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FEFCO 0947

Tubular U-Shaped Shock Absorber

  • Available in a wide range of custom configurations & material selection.
  • Order 1 sample. Or order 100K+ units. Or anything in between.
  • Affordable delivery across North America.
  • Design support, warehousing, testing, assembly available.
  • Widest machinery capability in America via 30+ specialist partner plants.
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Product details

Top highlights

  • Replaces EPS foam for heavy-duty edge and side protection
  • Requires manual, two-handed folding against board spring-back
  • Relies on straight parallel creases for simple production routing

About this product

Heavy appliances and fragile industrial equipment require serious lateral shock absorption during transit. The tubular U-shaped shock absorber (FEFCO 0947) is a heavy-duty corrugated pad that folds into a U-channel with hollow, rolled side walls, wrapping around vulnerable product edges to dissipate side impacts.

Often used as a fully fiber-based alternative to EPS foam blocks, this pad provides extreme crush resistance. Because it relies on multiple 180-degree and 90-degree folds, it requires manual, two-handed assembly and depends on the outer shipping box to hold its final shape.

Common uses

  • Appliance edge protection
  • Furniture transit buffering
  • Heavy electronics side padding

Get a quote

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Best Price Guarantee

Already have a packaging quote? Let us beat it.

Send us the quote you have. We will beat it for the same specifications, quantity, and delivery requirements.

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Free quote review. No obligation.

30+specialist partner plants

We supply through the plant best suited to your price, material, production, and delivery requirements.

Why we can beat a lower quote

30+ plants give us more ways to lower the price.

Each plant has different machinery, material costs, order minimums, and freight rates. Our buying volume helps us secure better pricing. We then quote through the plant that gives you the lowest total price for your requirements.

Send us your current quote. Watch us beat it.

Attach it to the quote form or email it to us. We'll review it free and send you our price.

Upload a competing quoteinfo@herculeindustrial.com
Best Price Guarantee terms

To qualify, send a written supplier quote dated within the past 30 days and addressed to your company. It must cover the same dimensions, construction, material, print, finish, quantity, tooling, freight, delivery date, and delivery location. The guarantee does not cover taxes, expired quotes, liquidation or clearance sales, or obvious pricing errors.

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Heavy-Duty Edge and Side Protection

Sustainable EPS foam replacement

For heavy appliances or industrial equipment, the rolled corrugated tubes act as dense crumple zones. This provides lateral shock absorption comparable to expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, but in a fully fiber-based paper construction.

Fragile edge buffering

The U-shape wraps directly around vulnerable product edges before the item goes into the master carton. The hollow side walls keep the product suspended away from the exterior box panels, dissipating side impacts.

Furniture transit protection

Large case goods and wooden furniture pieces often suffer corner and edge damage during mixed-carrier transit. The tubular side walls provide a deep standoff distance that prevents exterior impacts from reaching the finished wood.

Heavy electronics side padding

Servers, industrial displays, and heavy audio equipment require rigid side buffering. The multi-layered rolled tubes absorb shock energy before it can transfer to the sensitive internal components.

Appliance, Furniture, and Electronics Fulfillment

Manual fulfillment lines

Because the unglued tubes spring open if released, operators must manually fold the pad and hold it in tension while inserting the product into the outer box. This makes it a strong fit for manual pack benches, but incompatible with high-speed automated insertion.

Sustainable packaging initiatives

Operations moving away from mixed-material packaging use this pad to eliminate plastic foam. The entire package, including the outer shipper and the internal shock absorber, can be fiber-based in a single corrugated stream.

Flat-delivered supply chains

Unlike pre-molded foam blocks that ship full of air, these corrugated pads are delivered completely flat. This maximizes pallet density and reduces inbound freight space, though the unfolded blanks are quite wide.

When to Consider a Different Insert

Vertical bottom support instead of side protection

If you need a staging base for a product to sit on rather than a pad that wraps around an edge, compare this to the FEFCO 0946. It uses similar rolled tubes but lays flat to support vertical weight.

Simple spacing without heavy shock absorption

If you only need to maintain a gap between the product and the box wall, a simple single-wall C-channel (FEFCO 0929) uses far less material and is much easier for operators to fold.

