How to choose the right carton quality for your box?
4min read
06/02/2018
The cardboard quality of a box has a big impact on the protection of the products you pack in it. When preparing your goods for storage or shipment, it is therefore important to think carefully about the type of cardboard box you choose. We show you below which types of cardboard quality you can choose from and what shipments they are suitable for.
The right board quality for every shipment
When we talk about packaging, we traditionally talk about two types of protection: primary and secondary. Primary protection is the ‘external layer’ so to speak. Often, a cardboard box takes on that task. It is the protective material that will bear the brunt of external factors such as rain, moisture, dust, etc. Secondary protection mainly involves the padding and protective material inside your box. So these are, for example, the air cushions or paper pads that you have wrapped your product in or filled empty spaces with.
The cardboard quality of a box is determined by the number of layers and thickness. The more corrugated layers, the more protection it will offer. You can choose between single corrugated, double corrugated and triple corrugated cardboard; each with their own specific characteristics and uses. We speak of ‘corrugated cardboard’ because the cardboard has a corrugated shape on the inside that absorbs shocks even better. Strictly speaking, one layer of cardboard consists of three parts:
- The inner layer;
- The corrugated layer (for this, a sheet of paper is run through a grooved roller and treated with steam to maintain its shape);
- The outer layer (made of sturdy kraft paper for extra protection against tearing, moisture and temperature fluctuations).
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► When do you choose single corrugated cardboard?
A box made of single corrugated cardboard has 1 corrugated layer. The thickness of such a layer is indicated by a letter (E = 1.5 mm / B = 3 mm / C = 4 mm). This box gives sufficient protection if you want to send light products up to 30 kg. To optimise the strength of the box, we recommend filling the entire inner space and stacking your products as much as possible. As long as your products are not too fragile or too heavy, you can use this type of box perfectly.
► When do you choose double corrugated cardboard?
A double corrugated box consists of cardboard with two protective corrugated layers. These boxes offer good protection for slightly heavier and fragile products. The total weight of your box is best not to exceed 70 kg. They better resist vertical pressure during transport and are suitable for packing bulk and unpacked products.
► When do you choose triple corrugated cardboard?
A box made of triple corrugated cardboard offers the thickest cardboard quality: your products are protected by three layers of cardboard. This protective layer is 14 mm thick and is both shock and puncture resistant. You use this type of boxes best for protecting very heavy and fragile loads with a total weight of up to 500 kg. They are particularly suitable for difficult transport conditions, export shipments and long-term storage….
| Best suited for: | Single corrugated ± 1.5 to 4 mm thick |
Double corrugated ± 7 mm thick |
Triple corrugated ± 14 mm thick |
| Boxes weighing up to 30 kg | X | ||
| Boxes up to 70 kg | X | ||
| Boxes up to 500 kg | X | ||
| Fragile products | X | X | |
| Bulky goods | X | X | |
| Shipping per box | X | X | |
| Pallet shipments | X | X | |
| Export shipments | X | ||
| Long-term storage | X |
Cardboard boxes tailored to your product
Besides standard boxes, there are also a number of boxes with dimensions specially adapted to the product. And when your box is adapted to your product, your product itself is often better protected too. Here you will find a small selection of the countless possibilities:
- For long products: for packing e.g. tubes, rolls, rolled documents and posters, etc..
- For flat products : for packing e.g. frames, flat screens, etc..
- For bottles : for packaging bottles of wine, champagne, beer, etc..
- For books : for packing thin products such as books, but also, for example, a stack of CDs.
- For clothes: this box is fitted with a hanging rod for hanging clothes hangers. Handy when you need to transport clothes!
- Isothermal boxes: for packing temperature-sensitive products such as fresh food and medicines.
Who would have ever thought there would be so much choice for something as simple as a cardboard box? If you want to quickly find the right size cardboard box, you can easily do so with this handy search tool. This tool gives you a choice of more than 1250 formats. So you are bound to find the cardboard box that suits your product!
