What are the components of a cardboard box?

Cardboard boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes, primarily used for packaging goods and materials. Industry specialists seldom use the term cardboard because it does not denote a specific material. Cardboard can refer to a wide range of heavy paper-like materials, such as card stock, corrugated fiberboard, and paperboard. Cardboard boxes can be readily recycled.

Material producers, container manufacturers, packaging industries, and standards organizations all try to use more specific terminology in business and industry. There is still no complete and uniform usage. Often the term "cardboard" is avoided because it does not define any particular material.

Broad divisions of paper-based packaging materials are:

Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing, printing, or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags, or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets.

Paperboard, also known as cardboard, is typically thicker (usually greater than 0.25 mm or 10 points) than paper. Paperboard, according to ISO standards, is paper with a base weight (grammage) greater than 224 g/m2, but there are exceptions. Single-ply or multi-ply paperboard is available.

Corrugated fiberboard, also known as corrugated board or corrugated cardboard, is a paper-based material made up of a fluted corrugated medium and one or two flat liner boards. The flute provides much of the strength of corrugated boxes and is one of the reasons why corrugated fiberboard is commonly used for shipping and storage.

There are also multiple names for containers:

1. A shipping container made of corrugated fiberboard is sometimes called a "cardboard box", a "carton", or a "case". There are many options for the corrugated box design.

2. A folding carton made of paperboard is sometimes called a "cardboard box."

3. A set-up box is made of a non-bending grade of paperboard and is sometimes called a "cardboard box".

4. Paperboard laminated drink boxes are sometimes referred to as "cardboard boxes," "cartons," or "boxes."