Glossary of Corrugated Terms

Every industry has its lingo, and the corrugated packaging world is no different. This glossary of corrugated terms can assist with communication and understanding.

Numerals

1-2-3 bottom – SEE: snap bottom container.

3PL – SEE: third-party logistics.

-A-

The flute type called A flute provides cushioning for fragile products.

The APSTAR HG2 1628 rotary die cutter (above) offers high-speed, high-quality flexographic printing with 4 colors on one side and two colors on the other.

-B-

B2B – business-to-business; an adjective used to describe a product or service sold to another business rather than a consumer (B2C).

B2C – business-to-consumer; a business, such as a retailer, that sells directly to the end customer (also called D2C).

basis weight testing – a measurement that checks the weight of specific paper or paperboard cut to a standard size; indicates the thickness and durability of the paperboard. Basis weight can impact print quality, finish options, cost, production, and the perception of value or luxury.

bleach white – a bright white color containerboard that results in brighter colors when printed with colored inks. (COMPARE TO: oyster white.)

Top: E-B flute.

Above: B-C flute creates a sturdy box for heavy items.

Below: B flute, a crush-resistant corrugated material.

-C-

A case stacker display.

C-flute corrugated material balances cushioning needs and stacking strength.

-D-

D2C – direct to consumer; a business, such as a retailer, that sells directly to the end customer (also called B2C).

debossing – a printing and finishing technique that presses a metal die into the outside of the corrugated linerboard to create an indented, recessed design. It adds a tactile, premium look without impacting box strength. (CONTRAST WITH embossing.)

die – a template used in manufacturing. Corrugated cutting dies are wood and metal; they define and cut or score the box shape and allow for handles, grab holes, and other features; printing dies are manufacturing templates that define where various ink colors or designs will print on the corrugated material.

die cut – cuts or creases made in the corrugated material by a wooden and metal form (SEE ALSO: cutting die); these might include air holes, display windows, handles, perforations, or scoring.

die-cut tray – a custom-shaped open corrugated container made by a wood-and-metal form called a cutting die; die-cut trays may feature folding lines, interlocking tabs, or cutouts. (EXPLORE MORE: die-cut trays.)

digital printing – high-resolution, full computer-generated images directly on corrugated material. Digital printing offers fast setup and flexible customization for small print runs; however, it is rarely economical for large quantities of corrugated boxes or displays.

Double-wall corrugated material is extra strong.

-E-

Top: E-B flute; The E-flute side is smoother, facilitating the printing of high-quality graphics, while the strength of the E-B combination enables the shipping of heavy items.

Above: B-C flute

E Flute (above) facilitates high-end printing.

ECT – SEE: edge crush test.

edge crush test – an assessment in which weight is applied perpendicularly (when the board is standing on its edge); determines how much force a corrugated board can withstand or resist before collapsing, which is important when stacking boxes in a truck or on a pallet. Reported as a number, such as 32 ECT or 44 ECT; the higher the number, the greater the compression the containerboard can withstand. (COMPARE TO: Mullen testing).

E flute – E Flute is 1mm to 1.5mm (about 1/32 to 1/16 inch thick). A smoother flute; it facilitates high-quality printing. It can be used for folder boxes instead of chipboard or paperboard boxes. Made of a thinner corrugated material, E-flute boxes save storage space and can be used for cosmetics, delicate items, and fragile products. E flute has 90 flutes per foot.

embossing on corrugated – a printing and finishing technique that presses a heavy metal mirror-image engraving die into the inside of a strong linerboard against a counter-force, sometimes with heat; this raises a design, popping the image outward on a strong linerboard, adding texture. (CONTRAST WITH: debossing.)

endcap display – a display that appears on the end of a retail aisle; it may sit on the shelf, hang from clip strips, or rest on the floor. (EXPLORE MORE: end cap displays.)

-F-

FBA – 1) an abbreviation for the Fibre Box Association, a non-profit trade association that represents North American corrugated packaging manufacturers. 2) fulfillment by Amazon; a service where third-party e-commerce businesses store their products in Amazon’s warehouses. Amazon then manages the packing, shipping, returns, and customer service.

