Paperboard vs. Cardboard

The list of distinct packaging materials is long and ever growing. Companies are developing innovative ways to incorporate alternative resources into packaging—including hemp and sugarcane bagasse—as well as relying on 100% recycled materials to boost sustainability efforts.

However, paper-based materials continue to serve as pillars of effective packaging solutions. In fact, when consumers think of packaging in a general sense, they likely picture brown corrugated boxes or paperboard folding cartons.

Both of these packaging types loosely fall under the category of ‘cardboard,’ a catch-all term for heavy-duty, paper-based products such as paperboard or corrugated fiberboard.

Corrugated boxes are thicker and sturdier, consisting of multiple layers of heavy paper. Paperboard can be single or multi-ply. Although the materials’ primary uses differ, creative packaging companies have combined corrugated boxes and paperboard to great effect.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Paperboard Primarily Used For?

Paperboard has a wide range of applications. It can be used for printed marketing collateral, from invitations and mailers to shelf talkers. It’s also the material of choice for folding cartons.

Skilled packaging manufacturers take advantage of paperboard’s malleability, depending on the caliper and grade, to design creative, intricate structures that protect products while standing out visually (and sustainably).

These designs are bolstered by decorative elements. You can add coatings, specialty inks, and even foil to elevate the packaging. In doing so, the folding cartons play a key role in your marketing and branding strategies, in addition to serving practical purposes.

Paperboard also lends itself well to utilizing anti-counterfeiting solutions, in the form of sophisticated inks and calibrated authentication devices that ensure the integrity and security of products.

What Are Corrugated Boxes Primarily Used For?

Corrugated boxes are most often used for tertiary and secondary packaging. This is particularly important, as e-commerce continues to grow in popularity. The thick, sturdy material keeps contents safe—against weather elements as well as movement or falls during shipping—from the moment the package leaves the distribution center to when recipients pull it off their doorsteps. It’s also easily broken down and recycled.

Companies have incorporated principles of right-size packaging with corrugated boxes in part to streamline the unboxing experience for customers—Amazon coined it ‘frustration-free packaging’—while reducing costs and environmental impact.