Keep material and weight at the SKU level.
For each SKU, store the packaging components you can support with evidence: material, grams per unit, packaging level and the source of the weight.
PPWR PRACTICAL GUIDE · PACKAGING DATA
How do you handle packaging weights across hundreds or thousands of SKUs?
Do not rebuild the same packaging calculation for every country. Build one evidence-backed packaging profile per SKU, then reuse it across real destination orders.
Updated 18 September 2026. Operational guidance, not a substitute for country-specific legal advice.
THE WORKABLE DATA MODEL
Package the SKU once. Aggregate the orders later.
Unknown is better than invented.
If a weight is missing, request a supplier declaration, technical sheet or direct measurement. Do not estimate a compliance weight from a product photo.
Multiply by what actually shipped.
Join the SKU profile to order quantity and destination country. The same packaging profile can then be reused for every reporting period.
MINIMUM USEFUL INPUT
Two small tables are enough to start.
orders.csv
order_id,destination_country,sku,quantity,revenue_eur
packaging_profiles.csv
sku,material,packaging_weight_g_per_unit,packaging_level,verification,reference
ShadowOrders deliberately fails closed when a SKU has no supported packaging profile. Missing evidence is shown as missing evidence instead of silently becoming a guessed kilogram value.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Packaging data is only half the decision.
After country × material × kg is known, the business question is still whether the market contributes enough margin to justify its compliance route.