Cardboard typically refers to corrugated fiberboard, but generally covers all heavy-duty paper products that are thicker and more durable than regular paper. Corrugated fiberboard is what most people think of as cardboard, and it is a popular packing material due to its lightweight and relative eco-friendliness due in part to its recyclable and biodegradable nature.
Paperboard
Paperboard is a single layered paper material typically used for packaging that needs to be less durable than corrugated fiberboards, such as folding cartons and set-up boxes. Paperboard can be configured as containerboard, folding boxboard, solid board (bleached or unbleached), white lined chipboard, or binder’s board.
Paperboard is one of the most frequently used packaging materials, used across many different industries. There is a lot of paperboard scrap created globally, and this should be recycled, having been first baled. Many different baling machines can bale paperboard, and depending on the size of the bale different gauges will be required. However, due to the massive variety of paperboard available, there are no specific baling wires required for paperboard baling. Dual ram, long stroke, auto tie, and manual tie horizontal balers can all be used to bale paperboard.
You may encounter some problems when baling paperboard due to estimating the gauge size required for the bale. For example, if you are baling together many different types of paperboard, the pressure that the baling wire needs to be strong enough but will also need to be different each time with each different bale composition. That’s why if you’re baling many different types of paperboard you should choose a wire on the lower gauge end of the scale, in case a bale contains thicker paperboard than usual (e.g., a bale composed of a higher percentage of white lined chipboard).
Corrugated Fiberboard
Corrugated cardboards come in different forms and designs. Typically you will be working with one of the following:
- Single Face Cardboard – the most economical cardboard to buy, it is thinner than other cardboard but offers more protection than paperboard.
- Single Wall Cardboard – this cardboard has a flute between two layers of paper, making this cardboard more durable than single face. Flutes gauges range from F to A, with A being the thickest and F offering the least thickness and hence the least protection from impact.
- Double Wall Cardboard – this cardboard offers better impact protection due to its two layers.
- Triple Wall Cardboard – this cardboard is so strong that it often is used in place of wood crates. It is used in heavy industrial
All corrugated fiberboard products can be baled by different cardboard balers, but they will require different gauge wires. If the same number of cardboard sheets were baled into equal volumes, single face cardboard would put the least pressure on the baling wire hence this requires a higher gauge. Whereas triple wall cardboard would put the most pressure on the baling wire and would require a thick gauge like 10 or 11.
If you have more questions pertaining to the suitability of your cardboard in baling operations, and the different wire gauges that may be suitable to your needs, contact Baling Wire Direct today
