Corrugated Cardboard Boxes

Corrugated Boxes – Everything You Need To Know

Did you know that what most people call corrugated cardboard boxes are actually a corrugated fiberboard boxes?

We have adapted the term “cardboard” probably because it's just easier to say, and since everybody uses it these days anyway, we all know what you mean when you say it.

The whole concept of the corrugated or “pleated” paper being used as a strong and durable way to pack and cushion items is only a couple of hundred years old.  It was 1817 when the first commercial “cardboard” box was created, though it would a while before this really caught on. 

Corrugated paper was patented in England in 1856 and used as a liner for tall hats.

In 1871 a patent was issued to Albert Jones of New York for single sided corrugated sheets.  He used these as a means to ship bottles, wrapping each bottle in a sheet to help protect it.

In 1874 Oliver Long improved on Jones design and created what we know today as corrugated cardboard, which is the wafer between two sheets, for increased strength.

Corrugated card board “boxes” came along shortly after this.   Robert Gair designed the pre-cut flat pieces of cardboard, which could then be folded into a box shape.

By the beginning of the 20th century these boxes started to gain in popularity and were replacing the much heavier wooden crates that had been used for shipping.

Today corrugated cardboard boxes are everywhere.  We are all familiar with helping a friend move, which along with the furniture, requires dozens of these boxes to hold everything from books, to china, and whatever else in between.

The most common formation of the corrugated cardboard box is the four flaps each on the top and bottom, which can be taped, or folded in to create the box.

For industrial usage, a stronger grade of corrugation has been created.  A double-wall sheet has two wafer sections between three sheets, kind of like a big mac (two paddies between three buns).  This creates a much stronger wall which can then hold much heavier material.

Which brings us to the pinnacle of uses for cardboard boxes – a plaything for young children.

How many times have you seen a child open a big box, take out the present inside, then proceed to climb into the box.  It's simple, it's inexpensive and it brings so much joy to these children.  It would be virtually impossible to count how many houses, forts, robot costumes, ships, cars, planes, and spaceships have been created from such a simple thing.

According to Wikipedia - “So prevalent is the cardboard box's reputation as a plaything that in 2005 a corrugated cardboard box was added to the National Toy Hall of Fame, one of very few non-brand-specific toys to be honored with inclusion.
Which really goes to show what an amazing thing a cardboard box is!

Where else can you find such a versatile element that can be created in almost any shape, is easy to manipulated and cut up, while still retaining much of its strength, for so little a price?

We are limited only by our imaginations as to what uses we can find for this wonderfully simple material.

Who knew corrugated boxes could be so interesting.

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Standard	Folder/ (Book) Mailer	Custom Die-Cut	Custom 5 Panel	Pad Sheet
(RSC) - The classic standard box with 4 flaps that meet in the middle both on the top & bottom.	The ultimate shipping box for books, media and literature, etc. One strip of tape only needed on top middle.	Specialty locked ends with a folding lid. Tape only needed on top edges.	Ideal for narrow, long items. Place in flat, wrap around & secure by tape or staples at ends and side.	Flat corrugated sheet that may or may not have scores. A variety of uses, it’s most commonly used as an added layer of protection, to cover pallets, as space filler, or to separate products or layers of product.