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RAM Rating Checker: How Does Your Packaging Rate?

From 2027, your EPR fees depend on your packaging's red, amber or green RAM rating. Check yours in under a minute — and see how to move it toward green.

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Paper padded mailing bag with online phone order inside
A roll of brown self adhesive paper tape
Pallet wrapping machine wrapping a pallet with paper pallet wrap

From 2027, EPR fees are modulated by recyclability: green-rated packaging pays less, red-rated packaging pays a rising premium. That rating comes from the government's Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), which scores each packaging component red, amber or green.


A quick note on scope: RAM applies to household packaging — including the e-commerce shipment packaging that's delivered to consumers and ends up in home or public recycling (mailers, boxes, void fill and the like). It does not apply to purely industrial or transit packaging that ends up in commercial waste, or to reusable, exported or deposit-return drinks packaging. So if you send orders to customers, this checker is for you; if you only move goods between businesses on pallets, that packaging isn't RAM-rated.

Use the checker to see an indicative RAM rating for your packaging. Choose your material and its features, and the tool shows how it's likely to rate — and, where there's room to improve, what to change.

How to read your result

If your result is green: your packaging is well placed for the lower, discounted end of the modulated fees. It's widely recyclable and single-stream — keep it that way, and make sure any features you add (tapes, labels, coatings) don't pull it down.

If your result is amber: your packaging is recyclable but not optimally, so it sits at the base fee with no discount. Small design changes — removing a problem feature, switching a component to a compatible material — can often move it toward green. See how to improve your RAM rating.

If your result is red: your packaging is hard to recycle and faces the rising red multiplier — 1.2× the base fee in 2026/27, climbing to 1.6× in 2027/28 and 2.0× in 2028/29. This is where the biggest savings are: switching a red-rated item to a recyclable alternative can move you out of the multiplier entirely. See our EPR-friendly packaging range.

This checker gives an indicative rating to help you plan — it's a guide, not a formal assessment. For a documented RAM rating you can rely on for reporting, talk to us about a full assessment.

What the rating means for your fees

Your RAM rating sets the modulation applied to your base fee — but the total fee also depends on the material (paper and card are far cheaper per tonne than plastic or composite) and the weight you place on the market. To estimate the actual money:

Combining a better rating with a lower-fee material and less weight is where the real savings stack up. Learn more on our EPR-friendly packaging hub.

Common Results

A few examples of how everyday packaging tends to rate — check your own above for a result specific to your features:

  • Bubble-lined mailer (bonded): typically red or amber — a two-material composite that's hard to recycle. A mono-material paper mailer rates far better.
  • Plain corrugated box: typically green — paper-based and widely recycled. Watch for plastic tape or coatings that can pull it down; paper tape keeps it clean.
  • Plastic void fill / air pillows: typically red or amber — flexible plastic that most kerbside collections don't take. Paper void fill rates better.
  • Kraft paper mailing bag: typically green — single-material paper, kerbside recyclable.

Interactive · UK packaging EPR

Would your packaging rate red, amber or green?

Indicative only — this tool uses a simplified version of the assessment criteria and is not a compliance assessment. Always check the latest official guidance on GOV.UK before reporting.

This result is indicative only and must not be relied on for reporting or fee decisions. Ratings depend on the full recyclability assessment methodology (RAM) and the kerbside collection lists for your reporting year — always check the latest guidance on GOV.UK or take professional advice.

No rating needed

Non-household packaging is still reported for tonnage under EPR and still carries recycling obligations, but it receives no red/amber/green rating and no modulated disposal fee — those fees fund household waste collection. Note the regulations' default: packaging counts as household unless you hold evidence it was supplied to a business end user and not passed on to consumers.

Disclaimer: this interactive tool is provided for general information only and is indicative, not a compliance assessment. It uses a simplified subset of the recyclability assessment methodology (RAM) published by PackUK, which is updated annually and may have changed since this tool was built. Under the regulations, missing or unevidenced data must be reported red — "don't know" answers here are treated the same way. Results do not constitute legal, regulatory or professional advice, and no liability is accepted for decisions made in reliance on them. Always check the latest statutory guidance and kerbside collection lists on GOV.UK before assessing or reporting your packaging.