F Flute (above) a micro-thin corrugated material.

fiberboard – a heavy paper-based material used to manufacture corrugated; also called containerboard. Durable, lightweight, and eco-friendly, it makes an ideal packaging material. (SEE ALSO: eco-friendly practices.)

finishes – coatings added to the corrugated linerboard to add strength or enhance appearance; finishes can be matte or gloss coatings, spot varnishes, holographic designs, embossing or debossing, foils, or moisture-resistant coatings.

five-piece corrugated folder – SEE: FPF.

flexographic printing – modern, high-speed relief method that uses flexible photopolymer plates to apply fast-drying inks to corrugated. The advantage of flexographic printing is that it is fast and economical for larger quantities; however, it requires a printing die. (SEE ALSO: printing die and APSTAR)

floor display – a free-standing exhibit for merchandising products, often positioned in aisles, near entrances, and as end caps. (EXPLORE MORE: floor displays.)

flute type – board thickness; different corrugated flute types (A, B, C, E, and F) have varying thicknesses. “A Flute” is the thickest media; “F Flute” is the thinnest fluted media. (EXPLORE MORE: flute types.)

foil stamps – shiny, metallic designs pressed into corrugated linerboards using heat and pressure.

FOL – SEE: full-overlap slotted container.

folder container – a type of box that is folded on score lines and secured by its own flaps, which can also be reinforced with additional tape or seals. (EXPLORE MORE: corrugated folders.)

four-corner corrugated tray – a type of corrugated container that has four pre-glued corners, making it easy to assemble; it can be used alone as a tray container or serve as a full or partial lid for a telescope-style box. (SEE ALSO: trays and telescope design style.)

FPF – a type of folder container with five panels, scored for folding; it is perfect for shipping long, flat, or narrow items.

FSDU – free-standing display unit. (SEE: floor display.)

FTD – a full telescope design style. (SEE: full telescope design style container.)

full kick display – a 48-inch-tall, corrugated exhibit used to merchandise products; it typically measures 14 to 16 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches deep. (SEE: power wing display.)

full overlap slotted container – a box in which both the top and bottom flaps overlap, excellent for heavy or fragile products and stacking. (SEE ALSO: slotted-style container.)

full telescope design style container (FTD) – a two-piece container in which the lid (tray) vertically covers the entire box. (SEE ALSO: telescope design style.)

-G-

grade – board grade; the containerboard’s construction, including the number of linerboard layers and fluted media glued together. Board grade determines the strength of the corrugated box or display. (EXPLORE MORE: board grades.)

gravity-fed display – a retail exhibit that uses a sloped or vertical design that enables products to automatically move down the display when a customer removes a product from the bottom.

-H-

half-kick display – a half-kick display is the same width and depth as a full kick display but half the height (approximately 24 inches tall). (SEE ALSO: power wing display.)

half-slotted container – SEE: HSC.

HSC – half-slotted container; a corrugated box with the bottom flaps of a regular slotted container (RSC), while the top of the box is open in the center. HSCs are suitable for short-distance travel, donation collections, or storage with easy access. (SEE ALSO: slotted-style container.)

-I-

inside-outside printing – printing with four colors on the outside side of the container and two colors on the inside (or vice versa); packaging can also be kraft paper on the outside and white on the inside (or vice versa). (SEE ALSO: unboxing.)

interior packaging – corrugated pads, tubes, or partitions used inside a corrugated container; interior packaging provides additional strength and/or separates layers or items within a container. (EXPLORE MORE: interior packaging.)

International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) – common seven Series standardized test protocol for nonhazardous substances. (EXPLORE MORE: package testing.)

-J-

JIT – just-in-time; in corrugated packaging, it can refer to JIT manufacturing or JIT inventory management.

JIT inventory management – a strategy designed to optimize inventory levels. It aligns product delivery with customers’ needs. (EXPLORE MORE: JIT Inventory Management.)

JIT manufacturing – materials are produced only when needed—rather than being held in inventory.

