you see No cartons and an Add carton button.

📷 Screenshot to add: the Cartons screen with three box templates, one of them Inactive, and the window for a new carton open.

Common tasks

Add a carton

1. Open Warehouse → Configuration → Cartons and click Add carton.
2. In the window New carton, type the Name, for example Box M. The name is required.
3. Under Dimensions (cm), type the length, width and height in the fields L, W and H.
4. Under Tare: empty carton weight (kg), type the weight of the empty box.
5. Leave Active switched on.
6. Click Save. You see Carton saved.

The carton is offered on the packing station the next time an order is opened there.

You can also start from the packing station. The tile Add a carton opens this screen in a new browser tab.

Change a carton

1. Click Edit on the row.
2. In the window Edit carton, change the name, dimensions or tare.
3. Click Save.

Boxes closed earlier keep the dimensions and weight they were closed with.

Take a carton out of use

1. Click Edit on the row.
2. Switch Active off.
3. Click Save. The carton stays on this list as Inactive and is no longer offered on the packing station.

Delete a carton

1. Click Delete on the row.
2. In the window Delete carton?, click Delete. You see Carton deleted.

The template is gone for good. Boxes already closed with it keep their dimensions.

When it doesn't work

What you see	Why	What to do
Save is greyed out	The name is empty.	Type a name.
A carton is missing on the packing station	It is Inactive, or it was added after the order was opened there.	Edit the carton and switch Active on. Reopen the order on the packing station.
A carton shows 0×0×0 cm	It was saved without dimensions. Only the name is required. Boxes closed with it get no dimensions.	Edit the carton and type them. Boxes already closed stay as they are.
Could not load cartons	The list could not be read.	Click Try again.
Could not save the carton or Could not delete the carton	The change was not saved.	Try again. If it repeats, check your connection and your permission.
Cartons is not in the menu	You lack the permission.	See Permissions.

Permissions

To do this	You need
See Cartons in the menu; add, change and delete cartons	Warehouse: Manage (the role editor ticks Warehouse: View with it)
Choose a carton on the packing station	Order packing
See the Add a carton tile on the packing station	Warehouse: Manage

Related

• Order packing — where cartons are chosen
• Shipment handover — where packed boxes leave the warehouse
• Packaging — the parcels a product itself ships in