Image source: http://www.printmybox.com/include/products/corrugated-boxes/cardboard-boxes-white.jpg
Corrugated cartons are industrially prefabricated boxes that come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes to satisfy the needs of the UK market. The aim of this article is to look at the different types of construction methods used to produce corrugated cartons and die-cut boxes and their versatile usage.
There are two main types of corrugated cardboard construction - single wall corrugated cartons and double wall corrugated cartons.
Single Wall Corrugated Cartons consists of two flat sheets of cardboard with a third sheet running at an angle through the middle. This third sheet can either be set in a wavy line or in zigzags. It is the third layer that makes the cardboard box suitable for carrying heavy weights. The single wall corrugated cartons are the cheapest form of box to buy due to their simple design.
Double Wall Corrugated Cartons are slightly more expensive as they have a more complicated design and more cardboard is used to produce them. This type of box consists of three sheets of cardboard with additional sheets set at angles in between them. This type of design offers additional durability and more protection than the single wall corrugated cartons.
The method used by manufacturers in the UK today to produce cardboard boxes is to create large sheets of single or double wall corrugated cardboard and then 'cut out' the shape of the boxes using a large die which is effectively a large cutting tool. This type of box construction is known as 'die cut'. The cut out sheets of cardboard are then pre-packed for flat pack sale. This makes it much easier to transport and store the cardboard boxes until sale. Once the consumer purchases the die cut cartons, they simply fold them into boxes and use them however they need to.
This leads us onto the different types of die cut cartons and corrugated cartons available on the UK market.
Firstly, there is the standard square box. This is characterised by having the same dimensions on all sides of the box. This type of box is suitable for a wide range of storage and transportation needs. Due to their uniform shape and size, they can be stacked easily. A good example of square box usage is the archive boxes used by businesses to store their files. Generally these don't have to be too durable so single wall corrugated cartons are ideal for this purpose. However for heavier items, double wall corrugated cartons would be recommended.
A further kind of corrugated carton is the standard rectangular cardboard box. This is characterised by having varying dimensions on the sides of the box. Rectangular corrugated cartons can either be folded vertically or horizontally to put the differing dimensions in the format required. The advantage of the rectangular box over the square box is that it's often easier to put more unusually shaped items in them, obviously dependant on the size of the box purchased. A good example of rectangular box usage is for moving house. For this purpose double wall corrugated cartons are best as they may need to carry large weights and be highly durable to reduce the risk of damage to the contents during transit.
In today's society home shopping, also known as mail order, has increased massively in recent years primary due to the internet shopping revolution. This has led to the postal box becoming very popular. The postal box is not only used by online shops to despatch their goods safely and conveniently, but are also used by consumers who are using auction sites to sell off their unwanted items. As with other forms of cardboard box, the postal box also comes in variety of sizes and shapes so is suitable for despatching anything from a DVD to kettle. Again this type of cardboard box tends to be die cut and come flat packed for easy manoeuvrability.
So whether you're sending a product, moving house or re-organising the office, there is a cardboard box to suit your needs.
