Box buyer's guides
Short, sourced explainers for people who buy boxes: how to measure one, what the ratings on the bottom flap mean, which flute does what, and whether to buy from a plant or a supplier. Each one answers its question in the first paragraph and lists its sources at the end.
How to measure a boxMeasure a box inside, at the opening: length is the longer side, width the shorter, depth to the base. With a drawing.
ECT versus burst testEdge crush test measures stacking strength; Mullen burst measures resistance to rupture. Ratings, weights and which to choose.
Flute types and sizesA, B, C, E and F flutes compared by thickness and flutes per foot, with cut-edge photos and what each flute is chosen for.
How to read a box maker's certificateThe round stamp on a box's bottom flap states its burst rating, liner weight, size limit and gross weight limit. How to read it.
Buying from a box plant or a supplierWhat corrugated box manufacturers do, what a box supplier does, and which a buyer needs for stock, custom and pallet quantities.- What a corrugated box isA corrugated box is made of fluted paper glued between flat liners. Single, double and triple wall, and how it differs from paperboard.
Corrugated or cardboard?
Both words get used for the same brown shipping box. Strictly, corrugated is the fluted board shipping boxes are made from, and cardboard is a looser word that also covers thin paperboard like a cereal carton. The guide to what a corrugated box is explains the difference and how the board is built.
Where to start
The guides are written for purchasing staff, warehouse leads and small business owners rather than packaging engineers. They avoid jargon where possible and define it where not. Figures come from standards bodies, trade press and published supplier data, and each claim links to its source.
New to buying boxes? Read how to measure one first, then the guide to edge crush and burst ratings; together they cover nine questions in ten. Replacing a box that keeps failing? Turn it over, read the stamp with the certificate guide, weigh a packed sample, and compare. Comparing suppliers, or wondering whether to approach a corrugator directly? The plant-or-supplier guide sets out the trade-offs plainly.