What Are Cardboard boxes? The Different Uses And Types Of Cardboard Packaging
What are cardboard boxes? If you’re still not familiar with
the world’s best packaging option, then you’re in the right place. Read on to
learn more about what cardboard boxes are as well the different uses for and
types of cardboard packaging.
Different Cardboard
A cardboard packing boxes is made of thick paper stock or heavy
paper-pulp. This material is used to make a variety of products such as small
containers, product packaging, and even structural support for less rigid items
like notepads, inserts that keep clothing items like button-up shirts from
losing shape, and more.
As a retailer, you can ship products in containers made of
cardboard, but you’re at risk when doing so because the material provides
little protection. It may also require extra packaging materials such as bubble
wrap to ensure your product inside will stay safe during the shipping process.
Cardboard cartons are
made up of a few layers of material rather than just a single sheet like
cardboard. The three layers of cardboard include an inside liner, an outside liner, and
a medium that goes between the two, which is fluted. Cardboard is a resilient material that is also
lightweight — an important consideration for those shipping a significant
number of packages.
These containers remain intact even when exposed to shocks,
moisture, and sudden temperature changes. While no container is invincible to
excessive force or prolonged and harsh conditions, cardboard provides a higher level of assurance that your
products will move from your warehouse to their final destination in great
shape.
In order to understand what cardboard boxes are, you first
have to understand how they’re made. Made predominantly from trees, which are a
renewable resource, cardboard packaging
is the most recovered packaging material on the planet. It is sustainably manufactured
from trees and old recovered cardboard containers with an industry recovery rate
hovering around 90% over the last eight years and 96 percent in 2018 per Cardboard
.org.
When cardboard is
recycled, old cardboard containers (OCC)
are dropped off, sorted, compacted, and baled for space-efficient storage.
These bales are then transferred to a paper mill where they’re then broken down
and the cardboard is inserted into a
repulper, which is like a large blender.
In the repulper, they’re agitated to form a slushy pulp of
fiber and water. The contaminants are removed and the remaining fiber solution
is poured out onto a moving screen that allows the water to drain away, forming
a continuous fiber mat. This mat is then pressed between rollers to remove any
additional water.
The wet, continuous fiber is wound through a dryer where the
top and bottom of it contact heated surfaces of drying cylinders, removing any
remaining moisture from the paper. Once this process is finished, the paper is
rolled onto a large reel spool where it is then slit and rewound into
individual rolls, which is when the recycling process is considered complete.
These paper rolls are shipped off to sheet feeders or corrugators where they
will be converted into cardboard sheets,
and later transformed into sustainable cardboard packaging. If you want to learn more about how
cardboard packaging is sustainable, our
blog Sustainable Cardboard Packaging:
How to Reuse and Recycle Properly is a great resource.
Now that you know the differences between cardboard and cardboard, we can take a deeper dive into
the basics of cardboard . There are a number of factors that come into play
when making a cardboard box. This is
also why they’re so customizable.
The most common flutes used today are A, B, C, E, and F, with
A being the largest flute size. Flute size determines the thickness of the
walls as well as the stacking strength of your cardboard box. An “A” flute is approximately 5 mm thick
and is an ideal option for products that require additional cushioning or extra
strength for stacking. As you go through B, C, E, and F flutes, the thickness
is smaller resulting in a thinner board.
There are four types of boards that can be used for cardboard
boxes. The most common of which are single-wall and double-wall boards. There
is also single-face board which is made up of one sheet of liner adhered to one
sheet of cardboard medium. This style of
board is typically sold in rolls and can be used to wrap around products for
protection and cushioning. Single-wall board is when one sheet of cardboard medium is glued between two sheets of liner.
Single-wall is the most common type of board in the market and can be used for
everything from shipping boxes to retail displays.
Double-wall is when two sheets of cardboard medium are glued between three sheets of
liner. This board is commonly used for heavier products or products that
require a stronger box for shipping.
And lastly, triple-wall is when three sheets of cardboard medium are glued between four sheets of liner.
This board is the strongest out of all the board styles and is often used for
industrial parts or produce bins.
Customization
The ability to customize your cardboard packaging is what makes it extremely versatile
and valuable for retailers. From designing a custom retail packaging solution
for your product to designing a cardboard box that fits your product perfectly for
shipment, cardboard allows you to
satisfy your packaging needs.
Want to satisfy your customers? Provide them with a pleasant
unboxing experience. Creating a pleasant unboxing experience is particularly
important for eCommerce companies because they don’t have the “shelf presence”
that retailers do and they have to leave a lasting impression on a customer
somehow. Your product packaging can help you do that.
Sustainable packaging can benefit the environment and your
online store. Your ability to build a solid relationship with your customers is
one of the most crucial aspects of your eCommerce business' growth and success.
Additionally, consumers are starting to value products and packaging that are
environmentally friendly. And what more effective way to fulfil those values
than with environmentally friendly packaging like cardboard? We would like to
remind you that, according to Cardboard.org, the industry recovery rate for
cardboard has been averaging 90% over the past eight years and 96 percent in
2018.
Cost Efficiency
All of these advantages are offered by cardboard, which is
also an affordable packaging choice. How is it even conceivable that? The
cost-effectiveness of producing and reusing cardboard packaging is a result of
both its sustainability and the volume of recycling it receives. It not only
saves you money, but it can also boost your sales. Read our blog post Three
Strategic Ways that Cardboard Packaging Increases Sales to find out how.
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