The corrugated box is the preferred packaging because of its durability and strength. Furthermore, it has excellent storage and shipping applications. Learn more below.

The corrugated box is very popular in the market. Its popularity is because of its strength, low weight, and affordability. Furthermore, most business owners prefer corrugated boxes to store and ship consumer products like soap, toothpaste, printing papers, and cereals.

You will notice several types with varying prices if you need to buy one. The different types may confuse you on which is the best to buy. Thus, this article aims to provide you with the best-corrugated box buying guide.

The Corrugated Box Application

One of the common office, mail, and home use of the corrugated box is the organization of materials. Manufactures make the corrugated packaging to be very strong and durable. Their durability offers excellent storage and organization options. Furthermore, manufacturers use corrugation procedures to strengthen the fiberboard packaging while ensuring that they have low weight.

The boxes’ strength, low weight, and affordability ensure that most people come across them every day in their many applications.

One can also use corrugated containers to ship and store several consumer products. The boxes also act as perfect packaging for daily consumer-use items. The corrugated containers responsible for shipping have a wax-like, and shiny finish applied, with graphics, brand names, and company logos customized in the packaging. Manufacturers make retail jewelry boxes, pizza boxes, clothing store boxes, and baked goods containers using corrugated paper material.

Some industries that depend on corrugated containers for their daily use include restaurants, publishing, toys, construction, health care, food processing, tools, hardware, and auto parts.

History of Corrugated Boxes

Corrugated paper materials have been in existence for more than 150 years. People have always used the material for packaging in all its long life. Before that, paper products were very expensive because of the laborious procedures. In most cases, manufacturers used to make them by hand. 

However, as industrial processing methods became more advent, the manufacturing of paper packaging materials and wood pulp became more affordable. In the 1850s, the United Kingdom issued a patent for the first corrugated paper. Later on, Albert Jones, an American, received the first corrugated board patent. He created it in the early 1870s, and it had one face, unlike the present three-layered corrugated fiberboard.

The corrugated container was the first material that people used for shipping. Oliver Long used Jones’ design to develop the corrugated fiberboards that had two flat faces in 1874. The flat faces were located on the corrugated fiberboards, the central layer. G. Smyth, in that same year, developed the first industrial corrugator machine that could manufacture the corrugated containers in masses.

The corrugated shipping boxes that people use today and the materials which manufacturers use were not developed until the early 1900s. In the beginning, people used the boxes to package fragile items, like glass products and ceramics. But as time flew by, people started to use the containers to pack more products like farm produce. By the I990s, the USA alone manufactured 25 million corrugated fireboard tones. 

How Corrugated Boxes Are Made

Manufacturers mostly use kraft paper to make corrugated boxes. However, manufacturers use corrugated plastic when a customer needs a stronger box to make the container.

Corrugated plants and paper mills produce corrugated boxes and kraft paper separately, which allows for efficiency. Furthermore, paper mills use woof chips, sawdust, and recycled paper to make kraft paper. They then bind the raw materials using adhesive, heat, and pressure to create heavy-duty paper.

Manufacturers get the corrugated boxes and kraft paper from pine trees. The manufacturers cut the pine trunk branches in the mills, then strip the bark and cut it into tiny wood chips. Afterward, the woodchips undergo a chemical procedure known as the Sulfate or kraft process.

The sulfate process turns the chips into fibrous pulp by mixing them in an alkaline sodium hydroxide solution. Later on, the manufacturers dehydrate the pulp in a Fourdrinier machine that turns it into paper. The mills then ship the kraft paper output to the corrugating factories, where they store them as inventory.

Manufacturers use the corrugator machines to turn the paper into corrugate. The machine begins by softening the Kraft paper at high humidity and pressure in preheating rollers, making it easy to form ripples and flutes.

The machine then presses the corrugated molds into the cardboard to create the fluted board. Then it proceeds to the glue stations, where the adhesives pierce the corrugated material and turn it into a complete corrugated fiberboard.

After completing the process, the material is left to dry over steamy hot pates. Then, they are sanded or coated with a glossy waterproof finish. In the last step, the corrugator divides the fireboard into large sheets and box blanks ready for cutting into various sizes. Many manufacturers can use the corrugator machines to manufacture the corrugated fiberboards at 500 feet per minute. 

In addition, the corrugated box sides have layers of materials: an outer layer, a middle layer, and an inner layer. The middle layer has wave-shaped arches that cushion and support the corrugated box materials.

