Materials Used In RSC

Flutes

When discussing various types and styles of cardboard, we often refer to its “flute” or “flutes.” A flute is the corrugated layer that sits between the two outer layers of cardboard. The size of the flute plays a key role in determining the strength of the box—the larger the flute, the stronger the box.
Here’s a brief overview of the three types of flutes available at Cactus Containers, along with their respective strengths and weaknesses:

“B” Flute

Thickness = 1 / 8″
Flutes per foot = 49
“B” Flute cardboard is the perfect combination of strength and style. It has a higher resistance to punctures than the other flutes and usually consumes less space than the regular “C” Flute. It is most often used for boxes that have to be durable but also need to have some style. Generally used for stand up displays or ballot

“C” Flute

Thickness = 11 / 64″
Flutes per foot = 41
“C” flute cardboard has a very high stacking strength and a higher resistance to being crushed. It is one of the most commonly used flutes for shipping boxes and tends to perform the best when holding materials such as glass, furniture and food products.

“E” Flute

Thickness = 1 / 16″
Flutes per foot = 95
“E” Flute is the most lightweight of all the types of corrugated cardboard we carry. It is a stronger alternative to paperboard and performs great when used for die cut designs. “E” Flute has a superior printing surface and works best when used as software packaging or point of purchase boxes.

BC Flute

Being 6mm to 7mm in thickness, this double wall material combines both B and C flutes together. This gives a good all round performance, making it common for producing shipping boxes that offer a higher level of transit protection.
Due to this, only basic print (such as flexographic) tends to be added.

EB Flute

EB Flute is around 4mm to 4.5mm thick, EB flute (as the name suggests) combines E and B flutes into a double walled material. Due to utilising both a very fine (E) and relatively large (B) flute, this grade provides an excellent balance between transit protection, strength and print finish.
Below is a list of common terms you may come across:

Chop – The length of the sheet
Deckle – The width of the paper or board being run on a corrugator
Double wall board – A combination of two layers of board. The board therefore comprises of: liner/fluting/liner/fluting/liner
Edge crush test – A corrugated board strength test of vertical crush resistance
Flute – A single ridge in the fluting medium or on a corrugator roll
Grammage – Weight of paper specified as g/m2 (grams per square metre)
Liner Outer – Paper used for the outside of the corrugated board
Liner Inner – Paper used for the inside of the corrugated board
Single wall – A board combination comprising of: liner/flute/liner

Cardboard Wall Construction

Although most people think that cardboard boxes have only one type of structure there are actually two different styles of wall structure that we offer to our customers. Depending on which characteristics and qualities you would like to have in your box, you can choose from single or double wall structure.

Single Wall Corrugated Cardboard

This is the most popular corrugation material used in the boxes we manufacture, it consists of only one layer of whichever type of flute you pick. It is available in a wide range of board strengths, from 23 ECT right through to 44 ECT. Generally, depending on what type of flute you have chosen, this type of wall structure is not the best choice for shipping heavy objects.

Double Wall Corrugated Cardboard

This wall structure is made of one layer of “B” Flute and one layer of “C” Flute. Stronger than a single wall structure, double wall enables heavier objects to be shipped and should be used when a stronger box or extra padding is needed. Double wall is available in 48 ECT to 71 ECT and is excellent for stacking heavier items.