Honeycomb Dunnage: Replacing Foam in Industrial Packs

Honeycomb dunnage replaces foam by carrying compression along the cell axis and by folding into shapes that spread impact. It works where the load is predictable and the route is dry, and it fails where the foam was doing something other than compression: cushioning a heavy point load, filling an irregular void, or surviving a wet environment. Map the function the foam performs before choosing a paper replacement.

Scenario

A machine builder replaces foam blocks in an export crate with honeycomb pads. The pads are the same thickness and look adequate. The first shipment arrives with a bearing housing displaced and a panel cracked. The foam had been absorbing the drop energy around the housing, and the pad transmitted it. The replacement matched the dimension and not the function, and the machine paid for it.

Pain Point

Foam is a cushioning material: it deforms and absorbs energy, and it recovers or yields depending on the type. Honeycomb is a structural material: it resists compression along the cell axis and is stiff. A foam block under a heavy component spreads the load and limits the acceleration; a honeycomb block of the same size transfers the load with less deformation. If the design intent was to limit acceleration, the foam was doing a job the paper cannot do at the same thickness. If the intent was to hold position while the crate frame carried the load, the paper can do it better and lighter. For the fuller picture, see crush stacking for honeycomb edge.

Solution

Start from the function, then choose the material.

Function map: for each foam piece, write whether it (a) holds position, (b) absorbs drop energy, (c) fills a void, or (d) spreads a point load. Different answers need different designs.

Hold position: a honeycomb block or a folded paper profile works, and it is stiffer than foam.

Absorb energy: a paper solution needs a crushable structure, such as a folded corrugated pad or a honeycomb with a designed crush zone, and it needs a drop test to prove the acceleration.

Fill a void: a molded pulp shape or a folded paper void filler fits the space better than a cut block.

Spread a point load: a denser honeycomb pad plus a rigid spreader plate works, and a single pad may not.

Result

A builder that mapped the functions found that two of the six foam pieces were cushions and four were positioners. The four were replaced with honeycomb blocks and folded profiles immediately, with a drop test to confirm. The two cushions were replaced with a folded corrugated structure that was tested with an accelerometer on the component, and the acceleration stayed inside the limit. The pack weighed less, cost less and passed the same route test. The replacement worked because the functions were separated before the material was chosen.

Cushioning with Paper: What Actually Works

Paper cushions by crushing, and a structure that crushes in a controlled way absorbs energy. A folded corrugated pad with cells that collapse progressively is the common approach, and it works when the drop height and the mass are known. A honeycomb block does not crush progressively; it resists until it buckles, and the buckle is a sudden loss of support. That difference is why a honeycomb pad can be an excellent positioner and a poor cushion. If the product is heavy, the paper solution needs a larger area and a designed crush zone, and the drop test is the only way to know.

Moisture and the Wet Route

Foam is unaffected by humidity at the levels a container sees; paper is not. A paper dunnage system in a humid container loses stiffness, and a pack designed at the edge of its capacity will fail. Coat the faces, seal the cut edges, and add a desiccant or a barrier liner if the route is wet. A humidity indicator in the crate turns the question into a record. For a route with a wet dock or a long sea voyage, the paper solution should carry a margin rather than run at the limit.

Vibration and Abrasion

A component held by paper is held by friction and by shape, and vibration can polish a painted surface at the contact. Add a soft liner at the contact if the finish matters, and test with a vibration run that includes the real pallet and the real stack. A pack that holds the component but marks it is a pack that fails in the customer's inspection, and the mark is often noticed before the position is checked.

Reuse and the Return Journey

A paper dunnage system is usually single trip, and a foam system is often reused for a service return. If the crate comes back, the paper parts need to be replaceable and available, and the crate design should allow them to be swapped without tools. A returnable pack that cannot be re-dressed is a pack that will be replaced with foam after the first cycle, and the environmental argument disappears.

Writing the Specification

For each dunnage piece, state the function, the material and grade, the dimensions with tolerances, the contact liner, the moisture protection and the test that proves the function. Add the drop and vibration results and a retained sample. A specification that describes the shape and not the function has described a block, and a block is not a cushion.

The Paper That Replaces the Foam Block

A honeycomb block is a strong positioner and a poor cushion, and a folded corrugated profile is the opposite. The practical replacement is often a combination: a honeycomb block to hold the component in place, with a folded corrugated pad between the block and the crate to absorb the first impact. That combination is heavier than a single block and lighter than the foam it replaces, and it separates the two functions that the foam was doing at once. Design the pair together, test the pair together, and specify both parts rather than describing a block that is expected to do both jobs.

Testing the Replacement Before the First Shipment

The only honest test is a full pack trial on the real route profile. Build two crates, fill both with the actual machine, and run one through a drop sequence and a vibration run with the product installed. Instrument the component if it is heavy or fragile, because the crate can look intact while the component inside has taken an acceleration it cannot survive. After the test, open the crate and inspect the contact points, the fasteners and the component itself. A pad that has compressed by a visible amount is telling you that the drop energy went somewhere, and the question is whether it went into the pad or into the machine. Record the results and keep the failed crate, because a photograph of a crushed pad is the evidence that ends a discussion about whether the pack was adequate. Repeat the trial after any change of crate frame, product model or route. For the fuller picture, see when cutting creasing breaks down in honeycomb board.

Bottom Line

Honeycomb replaces foam where the function is positioning, void filling or load spreading, and it needs a designed crush zone where the function is cushioning. Map the functions, test the route, protect the paper from moisture and specify the contact liner. The material is not a substitute; the function is, and the test is the only proof that the function survived the change., see our note on EU PPWR 2026 Replacing Plastic Void.

Related Reading

Related guide: Honeycomb Dunnage vs Airbags.