The corrugator then produces actual boxes or containers from the corrugated fireboard. The fiberboards are often sold in bulks of 20 and above. The manufacturers sell them when they are flat to save space. 

Many industries in the world today utilize fiberboard boxes.

Types of Boxes and Corrugated Fiberboard

Most people often confuse paperboards, chipboard, cardboards, and corrugated materials to be the same thing. However, those individuals in the shipping and packaging industries tend to avoid using the generic term cardboard to describe heavy material since it is imprecise.

Chipboard is another more precise term; it describes recycled paper manufacturers’ press to a specific thickness. Most people use chipboards to pack light items, like board games and cereals.

Corrugated fiberboard is a kraft paper with three layers, and most manufacturers use it to make corrugated boxes. The term corrugated refers to the ripples and pleats present in the boxes; the corrugated box industry refers to it as flutes. The ripples have air that ensures the boxes’ durability. It also offers cushions for products that you may ship or store.

The different corrugated fiberboard types and corrugated box types offer customization options. End users can decide how which manufacturers to design their boxes.

The materials, flute size adhesives, and bindings that manufacturers use to make the boxes vary. Small pleats or flutes offer good structural integrity and enough marketing text room. On the other hand, large flute size, the box’s content is more cushioning. The number and size of flutes impact the board’s compression strength, cushioning strength, and thickness. 

The finishes, lids, shapes, and sizes of techniques for closing the containers are also different. The various box shapes include; cylindrical, rectangular, and square. However, if you want a custom-made box to fit a particular object, your manufacturer can do it for you.

The die-cutting machine is responsible for box shaping. It uses a laser or a sharp metal blade to cut the box into any shape.

 The shapes may include a folding flap or a detachable lid. The end users put together the boxes by folding the flat boards when they need to use them.

Folding boxes, unlike other containers, do not need fasters or tapes to stay in place. They have folded flaps that hold the assembled boxes.

In addition, the custom-made boxes that people use for organization, storage, and shipping have various finishes, was, images and texts, and dividers. 

Manufacturers get the white cardboard boxes through the mottling or bleaching of the corrugated fiberboard’s exterior. The bleaching process removes the dark brown pigment. You will find that the white and the naturally brown boxes are the most common in the market.

Corrugated Box Benefits

Corrugated containers and boxes have several benefits. Some of them are versatile, recyclable, inexpensive, durable, lightweight, and reliable. The containers are also ideal for shipping as they protect the contents during transit. Moreover, they have a perfect surface for printing graphics and texts.

The corrugated boxes also have their limitations. For instance, one cannot use them to transport heavy items. Industries have sanitary concerns, such as hospital food storage and medical supplies. The contamination fear of liquid absorption and insect infestation precludes the corrugated fiberboard use.

Corrugated Boxes: Packaging Solution for Startups

Social distancing and lockdowns norms have increased online shopping rates. Many startups are currently turning to paper bags and boxes for product delivery. The packaging acts as both branding and protection elements, thus ensuring consumer trust. An excellent packaging design helps businesses to create a product identity.

The packaging costs should also play an essential role in startups’ decisions. Different factors influence box pricing. 

The factors include; packaging structure, materials, and design. Furthermore, business owners should consider the packages’ bulk availability before ordering. Bulk buying ensures that the owners can reduce their packaging needs; costs. 

Also, choosing an appropriate supplier with affordable and reasonable minimum order quantity requirements can help the business grow.

Safety, Care, and Compliance Standards of Corrugated Boxes

Corrugated containers need to be dry to ensure durability and strength. The presence of moisture can cause the box’s fundamental properties to depreciate.

Corrugated boxes with fiberboards will not work well if handled inconsistently with the necessary directionality.

ATSM International, US-based, sets suitable technical standards for regulating the corrugated packaging industry. The standards evaluate the corrugated fiberboard properties and all the products manufacturers make from it. Some of the properties they check include; breaking strength, weight limits, and tear resistance. The organization also sets standard industry practices for box and fiberboard construction. 

Things to Consider/Choosing the Right Corrugated Box Manufacturer

The number of corrugated box manufacturers in the US alone exceeds 1000. Thus, it would be best if you got the right manufacturer for your needs.

First, ask about the suppliers’ certification. You can also inquire from the potential suppliers about their; manufacturing timelines, compliance with the ASTM International Standards, and shipping process. 

