Corrugated Box Design & Manufacturing In New York City

The Ultimate Guide to Corrugated Boxes

Corrugated Composition

Corrugated fiberboard is comprised of linerboard and heavy paper medium. Linerboard is the flat, outer surface that adheres to the medium. The medium is the wavy, fluted paper between the liners. Both are made of a special kind of heavy paper called containerboard. Board strength will vary depending on the various linerboard and medium combinations.

(A) Single Face: One corrugated medium is glued to one flat sheet of linerboard; flutes exposed.
(B) Single Wall: The corrugated medium is glued between two sheets of linerboard. Also known as doubleface.
(C) Double Wall: Three sheets of linerboard with two mediums in between.
(D) Triple Wall: Four sheets of linerboard with three mediums in between.

Flute Facts

Corrugated board can be created with several different flute profiles. Generally, larger flute profiles deliver greater vertical compression strength and cushioning. Smaller flute profiles provide enhanced structural and graphics capabilities for use in retail packaging.

The five most common flute profiles are:
A-Flute: Appx 33 flutes per foot. Original corrugated flute design.
B-Flute: Appx 47 flutes per foot and measures 1/8″ thick; often for canned goods.
C-Flute: Appx 39 flutes per foot and measures 5/32″ thick; common for shipping cartons.
E-Flute: Appx 90 flutes per foot and measures 1/16″ thick.
F-Flute: Appx 125 flutes per foot and measures 1/32″ thick; for small retail packaging.

Different flute profiles can be combined in one piece of combined board. For example, a triplewall board may contain one layer of A-flute medium with two layers of C-flute medium. Mixing flute profiles allows designers to adjust compression strength, cushioning strength and total thickness of the combined board.