Corrugated paperboard for dummies

Corrugated packaging boxes are some of theDouble-Wall Corrugated Board: When another
most commonly used forms of transportlayer of corrugating material and a layer of liner is
packaging in the world today. The raw materialadded to a single-wall paperboard, the resulting
used for this form of packaging is corrugatedproduct is the much stronger and shock
paperboard (or simply 'board'), and it is producedabsorbent double-wall paperboard. This form is
in many ways and with many specifications inheavier and more expensive and is generally used
order to fit the corrugated packaging andto ship/ transport bulk packaged foods, material
corrugated transport material requirements for alike nails and rivets, appliances like TV's and DVD
particular product and its supply chain, startingplayers and even furniture. For larger and heavier
from a factory to the doorstep of a consumer. Ingoods, Triple-Wall Corrugated Paperboard is
the US alone, 95% of all consumer products areproduced in the same way.
shipped in corrugated boxes, with 75% of thisProduction
amount of box material being recycled each year.Corrugated paperboard is specifically designed to
The basic principle is to use combinations of paperfit product based requirements. Producers usually
and adhesives with varying levels of heat andspecifically design the kind of paperboard to be
pressure; which allows for a variety of types toused for each specific product type in accordance
be produced, with varying levels of strength,with transportation requirements, weight and
weight and durability.strength and shock absorbent properties. The
Corrugated paperboard starts out with basic linerproduction of corrugated paperboard is simply
(also called paperboard; from which the nameexplained as follows;
comes) in massive rolls. The wavy paper shown1- The first sheet of straight liner is unrolled and
below, sandwiched between the straight papers isheated.
called the corrugating medium (while the straight2- This sheet is then passed through high
paper on both sides of the wavy one are thepressure steam to make it soft and spongy.
liners).3- The sheet is then passed between a set of
Common Corrugated Paperboard types and useslong sprockets in order to create the ridges (or
Single-face Corrugated Board: A single liner is gluedflutes). This process forms the wavy 'corrugating
to a corrugated medium to form a single-facemedium'.
paperboard. This is commonly seen in packaging4- The glue is then applied to one side (in case of
for fine china, light bulb etc.single-face paperboard) or either side (in single-wall
Single-Wall Corrugated Board: Two liners are gluedpaperboard) of the corrugating medium.
to either side of the corrugating material to form5- Sheets of liner are then unrolled and glued to
a single-wall paperboard. This is the simplest andone or either side of the corrugating medium to
most widely used form of packaging forform a single-face or single-wall paperboard.
shipments for a variety of plastic goods and food6- Further layers of corrugating medium and liner
products. This is the box consumers come acrossare added to form double-wall and higher
most often In daily life.classifications of corrugated paperboard.