The Process behind Corrugated Boxes

Every product we own, at some point, is manufactured from raw materials. Corrugated boxes are no different. All corrugated boxes come from kraft paper, a pulp product, which is generally harvested from pine trees. Brown Packaging supplies corrugated boxes to businesses all over North America.

Manufacturing corrugated boxes is fairly simple. First, pine trees are harvested in large numbers. The tree trunks are stripped of all branches, bark, and they are torn into small strips. Following this step, the chips are placed in a high pressure batch digester which consists of a sodium hydroxide solution and other compounds which will break down the wood fibers allowing for the creation of pulp. Once the pressure is released and the fibers are cleaned and refined, pulp is the finished product. At this point we are getting closer to creating corrugated boxes. The pulp is processed through a paper-making machine. These massive machines feed the pulp into steam-hated rollers and remove the water. At the end of this process, kraft paper is created.

In order to make corrugated boxes, the kraft paper is fed into a specialized machine that creates the corrugated patterns. Corrugated boxes require massive rolls of kraft paper. The corrugated pattern is made by the massive machine and glued to the other ends of the cardboard. During the process, the cardboard is subjected to steam pressure as it passes through the corrugating rollers. Temperatures can reach as high as 177 to 185 degrees Celsius. When the corrugated medium is glued to the liners, the glue is steam heated to ensure the bond is consistent. This material is then processed into box blanks which will become corrugated boxes.

Brown Packaging is located in Burlington, Ontario. We serve the Golden Horseshoe and the entire GTA. If you have any questions about corrugated boxes and the manufacturing process, please feel free to contact us.