Carton is a type of packaging box which is constructed using paperboard or double or multilayer corrugated sheets. These packaging boxes are suitable for packaging multiple types of products industries such as food & beverages, hardware, pharmaceuticals, and many more. There are multiple types of cartons that are manufactured in packaging industries. A few of them are:

1. Corrugated boxes - These are light in weight yet durable boxes that are constructed using corrugated paper boards. The structure of these boxes involves sandwiching an arched or a fluted paper between two plain layers of heavy lining boards
2. Boxboard or Paperboard Cartons - The paperboard boxes are constructed using a thick paper having a grammage more than 250 GSM
3. Aseptic Cartons - Aseptic cartons are the multi-layered boxes that are used to store liquid products or beverages such as juices, milks, sauces etc.
4. Gable top cartons - Next is gable top cartons. These are multi-layered boxes that are used to store refrigerated food products.
5. Egg Carton/Egg trays - Egg cartons or egg trays are used for transporting the eggs securely from one place to another. The enclosed egg trays are made from recycled paper with storage spaces in between that are used to keep the eggs safe.

How to choose the right carton for your packaging needs?

Choosing the right type of carton totally depends on your business needs. If you are in the moving and packaging business, or shipping heavy products, then corrugated boxes / cartons are the best. For smaller products, paperboard boxes are the best option. They can also be customized in multiple designs and look awesome on store shelves. The best application of paperboard boxes is confectionery stores to pack cakes and pastries. Aseptic cartons and gable cartons are the options that are used to pack liquid products.

Being a manufacturer in the packaging industry, you can also combine multiple boxes such as using corrugated boxes to pack sensitive electronic product, paperboard cartoon to overwrap the box. Egg cartons can be filled in the box to give an extra layer of protection to the product. This means that cartons can be used in endless ways to give extra protection to the products.

Packaging boxes have uplifted the entire packaging segment by offering the multiple options to the customers . They are also available for different budget segments. But with the huge demand for packaging boxes, it has become the responsibility of the manufacturers to produce only high-quality products. Here, when the need of testing the quality of packaging boxes arises. There are multiple test methods that can be run on the packaging products to test the quality of the boxes such as:

• Bursting Strength Test
• Edge Crush Test
• Water Resistance test using Cobb Sizing Tester
• Paper Grammage and Thickness test
• Puncture Resistance test
• Scuff Resistance Test
• Box Compression Test

Out of the available tests, one of the most important tests that worth your consideration is the carton compression test. The test will measure the ability of a carton to withstand pressure from the top before getting deformed.

How do you calculate the compressive strength of a carton?

The compression strength is calculated on the McKee’s Formula i.e.

BCT = ECT x 5.876 x square root of U x d

where,
BCT (in pounds) = Box Compression Test,
ECT = Edge Crush test,
U (in inch) = Box outline in inch,
D (in inches) = Thickness of corrugated board.

For more information on the McKee formula, please refer to the compression strength test standard for paperboard packaging & compression strength formula for corrugated boxes by R. C. McKee.

If you want to learn in detail the benefits of using a box compression tester or test procedure of the same, contact Pacorr Testing Instruments.