Inner Roll Support Core or Outer Mailing Tube?
A supported document roll can use two different tubes: an inner core that the document wraps around and an outer container that receives the completed assembly. Specify those roles separately. Buying an outer mailing tube alone does not provide a complete supported-roll packing method.
Decide whether the document should be rolled
The Northeast Document Conservation Center's packing leaflet favors flat shipment for paper artifacts where practical. For material that is suitable to roll, it describes a wide support core, covered with a clean barrier layer, with the document rolled around it and another barrier around the outside before insertion into a larger tube. Its example uses a core at least four inches in diameter; that is not permission to roll every document.
For fragile or unstable work, get the relevant conservator's direction before choosing this approach. Keep any specified contact-material requirements with the packing instruction. Kraft construction alone does not establish archival suitability.
Give each component a separate line item
| Component | Role to document |
|---|---|
| Inner support core | The approved form around which the document is rolled |
| Barrier materials | The identified materials between the work and adjacent packaging |
| Outer tube | The container accepting the completed inner assembly |
| Retrieval arrangement | How the receiver removes that assembly |
NEDCC describes extending the outer wrapping beyond the inner tube so the receiver can use the wrapping for extraction instead of pulling the artifact. Include that retrieval method in the packing illustration, not only the insertion step.
Order the outer container by its own specification
P6036KHD is listed as a 6 × 36 inch kraft spiral-wound jumbo mailing tube, sold in cases of 10. This is an outer-container candidate for review. The product listing does not identify a matching inner support core or a complete conservation packing kit.
Compare the finished inner assembly with the actual usable outer cavity and closing arrangement. Do not subtract a proposed core diameter from the listed six-inch tube diameter to declare a guaranteed cushioning gap: the listing does not establish the dimensional bases needed for that calculation.
Make receiving part of the approved plan
Keep an illustration of the core, wrapped document and intended extraction material with the shipment instructions. Identify which component the receiver handles first and which materials stay with the document during removal. If another department prepares the roll, pass this same record to the team selecting the outer tube. Review the kraft mailing-tube purchasing guide once the complete arrangement has been defined.