Make sure you discuss the intended end use of which you require the boxes and whether customization is an option. Also, inquire about customization efforts, such as printing graphics and texts are available.

Corrugated Box Terms

• Cardboard– It is any board that manufacturers make using paper pulp. Note that corrugated and cardboard are not necessarily the same thing. 
• Box Plants– A factory that manufactures cardboard or corrugated boxes.
• Cardboard Storage Boxes– They are cardboard containers whose primary function is storage.
• Cardboard Bins– They are rectangular or trapezoidal cardboard containers with no lid.
• Corrugated Boxes– Containers that consist of corrugated materials
• Converting Machines–The machine changes flat-corrugated boards into boxes.
• Corrugated Paperboard– They are stiff paper’s two sheets connected by a pleated paper’s middle sheet.
• Corrugated cartons– Manufacturers often design the containers to fit a certain product
• Corrugating Medium– A corrugated paperboard’s wavy flutes paper.
• Corrugated Trays– People use the trays for display purposes
• Die-cut Machines– They are responsible for cutting the corrugated board into different patterns that will be converted into a box shape.
• Corrugating Rolls– It is responsible for shaping paper into flutes.
• Flutes– They are ridges that are folded or pressed into the paper. The flute sizes include A, B, B, C, E, F, and micro-flute. Most manufacturers use size C.
• Full Overlap Boxes – Manufactures make them with the major flaps fully overlapping, increasing the stability of the seal.
• Five Panel Folder Boxes– The boxes are not folded when shipping takes place; they are shipped flat. 
• Partial Telescope Boxes– The boxes have two significant sections; the bottom and the top.
• Liner– The material is brown and referred to as paperboard.
• Single-face Web– is a flat paper continuous sheet with fluted paper attached.
• Web – A long paper sheet on a roll. The web plays an essential role in the formation of corrugated paperboard.

Corrugated boxes are made in box plant factories. Designed to be strong, they are comprised of corrugated paperboard, which contains air columns. These columns act as cushion, making the box more secure and protecting whatever it is the box is meant to hold safely.

Before a manufacturer builds a box, he must take into consideration the size, shape, strength, color, flutes, and coatings. Depending on the required strength of the box, corrugated boxes may be made of one, two, or three layers of flutes and liners.

The key raw material in corrugating is paper. Different grades of paper comprise each layer that makes up a corrugated box.

The process begins by making a corrugated board on a corrugating line, a long series of linked machines totaling the size of a football field. Paper is fed into the corrugator, where it is steam-heated and pressed to form corrugated cardboard. One roll of cardboard is corrugated and then glued between two other layers. Corn starch glue bonds the corrugated medium (wavy layer) to the liners (layers of paper). Two liners and a corrugated medium make up your standard three-layer corrugated board.

The medium is first fed through the preheating rollers, then into the corrugating rollers. Steam is forced through both sets of rollers at 175-180psi. As the paper passes through, temperatures reach 350-365 degrees Fahrenheit.

The corrugated rolls are then covered with IO flutes. The size of the flute changes the width of the corrugated medium. When the hot paper passes between the corrugating rolls, flutes trap and bend it to form the middle of the corrugated cardboard. A finished piece of corrugated cardboard is comprised of a single corrugated layer sandwiched between two liners.

Next, the corrugated medium goes to the single-facer glue station where one layer of liner is glued to the medium. Then the medium and liner go to the double backer glue station where the layer from the bridge is added. The cardboard is then passed over steam-heated plates, which cure the glue.

At the end of the corrugator, the cardboard is trimmed and cut into large sheets, or box blanks, which then slide into a stacker that loads them onto a platform.

Skilled workers prepare job tickets for each stack of box blanks and route the blanks to fabrication machines. Printing dies and patterns are prepared on large, flexible, rubber, or tin sheets. They are loaded onto rollers and the box blanks are fed through it, where each is trimmed, printed, cut, scored, folded, and glued to form a box. Finished boxes are then stacked and sent to a banding machine to be wrapped and shipped.

Corrugated Boxes: Uses
Popular for their strength, durability, lightness, recyclability, and cost-effectiveness, corrugated boxes are used for the shipping of a variety of items. Due to the quality and safety of packaging items in corrugated boxes, they are used widely in the food industry. The boxes handle the pressure that comes with stacking, making them ideal for easy transport.

Conclusion 

Corrugated boxes are every packaging container used. However, if you want the packaging for your business, you must consider several factors. The above will help you determine the ideal corrugated box for you and your requirements.