Corrugated box design
Encyclopedia
Corrugated box design is the process of matching design factors for corrugated fiberboard boxes with the functional physical, processing and end-use requirements. Packaging engineers work to meet the performance requirements of a box while controlling total costs throughout the system.
In addition to the structural design discussed in this article, printed bar codes, label
s, and graphic design
are also vital.
s. Boxes need to contain the product from manufacturing through distribution to sale and sometimes end-use. Boxes provide some measure of product protection by themselves but often require inner components such as cushioning
, bracing and blocking to help protect fragile contents. The shipping hazards depend largely upon the particular logistics
system being employed. For example, boxes unitized into a unit load
on a pallet
do not encounter individual handling while boxes sorted and shipped through part of their distribution cycle as mixed loads or express carriers can receive severe shock
s, kicks, etc...
Ordinary shipping containers require printing and label
s to identify the contents, provide legal and regulatory information, and bar codes for routing. Boxes that are used for marketing, merchandising, and point-of-sale often have high graphics to help communicate the contents. Some boxes are designed for display of contents on the shelf. Others are designed to help dispense the contents.
A box can be designed by optimizing the grade of corrugated board, box design, flute direction, and inner supports. Support from the product also provides "load sharing" and can be an important factor. Box closures sometimes can have effects on box stacking strength.
If long-term storage of corrugated boxes in high humidity is expected, extra strength and moisture resistance is called for.
The method of loading boxes on pallets strongly affects stacking. Vertical columns provide the best box performance while interlocking patterns of boxes significantly reduce performance. The interaction of the boxes and pallets is also important.
Box compression test
ing is a means of evaluating boxes, stacks of boxes, and unit load
s under controlled conditions. Field conditions of stacking and dynamic compression do not have the same degree of control. Compression strength can be estimated based on container construction, size, and use parameters: actual package testing
is often conducted to verify these estimates.
Many packaging engineers find it beneficial to periodically audit warehouse
s and visit customer's package receiving operations. When field performance is observed or documented to have problems, a new cycle of design and testing may be justified.
Engineers and designers start with the needs of the particular project: cost constraints, machinery capabilities, product characteristics, logistics needs, applicable regulations, consumer needs, etc. Often designs are made with Computer Aided Design programs connected to automated sample making tables. Several design and construction options might be considered.
Samples are often submitted to performance testing
based on ASTM or other standard test protocols such as the International Safe Transit Association. Structural design is matched with graphic design
. For consumer based designs, marketing personnel sometimes use Focus group
s or more quantitative means of assessing acceptance. Test market
s are employed for major programs.
The manufacturer's joint is most often joined with adhesive but may also be taped or stitched. The box is shipped flat (knocked down) to the packager who sets up the box, fills it, and closes it for shipment. Box closure may be by tape, adhesive, staples, strapping, etc.
Many other styles of corrugated boxes and structures are available:
The size of a box can be measured for either internal (for product fit) or external (for handling machinery or palletizng) dimensions. Boxes are usually specified and ordered by the internal dimensions.
Box styles in Europe are typically defined by a 4-digit code specified by FEFCO: for example a regular slotted container (RSC) is coded 0201. FEFCO styles are normally the basis for more complicated special designs that incorporate, for example, locking tabs or internal fittings.
Many items are shipped individually (in part or entirely) by express carrier, mail, or other mixed logistics
systems. The demands of multiple manual handlings, automated sortation, and uncontrolled stacking in trucks or air containers put severe stress on boxes, box closures, and the contents. Boxes designed for unit load
handling and storage may not be suited to mixed logistics systems.
Less than truckload shipping puts more stress on corrugated shipping containers than shipment by uniform pallet loads in trucks or intermodal containers. Boxes sometimes need to be heavier construction to match the needs of the distribution system.
s, and storage is in warehouse
s. Normal “domestic boxes” and commercial packaging are acceptable.
Military materiel
, field supplies, and humanitarian aid often encounter severe handling and uncontrolled storage. Special box specifications for government shipments are often applicable. Weather-resistant fiberboards, box construction, box closure, and unitizing are needed.
s, and storage is in warehouse
s. Normal “domestic boxes” are commonly used.
Break bulk cargo
needs to be water resistant and heavy duty. Even shipments initially sent via intermodal freight transport
may have subsequent logistics operations that are extreme and uncontrolled. The specific conditions in the destination port and the country of use need to be considered for design of export boxes.
or hazardous materials are highly regulated. Based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
model regulations, each country has coordinated design and performance requirements for shipment. For example, in the US, the Department of Transportation has jurisdiction and published requirements in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations
. Corrugated boxes are described in 4G requirements. Performance (severe drop test, etc.) needs to be certified for the box and contents.
Some carriers have additional requirements.
Box closures include:
In addition to the structural design discussed in this article, printed bar codes, label
Label
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
s, and graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
are also vital.