-K-

Kemi board – a premium, clay-coated white-top containerboard that delivers vibrant print quality and lustrous semi-gloss finishes without sinking into the corrugated board; a cost-effective flexographic alternative to lithographic labels or lamination.

kraft paper – the commonly seen brown color of containerboard or paper grocery bags.

-L-

label printing – SEE: litho lamination.

linerboard – a flat piece of paperboard, often used in combination with a fluted medium to form a corrugated containerboard.

litho labeling – SEE: litho lamination.

litho lamination– also called litho-labeling, a two-step process in which high-resolution graphics are offset printed onto paper and then the sheet is glued to a corrugated container or display.

lithographic printing – SEE: litho lamination.

-M-

mailer box – a self-locking corrugated container designed to ship to the consumer; we offer custom-size mailer boxes as well as mailer boxes in six standard sizes.

MIC – multicolor ink on corrugated; a nickname for our APSTAR printer, a state-of-the-art, six-color (four colors on one side, two colors on the other), one-pass combination flexographic printer and die cutter. (EXPLORE MORE: MIC.)

MRA – moisture-resistant adhesive applied to corrugated material; commonly used in packaging that is exposed to extreme humidity, such as freezing and thawing.

Mullen board – an extra-strong grade of corrugated material.

Mullen test – an assessment that determines if the packaging will burst or puncture (as opposed to being crushed); simulates the rough handling, sorting, and transportation of corrugated packaging. (COMPARE TO: edge crush testing.)

-O-

OPF – a one-piece corrugated folder; stored flat and quickly assembled along the fold lines, the protruding ends of the folder boxes are secured by tucking into each other; commonly used for small ecommerce items, such as books, artwork, and promotional items. (SEE: folder style container.)

outside-inside printing – printing with two colors on the outside side of the container and four colors on the inside (or vice versa); also called inside-outside printing. Corrugated material can also be kraft paper on the outside and white on the inside (or vice versa).

oyster white – slightly off-white corrugated board, commonly used in boxes and displays; it can remain off-white or have black or colored inks printed on it. (COMPARE TO: bleach white and Kemi Board.)

-P-

packaging audit – SEE: packaging review.

packaging review – an assessment of all your corrugated packaging and printing by corrugated packaging experts, including a structural designer, to determine if money-saving streamlining and efficiencies can be made.

pads – flat rectangles of corrugated material placed vertically or horizontally in a container, often at the bottom, top, and/or between layers; pads add strength and help prevent moisture from penetrating the box. (SEE ALSO: interior packaging.)

pallet displays – displays that appear directly on pallets without being unloaded. For example, display trays may be stacked on a pallet to become a pallet display. (EXPLORE MORE: pallet displays.)

paperboard boxes – containers made with chipboard.

partial telescope design style container – also called a DSC; a telescope-style container design in which the removable lid (tray) covers a fraction (often one-third or less) of the container. (SEE ALSO: telescope design style; CONTRAST WITH: full-telescope design style.)

poly bag – a pouch made of polyethylene and used to pack and ship goods.

poly mailer – a lightweight, durable plastic shipping envelope designed to protect and transport non-fragile goods.

performance tests – simulation tests, such as drop and impact tests, vibration tests (displacement of product), compression tests (stacking load), and atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, and pressure).

partition – interior corrugated dividers on the same level of a container and often used for bottles or glass jars. (SEE ALSO: interior packaging.)

phygital – physical +digital; simultaneously featuring products in physical spaces, such as a store or kiosk, and in digital arenas, such as ecommerce platforms, QR codes, digital ads, and social media, enhancing sales.

P.O.P. – point of purchase; a display in a store, a retail display or exhibit for merchandising.

P.O.S. – point of sale; a display in a store, a retail display used to merchandise and sell products.

pre-glued style container – any corrugated container in which adhesive has been used to pre-seal a portion of the container, saving packaging assembly time. (EXPLORE MORE: pre-glued style containers.)

pre-glued auto bottom corrugated box– a pre-glued style container that does not require packing tape or adhesive on the bottom, because the bottom flaps are already sealed with adhesive.

printing die – a custom-made plate used to apply ink or graphics to a corrugated container.

power wing display – a 48-inch-tall, corrugated exhibit to merchandise products; it typically measures 14 to 16 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches deep; also called a full kick display. (EXPLORE MORE: power wing displays.)

