Board Grades

When deciding which board grade you require there are a number of factors to consider such as, weight of product, storage conditions, printing and presentation. The information below is to be used as a guide line in helping you make that decision.

Papers

Most standard cardboard boxes are constructed with a Virgin Kraft Paper as an outside paper, followed by test liner paper on the inside. The Kraft paper has stronger fibres than the test paper, hence it’s used mainly as an outside paper, not only giving the box more strength, but also giving it an overall better look.

The Kraft paper is also much easier to print on, as the test paper being thinner absorbs the print more.

Over the years papers have become a lot stronger, so it has enabled the customer at times to have test as an outside paper as well as an inside paper. Generally this is used to slightly cut costs or when a customer is packing a very light weight item with hardly any stacking.

Customers can also have the outside paper as a Kraft Paper along with the inside, making the box stronger without increasing the flute.

Although Teakcroft can Flood Coat Print sheets to create different coloured papers and boxes, the standard coloured papers used are Mottled/White/Brown.

Fluting

‘Fluting’ is the corrugation between the internal and external lining papers of the board. The various flutes available offer different properties over each other such as Compression, Crush or Burst strength, Printability or storage space.

E Flute

Board thickness approximately 1.6mm.
A fine flute which gives an excellent crush resistance and printability, used mainly as a die cut material, heavily used in the food industry.

B Flute

Board thickness approximately 3mm.
The most widely used flute profile due to its all round compression strength, compactness, printability and cost effectiveness. This flute can be used for most styles of boxes along with many different industries.

C Flute

Board thickness approximately 4mm.
A larger flute than ‘B’ offering greater compression strength, but can be more easily crushed, This flute is used for most styles of boxes along with many different industries.

BC Flute

Board thickness approximately 6mm
A combination of ‘B’ and ‘C’ flute is normally used when compression and stacking strength is important. Heavily used as a packing material, whether its exporting in the UK or abroad, you would always need a BC Flute if your sending products out on couriers.

EB Flute (double wall)

Board thickness approximately 4.2mm.
A combination of ‘E’ and ‘B’ flute offering good strength and printability taking up less storage space than ‘BC’. This is known to be the new BC Flute stacking more onto a pallet, cutting down pallet space. EB Flute has good strength as a packing box.

Suggested Board Grades for Content Weight

The quality and strength of the board lining papers are generally determined by the weight per square metre in Grams e.g. 125, and also content mix of new and recycled wood fibre Kraft paper (‘K’) being of better quality (higher content of new wood fibre) than Test paper (‘T’).

For example: 125 K/T B would mean the weight of the paper used is 125 grams per square metre, the external paper being Kraft and the internal being Test quality with ‘B’ fluting between.