Functions
Corrugated boxes are used frequently as shipping containerShipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...
s. Boxes need to contain the product from manufacturing through distribution to sale and sometimes end-use. Boxes provide some measure of product protection by themselves but often require inner components such as cushioning
Cushioning
Package cushioning is used to help protect fragile items during shipment. It is common for a transport package to be dropped, kicked, and impacted: These events may produce potentially damaging shocks. Transportation vibration from conveyors, trucks, railroads, or aircraft can also damage some...
, bracing and blocking to help protect fragile contents. The shipping hazards depend largely upon the particular logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
system being employed. For example, boxes unitized into a unit load
Unit load
A unit load combines individual items or items in shipping containers into a single "unit" that can be moved easily with pallet jack or forklift truck...
on a pallet
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
do not encounter individual handling while boxes sorted and shipped through part of their distribution cycle as mixed loads or express carriers can receive severe shock
Shock (mechanics)
A mechanical or physical shock is a sudden acceleration or deceleration caused, for example, by impact, drop, kick, earthquake, or explosion. Shock is a transient physical excitation....
s, kicks, etc...
Ordinary shipping containers require printing and label
Label
A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....
s to identify the contents, provide legal and regulatory information, and bar codes for routing. Boxes that are used for marketing, merchandising, and point-of-sale often have high graphics to help communicate the contents. Some boxes are designed for display of contents on the shelf. Others are designed to help dispense the contents.
Stacking strength
One of the important functions of a corrugated box is to provide crush resistance (product protection) and adequate strength for stacking in warehouses.A box can be designed by optimizing the grade of corrugated board, box design, flute direction, and inner supports. Support from the product also provides "load sharing" and can be an important factor. Box closures sometimes can have effects on box stacking strength.
If long-term storage of corrugated boxes in high humidity is expected, extra strength and moisture resistance is called for.
The method of loading boxes on pallets strongly affects stacking. Vertical columns provide the best box performance while interlocking patterns of boxes significantly reduce performance. The interaction of the boxes and pallets is also important.
Box compression test
Box compression test
The container compression test measures the compressive strength of packages such as boxes, drums, and cans. It usually provides a plot of deformation vs compressive force....
ing is a means of evaluating boxes, stacks of boxes, and unit load
Unit load
A unit load combines individual items or items in shipping containers into a single "unit" that can be moved easily with pallet jack or forklift truck...
s under controlled conditions. Field conditions of stacking and dynamic compression do not have the same degree of control. Compression strength can be estimated based on container construction, size, and use parameters: actual package testing
Package testing
Package testing or packaging testing involves the measurement of a characteristic or property involved with packaging. This includes packaging materials, packaging components, primary packages, shipping containers, and unit loads, as well as the associated processes.Testing measures the effects...
is often conducted to verify these estimates.
Many packaging engineers find it beneficial to periodically audit warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s and visit customer's package receiving operations. When field performance is observed or documented to have problems, a new cycle of design and testing may be justified.
Process
Packaging engineers design corrugated boxes to meet the particular needs of the product being shipped, the hazards of the shipping environment, (shock, vibration, compression, moisture, etc), and the needs of retailers and consumersEngineers and designers start with the needs of the particular project: cost constraints, machinery capabilities, product characteristics, logistics needs, applicable regulations, consumer needs, etc. Often designs are made with Computer Aided Design programs connected to automated sample making tables. Several design and construction options might be considered.
Samples are often submitted to performance testing
Performance testing
In software engineering, performance testing is in general testing performed to determine how a system performs in terms of responsiveness and stability under a particular workload...
based on ASTM or other standard test protocols such as the International Safe Transit Association. Structural design is matched with graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
. For consumer based designs, marketing personnel sometimes use Focus group
Focus group
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging...
s or more quantitative means of assessing acceptance. Test market
Test market
A test market, in the field of business and marketing, is a geographic region or demographic group used to gauge the viability of a product or service in the mass market prior to a wide scale roll-out...
s are employed for major programs.
Design
The most common box style is the Regular Slotted Container (RSC). All flaps are the same length from score to edge. Typically the major flaps meet in the middle and the minor flaps do not.Many other styles of corrugated boxes and structures are available:
- A Full Overlap Box is similar to an RSC except the major flaps fully overlap.
- A Half Slotted Container (HSC) Bottom or top normally used as a shroud (cap) or base (btm)
- A Five Panel Folder is shipped flat to a packager without a manufacturer's joint and is often used for long items. The box has five long panels, one of which fully overlaps. The ends also fully overlap.
- A Full Telescope Box has two fully telescoping sections. The sections may be formed by staples, die-cut locks, adhesive, etc.
- A Partial Telescope Box has two sections. The top telescopes partially over the bottom.
- A corrugated tray is often used for display purposes or used with a shrink wrapShrink wrapShrink wrap, also shrinkwrap or shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a hand held heat gun or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.-Composition:The...
- Corrugated corner pads can be used for product support and cushioningCushioningPackage cushioning is used to help protect fragile items during shipment. It is common for a transport package to be dropped, kicked, and impacted: These events may produce potentially damaging shocks. Transportation vibration from conveyors, trucks, railroads, or aircraft can also damage some...
