What is clamshell packaging? If you don’t know it by name, it is almost certain that you’ve seen it. It’s the clear plastic packaging that showcases an array of products from retail, food, medical, etc. The word clamshell indicates that the formed plastic package has one or more hinges. A single hinged clamshell usually includes a hanger tab so the product can hang from store pegs. Multi-hinged clamshells allow for the packaging to have a flat base so the product stand upright.

There are many benefits of clamshell packaging. It’s a wonderful way to showcase a product while being very cost effective. The clear plastic packaging provides great visibility for the consumer to see the product as it sits protected inside the clamshell. The header card can be printed and placed inside the clamshell to provide more information for the consumer to make a purchasing decision. Clamshells also allow for great display versatility. They can be hung from pegs or sat upright on a store shelf giving great flexibility for retailers to position the products to sell.

Clamshells are plastic and cause some concern about the environment. Manufacturers are using different types of plastics to overcome this. PETG is a type of PET plastic that is fully recyclable after its use. RPET is previously recycled PET plastic. Both types can work together to promote the global recycling effort.

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You may not feel familiar with thermoforming, however, it is surprising to find just how often it works its way into daily life.  The plastic plates you picked up for this week’s party are thermoformed.  Those large plastic parts in cars and planes are thermoformed.  The majority of  food, medical, and retail plastic packaging is also thermoformed.

The difference between large thermoformed plastic parts for an airplane and the thin material of dinnerware is referred to as thin gauge verse thick gauge.  Thin gauge means that the plastic is thin enough that it is actually fed through the machine on a roll.  Thick gauge means that the plastic has to be fed through on flat sheets.  Thin gauge is used for items like plastic cups, lids, trays, etc.  It is usually disposable or recyclable.  On the flip side thick gauge is tends to be used for more permanent items.

Now when you go to the store you can feel a little  more informed about your plastic purchases.