Leading Cardboard Box Manufacturers

Cardboard boxes are designed to protect interior materials and products from any damage during the shipping process. These boxes can also be used as dividers and padding in much larger boxes. Another important factor that makes cardboard boxes ideal is that they can be economically and easily recycled.

Classification of Cardboard Boxes

Cardboard boxes are classified into two broad categories.

Paperboard Boxes

Paperboard is a type of standard paper that is somewhat thicker, measuring 0.010 inches (0.25 mm). The thickness and rigidity of this paper makes it suitable for creating boxes. Paperboard boxes are made by pulping, separating hard and soft wood, and making fibers through both mechanical and chemical treatments. Examples of paperboard boxes include shirt, gift, toiletry, and food boxes.

Corrugated Boxes

Corrugated boxes are made by layering paperboard, with two outer layers of paperboard and one inner layer made of soft pulp to provide a rippled shape. Corrugated boxes are more durable than paperboard boxes and are often used for shipping purposes. Pizza boxes and moving boxes are two examples of this type.

Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing process for cardboard boxes consists of the following steps:

Turning Trees to Paper

• The pulp for making paper is extracted from trees such as pine, chestnut, etc.
• Two types of liners are used in making cardboard boxes: a test liner and a kraft liner.
• The test liners are made from hardwood or recycled paper, giving them an abrasive surface.
• The kraft liner is made from softwood trees and has a smooth finish with high resistance to tear and burst.

Pulping

• This process ensures that the wood chips pulped are clean enough to use.
• Two types of pulping involve mechanical pulping and chemical pulping.
• In mechanical pulping, the paper is ground with a stone to convert the wood into cellulose fibers.
• This stone is sprayed with water to remove the lignin from the fibers.
• Mechanical pulping is a low cost process that offers higher output.
• Chemical pulping is done by cooking the wood to reduce it into cellulose fibers.
• Two chemicals, sulfate and sulfite, are used to create the strongest and best quality paper.
• That strengthened paper is called kraft paper, which can be brown or sometimes bleached to white.

Fluting

• Fluted cardboard is a wavy piece of paper between two liners.
• The fluted paper gives strength to the board and reduces damage from impact.
• The cardboard’s waves are created when the sheet is put in a corrugated roller machine (corrugator).

Production and Bending

• After going through the corrugator, the papers are steamed in high heat and pressed together.
• One side of the flute is glued to the carton, and the two liners are then adhered to the walls of the carton.
• The boards are cut according to size and fed to the trimmer.
• The trimmer precisely cut the edges of the box and feeds it into the bending machine.
• The bending machine then bends the fold and shapes the box accordingly.

Storage and Distribution

• The completed and shaped cardboard boxes are stored at a secure and dry place.
• They are then distributed or sold to the customers accordingly.
• Sometimes customers demand printing on the boxes; this is also completed before dispatch.

Types of Cardboard Boxes

Cardboard boxes come in the following types:

Honeycomb Cardboard

Honeycomb cardboard is durable, lightweight, impact resistant, and strengthened. It has two outside panels with a large surface area. These are used as fillers in door manufacturing.

Gray Paperboard

It is a thick gray paperboard made from recycled paper. It is used in many applications due to its stiffness. Gray paperboard is used in making pad backing, rigid boxes, cartons, and bookbinding.

Gray Cardboard

Gray cardboard is made from recycled paper and cardboard. It is smooth, stiff and slightly thicker, which makes it ideal as a replacement for laminated cardboard.

Slotted Container

These boxes are used for shipping purposes; both flaps of the box are of equal size for proper closing.

Full Overlap Slotted Container

This box follows the same pattern as that of slotted containers, with one difference – the outer long flap overlaps when bent inward. This pattern provides additional strength to the box during rough handling.

Full Telescope Box

This box has separate sections, and one section fits inside the other one. The flaps are taped, and the top section completely covers the whole base. This box is ideal to use for heavy items.

Snap Bottom Box

The upper part of these boxes are the same as that of slotted containers, but the flaps are cut and shaped in a way that they fold over each other.

One-piece Folder

It is a single unit that folds along the line to form a box. These boxes are ideal to use for shipping items such as ipads, books, video games, etc. Printing can also be done on these boxes.

Self-locking Box

The flaps of self locking boxes are extended and can be locked easily without using tapes or glue. There is also a large lid that slides into self locked edges.

Applications of Cardboard Boxes

• Cardboard boxes are used to protect sensitive technologies from damage.
• They are widely used in making boxes for bakeries, beer, retail displays, notebooks, paper pads, takeout food and many more.
• Chipboards are also used in furniture as a structural component to provide stability and support.

Choosing the Correct Cardboard Boxes Manufacturer

To make sure you have the most constructive outcome when purchasing Cardboard Boxes from a Cardboard Boxes Company, it is important to compare at least 6 Manufacturers using our list of Cardboard Boxes manufacturers. Each Cardboard Boxes Supplier has a business profile page that highlights their areas of experience and capabilities and a contact form to directly communicate with the manufacturer for more information or request a quote. Review each Cardboard Boxes business website using our patented website previewer to get an idea of what each company specializes in, and then use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple Cardboard Boxes businesses with the same quote.