Salbro Bottle Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose the right package?

There are two key aspects to choosing the right package for your product, the aesthetics and the function.

Aesthetics refers to how the package influences the overall look of your product on a self. If you are delivering a consumer product then the packaging is a key element of your overall brand strategy. If your product is high end then you want a package that demonstrates the spirit of that brand, that makes it look exclusive and worthwhile.

Function is an equally important part of your packaging decision. The package or bottle is more than a container, it is a delivery mechanism that impacts the overall customer experience. Even if the package is aesthetical and compells your customer to purchase, function is what impacts the experience. If your customer has difficulty getting the product out of the package, or it makes a mess, then you've reduced the chance that the customer is going to buy it again.

What type of material should I use?

All Plastics bottles has distinctive properties that will affect how the consumer views and uses your product. For example, if you need to protect your product from mositure, or exposure to air, then certain plastics do this better than others. Also, the package affects the application, if you need a squeezable or rigid container, or how quickly your product should come out of the bottle. Below is a table that describes the various properties of different types of plastic.

Resin	Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)	Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)	High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)	PolyPropylene (PP)	Polystyrene (PS)	Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Material Code Symbol
Clarity	Clear	Translucent	Translucent	Translucent	Clear	Clear
Moisture Barrier	Fair to Good	Good	Good to Excellent	Good to Excellent	Poor to Fair	Fair
Oxygen Barrier	Good	Poor	Poor	Poor	Fair	Good
Max Temp Resistance	120F	120F	145F	165F	150F	140F
Rigidity	Moderate to High	Low	Moderate	Moderate to High	Moderate to High	Moderate to High
Resistance to Impact	Good to Excellent	Excellent	Good to Excellent	Poor to Good	Poor to Good	Fair to Good
Resistance to Heat	Poor to Fair	Fair	Good	Good	Fair	Poor to Fair
Resistance to Cold	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Poor to Fair	Poor	Fair
Resistance to Sunlight	Good	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair to Poor	Poor to Good

What is a neck finish and what closure is best?

Similar to the material you use to package your product, the neck finish and cap type are important features to consider. Screw thread cap sizes are generally expressed as two numbers (ie 28/410). The first number refers to the cap diameter (in millimeters) and the corresponding Glass Packaging Institute (GPI)/Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) finish diameter. The second number refers to the height and thread configuration of the closure or finish.

How do bottle neck sizes work?

Usually, a screw on closure size is expressed with two numbers, which are separated by a hyphen or a slash. The first number refers to the diameter of the closure in millimeters, which can be either inside of the cap or the outside diameter of the bottle thread. This dimension is also called "T" Dimension.

The second number refers to the thread style. These standard thread styles are established by The Glass Packaging Institute and Society of Plastics Industry. The closure industry doesn't always adhere to these standards so it's always a good idea to purchase containers and closures from the same supplier.

Common GPI/SPI neck finishes:

400: This number represents 1 thread turn only. You can see plenty of 24-400 caps in our closures section to get a better idea of these caps.
410: This number represents 1.5 thread turns. Salbro stocks quite a few of this size.
415: A 415 closure is 2 thread turns and the threads are quite tall. This is a very common size in the cosmetics industry.
425: Again a 2 thread turn closure, but the thread isn't as tall as a 415 size.
2000: This is a lug finish, non continuous threads closure. Commonly used with glass containers in the food industry.

To measure a bottle neck finish, firstly, measure the outermost thread diameter. Then, see how many times the threads pass one another. For example, a 24/400 bottle has an outermost diameter of 24mm and there is only one full thread turn.

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