What is corrugated cardboard? A Detailed Guide

Who invented corrugated cardboard?

Corrugated cardboard boxes were first invented in 1890 by Scottish-born Robert Gair. Gair discovered it by accident while making a paper bag. He discovered that through cutting and creasing the cards he had worked on in a single operation, he could create prefabricated boxes.

How is corrugated cardboard made?

Corrugated cardboard is made using several types of paper and the strength of the cardboard is highly dependent on the material used. A standard corrugated board is made of two main components: backing paper and corrugated paper. The corrugated sheet is sandwiched between the outer and inner lining and then glued to the flat-lining paper with starch paste.

Why corrugated cardboard is used for packing?

Corrugated cardboard has become the most popular form of product packaging for e-commerce companies with Amazon providing 1.5 billion packaging boxes in 2020. So what are the advantages of corrugated cardboard boxes that make it the top choice for packaging?

Corrugated cardboard is light in weight

Corrugated cardboard is light, stiff and can provide proper protection through impact absorption and temperature protection, that’s why people are considering the use of corrugated board in closing materials. in their packages.

Corrugated cardboard offers great protection

Cardboard is extremely effective for protecting both fragile and non-fragile items. Sheets of paper glued to the inside of the embellishment give the box structure extra strength to support heavy loads, resisting shock, impact, drops and vibrations. The protective corrugated cardboard layers also provide excellent insulation and help retain moisture in the product.

The corrugated cardboard can be easily customized

Corrugated packaging can improve your brand visibility and can act as a new channel to market your products. Adding printed artwork to your cardboard surface can dramatically increase brand awareness and communicate your brand message and values ​​really effectively.

Corrugated cardboard makes the packaging eco-friendly

Corrugated cardboard makes the packaging eco-friendly and easy to dispose of. In fact, more than 80% of corrugated and box packaging in the UK is recycled, a higher percentage than any other major packaging material. At Boxed-Up, our cardboard waste is recycled using a circular recycling model. Reduction, reuse and recycling are at the heart of every stage of our manufacturing process, which means our cardboard is cut and our waste is used over and over again in our products. while still maintaining durability! Such efficient recycling allows a renewable resource – paper fibers – to be used again, as part of a closed-loop recycling process for corrugated packaging.

Corrugated cardboard is flexible

Cardboard is a versatile material and corrugated in particular is recognized for its premium quality and innovative construction. Cardboard provides a cost-effective and practical way to protect products, stabilize loads and pack goods of confusing shapes. Due to its versatility, the box can be manufactured in a variety of sizes and designs, incorporating single or double wall protection for your products.

Corrugated Cardboard Properties

When searching for corrugated cardboard you will generally see a description of the board as B125KT, which is a shorthand description of the board grade, paperweight and fluting size.

B = fluting Size

125 = Paper weight

KT = Kraft/ Test Paper (Outer/ Inner Liner)

To understand this further we shall look into what this means.

Corrugated Cardboard is manufactured from three components, which include one ‘fluted’ or ‘squiggly’ middle section and two outer liners of paper or card, which are then glued to the flute to add stability to the board and to create a robust structure. The liner paper is made from either Kraft or Test paper.

Kraft or Test Paper – Kraft is a popular choice when making boxes and has a smoother surface, making it an ideal choice to print on. The Test is recycled paper, it’s not as nice looking as Kraft and is often used for the inside of the boxes.

There are other types of paper such as Clay Coated and Bleached but these are more speciality papers and are not widely used in the e-commerce sector.

Paper Weight – The weight of the paper is measured in grams per square meter or GSM. Common weights that boxed-up use is 125 gsm, 150 gsm and 200 gsm.

Corrugated Board – Various types of cardboard can be created using different flute sizes, which include double wall, single wall and tri-wall. The single wall consists of two pieces of paper with one middle flute section, the double-wall features an additional liner and fluting, whereas the tri-wall adds another layer of fluting and extra lining. Read our complete guide if you want to learn more about the difference between single and double wall cardboard boxes.

Flute can vary in width and size and the arch shape of the fluting allows air to circulate which acts as an insulator, providing additional protection against temperature variation. It is the flute that can affect the performance of your boxes.

• E Flute is used on our die-cut pip boxes, such as our C4 and C5 and for smaller cartons such as our sub boxes. This type of flute is ideal for printing on due to its high-quality surface, excellent compression strength and great resistance to crushing.
• B Flute is an ideal flute for transit packaging. It is thicker and weighs heavier. This is the flute that Boxed-Up used to manufacture and is a good all-rounder.
• BC Flute – B Flute is married with C Flute which gives a higher level of protection for your products. Boxed-Up uses this fluting profile on all our double wall boxes including our house moving boxes.
• Z Flute – Also known as M, S or R Flute®. It is ideal for printing on due to its high-quality surface. It’s a much smaller and compact fluting, whilst still optimising board strength. It’s perfect for e-commerce, and online sellers and offers the necessary protection for your products.

The benefits of the Z-flute are as follows:

• Bigger savings for customers
• Neater looking boxes
• 20% increased storage & delivery
• More on a pallet**
• 100% recyclable
• Higher resistance to crushing than B-flute
• Able to withstand the rigours of shipping
• Perfect for the e-commerce sector
• Reduced carbon footprint
• Improved performance
• No compromise to the integrity of the box
• Ideal for FMCG

Where to buy corrugated cardboard boxes?

If you’re looking to buy corrugated cardboard boxes for yourself or your business we have a wide range of different box options including:

• Single-Wall Cardboard Boxes
• Double Wall Cardboard Boxes
• Cardboard Postal Boxes
• Cardboard Archive Boxes
• Cardboard Removal Boxes