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.

 The Process for Making Cardboard

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.

 The Basics of Cardboard

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.

 Flute Profiles

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.

 Board Types

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.

 Benefits of Cardboard  Packaging

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.

 Increased Customer Satisfaction

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.

 Eco-Friendliness

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.