Carton Packaging – The packaging of products is an unavoidable part of commerce. Whether you own a traditional brick and mortar store or a run an e-commerce business, you very well realise the importance of packaging materials. Apart from serving its purpose of concealing and protecting your items, it is an inevitable element in your branding process. They represent your brand and can have an impact on your business either for good or bad.
Why Is Carton Packaging Important?
“The goal of a successful trader is to make the best trade. Money is secondary“- Alexander Elder.
These meaningful words from a teacher of traders help us understand that boosting up your business and establishing your brand is more important than the monetary benefits you would gain from it. Carton boxes help you a great deal in making your trade a success.
Carton boxes are the perfect innovative packaging solutions for several industries, like the food industry, cosmetic industry, pharmaceutical industry and many other industries.
But there are a wide range of carton boxes, and each type serves its purpose. So it would be best if you are careful about choosing the one that would cater to your needs. And also remember not to get swayed away by superficial aspects such as the appearance and colour. Instead, consider its functional aspects such as its durability, build and capability.
Now let us examine each type of carton packaging in detail along with its uses.
What Are The Different Types Of Carton Packaging?
One can broadly classify carton packaging into two types.
Folding Cartons
These type of cartons are made from a single sheet board. And are also known as paper board cartons or paperboard boxes, because they are mostly made of paperboard. At times, it is also made of corrugated board or fibreboard. The single sheet that is made is die-cut and then folded to make a box. It can be further styled with print and by finishing the surfaces with lamination, embossing, foiling, glueing and other features. The best examples of folding cartons are cereal boxes and pizza boxes, in which you see that a single sheet board is folded to make the top, sides and the bottom.
Rigid Cartons
These type of cartons are entirely different from folding cartons and are also known as telescopic cartons. In rigid cartons, the top and the bottom part are detached from each other and are, made from two different sheets of cardboard. Rigid cardboards are more sturdy and do not collapse or fold. They are mostly used for products, in which the perceived value is of greater importance and also for products which are heavy and need extra support. You can find rigid cardboard packaging in shoe boxes, clothing items and electronics items—E.g., an iPhone box.
What Are The Various Carton Boxes in Use?
Folding and rigid cartons are manufactured in various forms, to cater to everyone’s need. A few of them are:-
Boxboard/Paperboard cartons
Boxboard paper is something that is made from a thick paper-based material, and it has grammage above 250 GSM. The advantage of using paperboard is that it can be folded intricately and printed with rich colours; moreover, you can also line it with other materials. So the finished products are eye-catching and therefore, they are perfect to be used for retail items which can be placed on supermarket shelves. For added strength and water-resistant properties, the boxboards are laminated. These type of boards are commonly used in cosmetic packaging, electronic packaging, stationery packaging and so on. If metalised ink is not used, and when it is left unlaminated, a manufacturer can easily recycle paperboard boxes.
Corrugated boxes
These are the most widely used kind of carton boxes that are also known as shipping boxes, corrugated fibreboard and combined boxes. These boxes are made from a corrugated sheet, which has three layers. The middle layer is known as the flute, which is wavy, and it aids in providing a cushioning effect to the product that is packed in it. This layer is covered on both the sides by flat outer layers which are known as liners. This structure gives the box a higher bending rigidity. Though corrugated boxes are light in weight, they are strong and durable, and so you can rely on them. These boxes are available in different densities and thicknesses. It is also manufactured as double or triple-walled boxes, depending on the requirement.
Braille Cartons
This type of cartons are specially made for sightless customers and are used mainly in the pharmaceutical industry. These cartons are embossed with braille characters, for the customers to touch and read.
Slotted Cartons
This type of carton which is mostly made of corrugated paper is useful for storage and shipping purposes. They are secured with staples and tapes, and the production of slotted cartons costs less. Because it is slotted, it is strong and holds the product in it very safe.
Aseptic Cartons
These are multi-layered sustainable packaging ideas that are useful in storing liquid food items such as soups, juices, desserts and baby foods. By using heat or adhesives, the multi-layers of polyethylene, paperboard, aluminium barrier and more plastic layers are attached. Because of these layers, it isn’t easy to recycle them. But when used for food items, apart from increasing the shelf life, it preserves the colour, texture and the nutritional value of the product. These unique properties of aseptic packaging are that it withstands high temperatures and does not corrode even when it contains acidic items for a long time.
Aseptic cartons with a separate plastic cap are known as gable top cartons. These are useful in storing refrigerated food items like milk and juices. Concerning its caps, the liquid food can be poured out whenever needed, and you can reuse the cartons several times.
Five Panel Wraps
In this type of carton, a large sheet of cardboard is bent to create five sides or panels; because of this unique design, they are also known as smarty boxes. Five-panel cartons are primarily used to pack long items such as hockey and golf sticks, tennis rackets, bats and other such things.
If you wish to get any type of high-quality carton boxes from a trusted manufacturer, you can visit the safe packaging website.