- Special die-cut shapes have almost endless designs and uses.
- etc
The size of a box can be measured for either internal (for product fit) or external (for handling machinery or palletizng) dimensions. Boxes are usually specified and ordered by the internal dimensions.
Box styles in Europe are typically defined by a 4-digit code specified by FEFCO: for example a regular slotted container (RSC) is coded 0201. FEFCO styles are normally the basis for more complicated special designs that incorporate, for example, locking tabs or internal fittings.
Individual mixed shipments
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
systems. The demands of multiple manual handlings, automated sortation, and uncontrolled stacking in trucks or air containers put severe stress on boxes, box closures, and the contents. Boxes designed for unit load
Unit load
A unit load combines individual items or items in shipping containers into a single "unit" that can be moved easily with pallet jack or forklift truck...
handling and storage may not be suited to mixed logistics systems.
Less than truckload shipping puts more stress on corrugated shipping containers than shipment by uniform pallet loads in trucks or intermodal containers. Boxes sometimes need to be heavier construction to match the needs of the distribution system.
Government, military, and export
Many items being supplied to governments are handled very well: boxes are unitized, shipped on covered trucks or intermodal containerIntermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
s, and storage is in warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s. Normal “domestic boxes” and commercial packaging are acceptable.
Military materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
, field supplies, and humanitarian aid often encounter severe handling and uncontrolled storage. Special box specifications for government shipments are often applicable. Weather-resistant fiberboards, box construction, box closure, and unitizing are needed.
Export
Many international shipments are handled very well: boxes are unitized, shipped on covered trucks or intermodal containerIntermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
s, and storage is in warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s. Normal “domestic boxes” are commonly used.
Break bulk cargo
Break bulk cargo
In shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo is a term that covers a great variety of goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships...
needs to be water resistant and heavy duty. Even shipments initially sent via intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...
may have subsequent logistics operations that are extreme and uncontrolled. The specific conditions in the destination port and the country of use need to be considered for design of export boxes.
Dangerous and hazardous goods
Shipment of dangerous goodsDangerous goods
Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
or hazardous materials are highly regulated. Based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
The UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods are contained in two documents prepared by the Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods of the United Nations Economic and Social Council . They cover the transport of dangerous goods by all modes of transport except by...
model regulations, each country has coordinated design and performance requirements for shipment. For example, in the US, the Department of Transportation has jurisdiction and published requirements in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.The CFR is published by the Office of the Federal Register, an agency...
. Corrugated boxes are described in 4G requirements. Performance (severe drop test, etc.) needs to be certified for the box and contents.
Some carriers have additional requirements.
Box Closure
The means of closing a box is an important aspect of design. It affects the types of equipment available to production lines, the measured laboratory performance, the field performance, and the ability of end-users to easily and safely open the box.Box closures include:
- AdhesiveAdhesiveAn adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
, water based or Hot melt adhesive - StaplesStaple (fastener)A staple is a type of two-pronged fastener, usually metal, used for joining or binding materials together. Large staples might be used with a hammer or staple gun for masonry, roofing, corrugated boxes and other heavy-duty uses...
- Box sealing tapeBox sealing tapeBox-sealing tape, parcel tape or packing tape is a pressure-sensitive tape used for closing or sealing corrugated fiberboard boxes...
, pressure sensitive - Filament tapeFilament tapeFilament tape or strapping tape is a pressure sensitive tape used for several packaging functions such as closing corrugated fiberboard boxes, reinforcing packages, bundling items, pallet unitizing, etc...
, pressure sensitive - Water activated gummed paper
- Reinforced water activated gummed tape
- StrappingStrappingStrapping, also known as bundling and banding, is the process of applying a strap to an item to combine, hold, reinforce, or fasten it. The strap may also be referred to as strapping...
- Shrink wrapShrink wrapShrink wrap, also shrinkwrap or shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a hand held heat gun or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.-Composition:The...
Books, General References
- "Fibre Box Handbook", Fibre Box Association, Chicago IL
- Koning, J., "Corrugated Crossroads, A Reference Guide for the Corrugated Industry", TAPPI Press, 1995, ISBN 0-89852-299-4
- European Corrugated Board Industry
- Good Manufacturing Practices for Corrugated and Solid Board Packaging
- Soroka, W, "Fundamentals of Packaging Technology", IoPP, 2002, ISBN 1-930268-25-4
- "Guide for Packaging for Small Parcel Shipments", 2005, IoPP
- Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6
ASTM Standards
- D642 Test Method for Determining Compressive Resistance of Shipping Containers, Components, and Unit Loads.
- D1974 Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes
- D4577 Test Method for Compression Resistance of a Container Under Constant Load
- D5118 Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes
- D5168 Standard Practice for Fabrication and Closure of Triple-Wall Corrugated Fiberboard Containers
- D5639 Standard Practice for Selection of Corrugated Fiberboard Materials and Box Construction Based on Performance Requirements
- D6804 Standard Guide for Hand Hole Design in Corrugated Boxes