Blog Post

Corrugated Boxes for Packaging and Shipping

PackageIt Team • Apr 15, 2022

Are you an online business owner struggling with damaged products during shipping? If you are, you might be choosing the wrong kind of boxes. When it comes to choosing a box that protects your products during shipping, opt for corrugated boxes.

Corrugated boxes are one of the most resilient kinds of boxes for packaging and shipping. Not only are they durable, but they are also customizable — capable of being shaped based on your business’s needs.

Find out more about what corrugated shipping boxes are, how they compare, and why you should use them.

Let’s Start With the Numbers

Corrugated boxes for shipping in Seattle

Supply chains in the United States have been reliant upon corrugated boxes for packaging. Nearly 100% of all boxes shipped all over the country are corrugated boxes. The demand for corrugated boxes has created a growing demand for them. This has led to a growing box manufacturing industry.

Between 2012 and 2022, the demand and revenues from corrugated boxes have grown at a commensurate rate. According to Planet Paper, industry revenues grew from $33 billion in 2012 to $44 billion in 2022.

Corrugated box shipments have also been on a rise since 2016 at a rate of 2% every year thereafter. Today, at least 95% of all goods are shipped in corrugated boxes.

What Is Corrugated Cardboard?

Corrugated cardboard is a material consisting of multiple sheets of cardboard. These sheets of cardboard are layered on top of each other with the outermost sheets sandwiching an inner layer. This inner “fluted” layer is lined with ridges where box manufacturers apply glue. The glue binds the outer layers that envelope the fluted layer, creating one sheet that consists of three layers of dense cardboard.

The multiple layers give corrugated cardboard its density and durability. As a result, anything packaged using corrugated cardboard contains multiple layers of protection from the stresses of shipping and handling.

Corrugated boxes consist of panels of corrugated cardboard.

What Are the Advantages and Benefits of Corrugated Cardboard for Shipping?

Brandable packaging with corrugated boxes

Shipping can subject products to numerous outside forces. This is where the protective features of corrugated cardboard come in.

The multiple layers of corrugated cardboard shield goods from external forces like contusions. Besides the multiple layers of protection corrugated cardboard offers, corrugated cardboard also boasts a degree of cushion.

The ridges of corrugated cardboard’s fluted layer create small air pockets. These air pockets collectively provide just enough “give” or softness. Thus, when there’s a slight impact on the outside of the corrugated box, the contents will run up against the walls of the box but not smash into them. As a result, the contents of the box remain intact.

Also, corrugated cardboard is surprisingly customizable. This allows packaging solution companies (like us) to easily create boxes that nestle and fit your products based on your needs.

Lastly, corrugated boxes are mostly recovered pieces of paper or cardboard. This makes them an environmentally sound alternative to boxes or other packaging made with synthetic materials.

This vs. That Terminology

Corrugated vs. Cardboard

Cardboard and corrugated cardboard might look similar on the surface, but there’s a lot more than what you see on the surface — especially when you take a cross-sectional look at these materials.

Cardboard

Cardboard consists of either paper stock or paper pulp. The consistency of cardboard is rigid enough to be used for boxes that house soft items. If you’re a company selling school supplies or anything that doesn’t need much protection, cardboard suffices. In fact, many retailers use cardboard as their packaging material of choice.

Corrugated

Corrugated boxes take the protective qualities of cardboard and multiply it by a factor of three — literally. Corrugated cardboard consists of multiple sheets of cardboard layered on top of each other. What facilitates the compactness of the layering is the adhesion to the fluted layer, which is the ridged layer between the outer sheets of cardboard.

Mailers vs. Boxes

Once you have decided to choose corrugated material for your shipping and packaging, you’ll have to choose between mailers or boxes. Both will shield your products from the elements and the stresses of shipping and handling. However, each one is better for certain situations.

Mailers

Mailers (or mailer envelopes) encase contents in space-friendly ways. Because they’re envelopes, they’re easy to store and move around. However, what mailers have in easy portability they lack in 360-degree protection.

For this reason, mailers are a better option for companies that mail out smaller and more resilient items like clothing, stuffed toys, and cables. For more delicate products like electronics and ceramics, mailers aren’t a good option.

Boxes

Boxes encapsulate fragile goods in six panels of corrugated cardboard. Because of the material boxes consist of, boxes offer better protection and, in most cases, privacy.

Boxes are an excellent option for transporting virtually anything by mail. Unfortunately, because of the space they take, logistics companies will often transport boxed packages for a fee.

Think Out of the Box and Make Your Products Go Places

Successful shipping requires the right materials for packaging. Whether you’re choosing corrugated or other materials, go with a company that takes the guesswork out of warehousing, shipping, and packaging.

If you’re looking for such a company, look no further than PackageIt. Speak to our account representatives today, and let us help you take your products securely from point A to B.

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