Close variants and lookalike dielines

The closest library neighbors include 0941, 0948, 0942. Use this as a variant check if a buyer brings an old code, sample, or dieline that looks close. The deciding details are usually the lock, slot, closure, wall build, part count, or fold sequence.

Board Thickness, Fit, and Packing Labor

Balancing crush resistance with operator fatigue

Board thickness dictates how much shock the pad can absorb. Heavy double-wall board provides maximum protection but exponentially increases the physical effort required to roll the tubes. Your packing team will have to fight the board's natural spring-back during every assembly.

Production routing and blank sprawl

As long as the pad uses only straight, parallel creases, it can be produced on a slitter-scorer. However, the unfolded blank is massive because it must account for the base plus multiple layers of rolled walls on each side.

Master carton fit and friction retention

This pad has no native locks, tabs, or glue. It relies entirely on the physical boundary of the master shipping box to keep the tubular walls compressed and in place during transit. The internal dimensions of the outer box must be exact.

Flute direction and bending resistance

The direction of the corrugated flutes affects how the pad folds and how it absorbs impact. The flutes must run perpendicular to the parallel creases to allow the tight 180-degree rolls without cracking the liner.

Channel Width and Fold Allowances

Channel width calibration

The internal width of the U-channel must be sized precisely to your product. If the channel is too wide, the product will shift; if it is too narrow, the pad will not seat fully against the product face.

Fold allowance adjustments

The fold allowances must be perfectly calibrated to your chosen board thickness. If the allowances are too tight, the inner panels will collide and prevent the tubes from closing into a 90-degree corner.

Side wall depth modification

The depth of the rolled tubes can be extended to create a larger crumple zone, provided the total unfolded width does not exceed the maximum feed width of the converting equipment.

Board and packing details

Friction-fit retention

This pad has no native locks, tabs, or glue. It relies entirely on the physical boundary of the master shipping box to keep the tubular walls compressed and in place during transit.

Additional notes

Operator fatigue with heavy board

Using heavy double-wall board maximizes protection but makes the pad physically exhausting to fold over a full shift. Test a physical sample with your packing team before committing to a heavy grade.

Related Internal Fitments

0948: Cushion Pad

Nearby FEFCO style to review if the buyer wants a similar job but the closure, flap overlap, wall build, or part count changes the package choice.

0942: Cushion Pad

Nearby FEFCO style to review if the buyer wants a similar job but the closure, flap overlap, wall build, or part count changes the package choice.

FAQs

Assembly and Packing

Can this pad be assembled by automated machinery?

The unglued 180-degree rolls and severe board spring-back require two-handed manual folding. It is generally incompatible with automated insertion equipment.

Closure and Retention

Does the pad need tape or glue to hold its shape?

The operator holds the folded pad in tension around the product, and the tight fit inside the master shipping box keeps the tubes from springing open.

Performance

Is this a direct drop-in replacement for EPS foam?

It is a highly effective sustainable alternative, but corrugated board behaves differently under dynamic drops than solid foam. You should conduct physical drop tests with your specific product and master carton to confirm parity.

Assembly and Packing

How does board thickness affect the assembly process?

Using heavy double-wall board maximizes protection but makes the pad physically exhausting to fold over a full shift. Test a physical sample with your packing team before committing to a heavy grade.

Closure and Retention

What keeps the tubes from springing open during transit?

The pad relies entirely on the physical boundary of the master shipping box. The internal dimensions of the outer carton must be tight enough to keep the tubular walls compressed.

Adjustments

Can the channel width be adjusted for different products?

The central base panel can be widened or narrowed to fit different product depths, provided the fold allowances are recalculated to prevent the rolled tubes from binding.

Logistics

How is the pad delivered to the packing line?

The pads are delivered completely flat on pallets. This provides excellent inbound shipping density compared to pre-molded foam blocks, though the flat blanks are quite wide.

Performance

Does this insert provide vertical stacking strength?

The 0947 is designed to absorb lateral impacts along the sides and edges of a product. It does not act as a load-bearing column for vertical weight.