Corrugated cardboard boxes

Today, cardboard is one of the most popular packaging materials. It is lightweight, sturdy and stable, providing reliable protection for almost any threat.

How is a corrugated board made?

To begin with, we’ll start with the basics – what is the corrugated board? In simple terms, it is the thick, sturdy arrangement of cardboard sheets that make up the walls of the cardboard box. It is this combination of materials that gives the board its high strength and resistance to shocks, impacts, and dents.

The cardboard of which the box is made consists of waves and flat layers that give strength to the box on both sides. Corrugated cardboard is made from different types of paper, based on cellulose or waste paper. The outer layers of paper help the corrugated surface to remain intact within the board.

When was the corrugated board invented?

Its history goes far back – the first reports appeared about corrugated board patented in England in 1856. Although it was not considered a packing material at the time, it was mainly used for other purposes like making hat lining!

The first registered patent for the packaging and shipping of corrugated paper was issued in the United States on December 19, 1871, where the corrugated board was used to pack bottles and glass hoods for chimneys. In the following years, it became a popular packaging material, with wooden crates and boxes being replaced by corrugated paper cartons in the early 1900s.

With the development of a material that deserved special attention, cardboard boxes began to be readily used for reliable transportation and storage. However, how are cardboard boxes made? The manufacturing process begins with the creation of the inside of the corrugated board – it is made on a large machine called a corrugator.

The cardboard in reels is fed into a corrugator, heated, and pressed in the shape of an accordion – this is how the central filling of the walls of the cardboard box is formed. The two outer liners and the corrugating paper are then fed into the machine and carefully glued to the corrugated board using a very strong adhesive. Once the glue is securely fixed with steam, the flat stacked slab can be cut into large sheets of various sizes, which are used to form the cardboard boxes you receive from your supplier.

How the corrugated board is used

Some manufacturers use thinner, lighter monolayer cardboard materials for lightweight boxes – they are called single-walled boxes. Others may use multiple layers of the corrugated board made from much thicker cardboard.

Why is the corrugated board so durable?We already know that corrugated board was patented for use as a material for transporting cargo in 1871, and these were boxes with a single wall, single corrugated board with one layer of paper on one layer of corrugated board. But who invented the corrugated board? The patent was registered in New York by Albert Jones.

But why is corrugated board considered a good insulating material and why is it so durable? The main strength of corrugated board is given by a wavy base in the form of a zigzag. Placed inside corrugated paper on a strong adhesive backing, cardboard is the strongest material along its entire length, and it is the structure that gives it the strength to support it on both sides.

Is corrugated board recyclable?

Corrugated board is biodegradable. It degrades over time in the environment, although this can take a long time depending on the environment in which it is found. If it’s wet and cut into small pieces, it will decompose much faster, so if you have a compost bin in your home or work, cardboard can be a great addition to your compost.

If you want to learn how to shred corrugated board, it’s quite simple you can shred it by hand by soaking it in water, which makes it very susceptible to tearing or shredding with regular scissors if it is a single or double wall box. For triple-walled boxes, you may need something stronger, such as the box cutter described below, or special industrial shears, which are usually more durable.

Despite the fact that they break, the choice to recycle cardboard is always ours whenever possible – all our boxes are made up of an average of 75% recyclable fibers. Local collectors of paper and board for recycling are usually quite common, and the corrugated board recycling cycle is so efficient that used boxes can be recycled, reworked and reused in as little as two weeks! Cardboard is highly recyclable without loss of strength or stability and is therefore an excellent material for recycling.

Corrugated cardboard is also great for packaging – separating various items from each other in a single box so they are kept securely in place. The fact that it is lightweight, easy to handle, and easily divisible means that it is suitable for a variety of purposes. If you are interested in how corrugated board is cut, then don’t worry, it’s easy. A small knife for cutting, called a clerical knife, will do the job quickly and will slide easily over corrugated board.

What is non-corrugated cardboard?

Finally, we come to consider non-corrugated board as an alternative. This is the exact opposite of corrugated cardboard, as you would expect! In this material, the cartons are simply laid out on top of each other, in the same way as puff pastry is made. This is done with a dedicated cardboard smoothing device, making it well suited for printing amazing advertising materials or graphics on it.It is mainly used for storing lighter products, making gift cases, and you might even come across similar boxes like iPhone boxes or other gadgets. In general, they are not recommended for use as serious packaging material, although they can be cheaper than corrugated boxes due to their simpler and lighter design.