INTRODUCTION TO
CORRUGATED PACKAGING
Dr. Asit K. Ray
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Christian Brothers University
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING- 1
• PAPER AND PAPERBOARD
– Paper is made from cellulose fibers
derived from trees, straws, linen, cotton,
sugar cane
– Pulping is separating cellulose fibers
from the wood mass of the tree
– The pulp is conditioned and then fed to
paper making machine to make paper
MATERAILS USED IN PACKAGING-2
• PAPER TYPES:
– Greaseproof paper, parchment, glassine
are used as primary packaging to wrap
oily snack foods, cookies, candy bars
– Natural Kraft paper used to paper bags
– Pouch papers are super pressed virgin
Kraft paper treated to make it softer
– Container/liner board & medium is made
of Kraft paper to make corrugated board
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING-3
• PAPERBOARD CARTONS
– Folding Cartons. By far the largest and most
important in paperboard packaging. Majority
of folding carton designs are grouped into
tube-style and tray-style type. Not all the
shapes are box like (basket, tray)
– Setup Boxes that are rigid and sturdy
– Tubs,Trays & Liquid resistant boxes are
used to store ice cream, frozen entrees &
food products
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING-4
WHAT IS CORRUGATED PACKAGING?
- It is secondary packaging (usually boxes)
made of reinforced paper/container board
- Two container boards are glued to a fluted
or corrugated medium which reinforces
- The liner boards are made of Kraft paper
and medium is the corrugated fiber board
- Made of hard wood pulps +recycled boxes
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING-5
• DIFFERENT PACKGING LEVELS:
– Primary package: holds product direct
usually first wrap or containment
-- Secondary package: containment of
primary package to preserve content &
appearance of the primary container
– Functions of packages are to contain,
protect/preserve, transport,inform/sell
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING-6
- Tertiary or distribution package: a wrap
and containment to protect product during
distribution and provide efficient handling
- Unit load: A number of distribution
packages bound together(unitized) for
mechanical handling, storage and shipping
- Packages are also defined for their
intended destination- consumer/industrial
MATERIALS USED IN PACKAGING-7
Example of use of various levels of
packaging for Breakfast Cereal:
• Primary package of plastics or coated paper
is to contain and to a lesser extent,to protect
• Secondary package, a paper board carton is
for protection, to inform customers,
• Twelve cartons are packed into corrugated
shipping container to protect and transport,
• Finally these are assembled into united load
to facilitate transport and distribution
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-1
CORRUGATED FIBERBOARD:
– It is the most common distribution container
material, the RSC container is the
workhorse of the corrugated industry
– It is made up of two boards (linerboards)
bonded to a fluted or corrugated medium
– The facings are Kraft linerboards and
bonded to the medium by adhesive (glue)
– Facings & medium can be made to any
weight/thickness needed for an application
Corrugated Fiberboard
Corrugated Fiberboard - continued
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-2
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:
- Railroads, the first mass mover of goods
- Had to standardize shipping quality (UFC)
- Specified board grades to use corrugated
boxes based on size and weight
- Used Mullen’s bursts test to grade boards
- Over time, test was supplemented by
more realistic Edge Crush Test (ECT)
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-3
FIBERBOARD GRADES
- Linerboard -Table 15.1 (OH)
- Corrugating Medium -Table15.2 (OH)
CORRUGATING ADHESIVES (glues)
- Starch-based adhesives
- Modified starch-based adhesives
- Water-resistant adhesive
- weather-resistant adhesive
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-4
FLUTE TYPES AND STANDARD:
- A-flute corrugated board
- B-flute corrugated board
- C-flute corrugated board
- E-flute corrugated board
A is the largest flute, C is the second largest
followed by B and E. A still finer flute called F-
flute is made by a few board makers.
Flute-selection will be covered later on.
Corrugated Fiberboard - continued
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-5
BOARD MANUFACTURE:
- First, at the single-facer station of a corrugating
machine, flutes are formed and bonded to the
inside liner (Fig.15.2, OH)
- Next, a second linerboard is bonded to the
single-faced materials made above. The glue is
applied to the flute and the board is pressed
against the medium where heat and pressure
cause these to stick(Fig.15.3, OH)
Corrugated Fiberboard - continued
Corrugated Fiberboard - continued
Corrugated Fiberboard - continued
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-6
PROPERTIES AND TESTS:
- Mullen Burst Test: Involves applying pressure
against face of board till it bursts. It does not
relate to stiffness/compression
- Edgewise Compression Test: Small test
specimen is compressed between loads. Gives
the stiffness contributed by the facings and
medium and directly relates to stacking strength.
- McKee formula is used to relate ECT to above.
Corrugated Boxes
• McKee formula
Box Compression Strength = 5.87 X ECT X SQRT(BP X T)
Note: Estimated RSC top-to-bottom box compression strength = ,
KN (lbf)
Where
ECT = edge crush test, KN/m (lbf/in);
BP = inside box perimeter, m (in);
T = combined board thickness, m (in)
Corrugated Boxes - continued
Corrugated Boxes - continued
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-7
CARRIER RULES AND REGULATIONS:
- There are four basic steps for determining
authorized packaging as per Uniform
Freight Classification (UFC) and NMFC.
- Specified boards using Mullen burst test or
ECT is used for a given product weight.
Dimension size limit for box is determined
by adding an inside length, width and
depth (Table 15.4,Fig.15.8, OH)
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-8
SELECTING THE CORRECT FLUTE:
- As a starter, use carrier classification and C-
flute, best for warehouse load bearing
- E- and F-flutes are not used with shipping
containers but as thicker paper boards
- A flute is used as cushion pads and making
triple-walled thicker boards
- B-flute is used for canned goods & other
products not requiring stacking strength &
combined with C-flute to print better
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-9
BOX DESIGN VARIATIONS:
- Regular slotted containers (RSC): boxes in
which all scores and cuts are in straight lines,in
machine and cross-directions (OH)
- Die-cut designs: require using steel-rule
cutting and creasing die. Is more expensive but
extra features can be added (OH)
- Bliss-style box: these can be made from
different cut pieces to give maximum board use
and compressive strength. Requires special
handling and increases inventory (OH)
CORRUGATED PACKAGING-10
SPECIAL BOARD TREATMENTS:
- Board-treatments done to prevent exposure to
high humidity/direct water
- Thermoset resins (2%) added at the mill
- Waxing can also increase wet performance
- Waxing can be done in several ways: wax can
be added to liner/medium during corrugating,
wax can be added after corrugation is finished or
the finished box can pass through a number of
hot wax curtains (Cascading).