-Q-

QP – SEE: quarter pallet floor display.

quarter pallet floor display – a merchandising exhibit that covers one-fourth of a pallet’s surface area on the retail floor. (EXPLORE MORE: quarter pallet floor displays.)

-R-

regular slotted container – SEE: RSC.

rigid box – packaging made of strong paperboard without a fluted media. Often used for luxury products, such as high-tech devices, rigid boxes can be overlaid with designed paper, fabric, or leather.

roll-end corrugated tray – SEE: roll end tray

RSC – regular slotted container; most commonly ordered boxes in which the outer flaps meet in the center; RSCs are sealed with plain or branded packing tape. (SEE ALSO: slotted-style container.)

roll end tray – a container that doesn’t require glue, adhesive, or stitching (staples); its flaps (locking cover) or tabs and slots (Walker lock ends) tuck into each other; often used in the food and beverage industry, electronics companies, and online stores.

-S-

scoring – compressing or creasing the corrugated medium along specific linear tracks to create clean, accurate bending/folding lines that won’t crack the corrugated paper liner.

Seller Fulfilled Prime – an Amazon program that allows qualified third-party sellers to display the Amazon Prime badge on products shipped directly from their own warehouses or third-party logistics (3PL) providers.

SFI – SEE: Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

SFP – SEE: Seller Fulfilled Prime.

shipper – a strong corrugated box used for transporting products; the shipper may contain smaller corrugated boxes, bottles, cans, or products packaged in chipboard.

shipper display tray – a retail display that also serves as a shipping box.

simulation tests – SEE performance tests.

single-face board – corrugated material that includes only one flat linerboard bonded to one fluted medium, similar to an open-face sandwich.

single-wall containerboard – the most common type of corrugated material with a fluted medium sandwiched between two flat containerboards.

six-corner tray – a corrugated container that has six pre-glued corners, which saves assembly time. (SEE ALSO: tray.)

slotted style container – a corrugated fiberboard box that is scored for easy folding and has flaps on the top and/or bottom. (EXPLORE MORE: slotted-style containers.)

snap bottom container – a corrugated box in which the bottom has three layers of corrugated material that “snap” together; also called a 1-2-3 container because it takes just three steps. Commonly used for lightweight items or small quantities.

standard-size boxes – SEE: stock box.

stock box – a premade standard-size container, usually made of C flute, without custom printing, sizing, branding, or product-specificity.

SupplyOne – the parent company of Wertheimer Box.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative® – an organization that helps ensure that the paper we use is from responsibly managed and renewable sources. In all, 93% of all corrugated material is made with material supplied by SFI Program participants; we have been certified to the SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE® Standard for Certified Sourcing since 2008.

-T-

telescope design style – a container with an upside-down tray as a lid; telescope containers can be designed with a lid that fully or partially covers the container vertically. A full telescope design-style container is called an FTD; a partial telescope design-style container with a cover is a DSC. (EXPLORE MORE: telescope style containers.)

Custom-printed partial telescope design corrugated container on oyster white corrugated material.

thickness – thickness of corrugated material or flutes; refers to the thickness of the fluted medium, represented by letters: A, B, C, E, and F.

third-party logistics – outsourcing your warehousing, distribution, or fulfillment to a partner. (SEE ALSO: JIT.)

tray – a corrugated container, often with four or six corners. (EXPLORE MORE: trays.)

PDQ display tray

Cutting dies cataloged in our plant; Tooling or Cutting Dies can be a variety of sizes depending on the type of container, its size, and the packaging project itself.

-U-

unboxing – a consumer’s “wow!” moment; the excitement of opening a shipping container with a new product, popularized by a social media trend of filming the process.

UN testing – United Nations testing, required for transporting hazardous materials.

-V-

VMI – vendor-managed inventory; a broader strategy than JIT inventory management; we manage your packaging inventory in a manner tailored to your specific business needs. (SEE: JIT inventory management.)

-W-

-X Y Z-