Everything you need to know about custom cardboard boxes and their stock materials

Ever since E-Commerce has evolved into its current ginormous shape, the demand for customized custom cardboard boxes has also increased. These cardboard boxes serve more purposes than mere wrapping of a product. They give a product character and protect it from external harsh conditions, amongst other benefits. OXO Packaging has been offering tailor-made cardboard packaging boxes in any custom shape and sizes, required by the client or the product itself.
As these boxes are made to support different product categories and their specifications, they are also usually varied in materials and styles. If you are in the business of manufacturing consumer goods then it’s only fair that you should know how many options are available in the market before you order your custom cardboard boxes to encase your products with style.

Custom Cardboard Boxes/ Paperboard Boxes:

You must be wondering where this new term ‘paperboard box’ came from? Well, we understand your probable confusion and would like you to know that the term ‘cardboard’ has been used with a rather careless abandon. It is a generic term that actually doesn’t refer to any specific cardboard type, contrary to the popular belief. Essentially, when we say cardboard box we mean either paperboard boxes, corrugated or kraft boxes.
So coming back to paperboard boxes, these containers are made from thick, paper-based materials. The only way you can tell paper and paperboard apart is through the thickness of the materials. Paperboards are usually over .30mm thick and can be single or multi-ply. They are lightweight and can be used in packaging of goods or even be used in fine arts. First, ever paperboard box was manufactured in England in 1817 and since then they are only increased in popularity.
The terminology for paperboard varies, depending on geographical location and product nature; but overall, these are the terms taking over the market these days.

• Boxboard/ Carton-board: This kind of paperboard material used to manufacture folding cartons or achieve box. Folding cartons are a popular item of OXO Packaging as they are used for the product transportations and helps in the relocation of offices or homes. They offer a bending grade quality that can accommodate the goods in a flexible way. They are also used in official settings to archive important documents, given their long-lasting capabilities.
• Chipboard: Recycled low-quality material can be used for moving containers. Also available with white clay coat and termed as white lined chipboard.
• Liquid Packaging Board: it is a paperboard box which has multi-ply with stiff, strong, high barrier, wet sizing coating. Nothing but the new paper fibers are used for their manufacturing. The strong barrier coats hold the liquid inside the box against leaks and protect it from air migration that may pollute the flavor.
• Kraft Board: Custom kraft boxes are crafted from strong un-used fiber paperboard. These are often coated with clay for printing boxes. Specialized kraft packaging boxes also are coming in all sorts of colors and are used to wrap lighter product articles like ties, scarves or candles etc. Custom kraft boxes are also used in all-natural brown color for its neutral and creative appeal. Custom kraft boxes are styled in the sleeve, die-cut, tuck-in, box with lid, the box with handles styles. Given its poor resistance to moisture, kraft boxes are the poor choice for food and liquids without added barrier coating.
• Bleached & Unbleached Kraft Board: These cartons are crafted from chemically bleached or unbleached pulp, depending on their various applications.
  • SBS or solid bleached sulfate paperboard is mostly used for the packaging of consumer goods like medicine, cosmetics, etc. It is by far most expensive, high-quality paperboard substrate. Made from un-used wood pulp, this material is often clay coated to become more receptive to the high resolution printed graphics. It can also be treated with the moisture barrier for food packing.
  • CUK or coated unbleached kraft material is used by eco-friendly, green and organic businesses. It is crafted from recycled newspapers, corrugated materials, and secondary paper. They are a common substrate for lower quality folded cartons. It can contain up to 8 layers of paper material, topped with bleached or semi-bleached fibers. It has the advantage of one stiff side that can endure the pressure.
• Binder’s Board: You know this material from the hardbacks and bookbinding.

Custom Corrugated Boxes:

The other type of cardboard boxes is corrugated boxes that are also known in the market as combined boxes, corrugated fiberboard, and corrugated board.
They are very popular in the market as they are not limited to one industry. The shipping and moving industry, in particular, use custom corrugated boxes.  According to an estimated 98% of the Northern American consumer products are transported through custom corrugated cardboard. Another bulk purchaser of corrugated packaging is shoe designers and manufacturers. These containers are used for shipping and transferring of all sorts’ goods like books, office supplies, electronics, tools, food, drinks etc. 
The interesting fact about corrugated cardboard packaging boxes is that they are changeable in their strength. You can get them made for a certain degree of box strength and durability, depending upon the weight of the product itself.
How it happens, you ask?
The wavy, corrugated packaging medium in these containers is called fluting. Overall 3 layers of paper combine to make a corrugated box i.e. fluting compressed between two liners. 
The chief raw material used for the construction of the corrugated fiber is mostly recycled paper, created on huge, highly-precise machine “corrugator”. These fiberboards can be used time and again as a pulp source. These boards can be made in different forms like:

• Single face: Made with a corrugated medium and one-liner sheet glued together.
• Single Wall, Double Faced: One flute glued between two liner boards on either side.
• Twin Wall or Double Wall: Two flutes are glued in three liner boards.
• Triple Wall: Three mediums are glued in four liner board sheets.

The medium of corrugated fiber offers 5 flute profiles.

1. A Flute:  the original flute size with approx. 33 flutes per foot.
2. B Flute: Smaller waves, 47 per foot.
3. C Flute: 39 fluted per foot.
4. E Flute: Thinner with 90 flutes/waves per foot
5. F Flute: 125 flutes per foot.

Be sure to tell your cardboard manufacturer about the purpose and the weight of the product that’s to be placed inside. This information will help your manufacture create customized boxes, perfect for your needs.