Holmen logo blue Holmen logo white
Corrugated cardboard boxes

Corrugated cardboard – what is the best material for boxes?

There are many reasons why corrugated cardboard is the best paper for transport packaging boxes. It's lightweight, thanks to the fluted paper layers, strong, and protects the goods very well. And it's renewable and easy to recycle.

Corrugated cardboard in boxes

Corrugated cardboard is a great material for boxes and e-commerce. Learn more about the material step by step.

What is corrugated cardboard?

Corrugated cardboard is a general name for a lightweight box material consisting of at least three layers. The term corrugated refers to the middle layer, where the paper is formed in a wave-like curve, a so-called flute, and then glued together with two flat layers, called liners. The board will then contain air within the flutes, between the layers. 

What is flute in corrugated box?

Flute is what the long, narrow hollow form that contains air in the middle layer – or layers – of corrugated cardboard is called. The fluted forms are constructed by corrugating the middle paper, forming it like a wave, and gluing it together with a top and bottom layer, called the liner. When the middle paper has become corrugated, it is called the fluting.

 

Why is corrugated cardboard so strong?

Corrugated cardboard can be lightweight and strong at the same time thanks to the fluting layer. The stability in the corrugated waveform is an example of the same physics mechanism that enables an arch to withstand the pressure from above by distributing tensional force along the natural curve.

Is corrugated cardboard stronger than regular cardboard?

It depends on how it's constructed, but corrugated cardboard can be stronger than regular cardboard, especially in relation to its weight. The fluting layer adds stability and makes it able to withstand more pressure even though the material contains more air. The regular cardboard is normally easier to bend or break because it does not have the corrugated layer as part of its construction.

Does Holmen make corrugated cardboard?

Holmen's paper mill in Braviken produces a lightweight and strong paper component that is used for making the corrugated layer in corrugated cardboard.

This containerboard fluting medium is called Holmen INNR, and is made from fresh woodfibres, a by-product from forest and wood product industries, in a thermomechanical pulping process (TMP). The production process enables the paper to hold more volume than traditional packaging papers, which makes it a great alternative for lowering the transportation weight of all kinds of boxes. The paper can also be used as interliner, which is a layer in between the flutings in a multilayer board. Read more about Holmen INNR.

Cardboard and containerboard terminology

Cardboard

Cardboard is a widely used but rather undefined term, referring to paper pulp-based packaging materials, where the meaning can range from solid paperboard to different types of corrugated fibreboards.

Corrugated cardboard

Corrugated cardboard means that at least one layer of the packaging material is corrugated, which reduces the weight of the board significantly, because this layer makes it possible to keep the stability and protection quality of the board even though less material is used. The corrugated layer is called fluting with reference to its hollow forms throughout the material. Since the material is made by fresh or recycled woodfibres, it can also be called corrugated fibreboard.

Paperboard

Paperboard is a solid paper-based packaging material. A premium paperboard is manufactured by another business area in our group: Holmen Iggesund.

Containerboard

Containerboard, or corrugated case material, CCM, are all the packaging component products manufactured for production of corrugated board; fluting medium papers, liner, and interliner paper, to be glued together in different layers depending on the desired end result. The word 'container' refers to the fact that the material construction contains air.

Wellenpapier, Wellenstoff, wellpapp, golfkarton etc

In German and some other languages, the corrugated material is referred to in the form of 'Wellen', meaning 'waves'. This can be noted also in Swedish, 'wellpapp', or as in Norwegian and Danish 'bölgepapp', wave-paper, or for example the Dutch 'golfkarton', from 'golven', which also means waves. 

 

Is corrugated board eco-friendly?

Corrugated cardboard is a material that can be made extremely light-weight compared to other packaging materials, and the production is very resource-efficient. When the components are made from fresh wood-fibres, the raw material is a by-product from forest and wood industries, so no trees will be cut down for the purpose of making the paper.

 

Corrugated cardboard is a renewable, reusable and recyclable material. Depending on its constitution, it may also be compostable and biodegradable. To know the carbon emissions from production, get the carbon footprint data from your paper supplier or box converter.

A heavy innovation that makes everything lighter

We continue to develop the packaging industry towards weightlessness, step by step. Read more about the creation of a groundbreaking lightweight kraftliner that will revolutionise your business.  

Discover weightless

Find your contact

Holmen SP. Z.O.O.

Jerzy Cieślak

Commercial Director

+48 607 502 355

Poland

Send email

Business Development

Mikael Hjelm

Manager New Products

+46 70 229 60 85

Sweden

Send email

Nordic and international

Mathias Dufeld

Segment Owner Containerboard

+46 72 450 79 85

Sweden

Send email

Paper Product Development

Jan Andersson

Product Manager

+46 70 533 74 48

Sweden

Send email

About Holmen Board and Paper

  • About Us
  • CSR and Sponsoring
  • Working at Holmen Board and Paper
  • Braviken paper mill
  • Hallsta paper mill

Let's keep in touch!

  • Find your contact here
  • Subscribe to Paper
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Order samples

Legal

  • Cookies and GDPR
  • Personal data

Follow us


Holmen Paper logo in blue

Holmen Board and Paper produces premium paperboard and innovative paper products for everything from cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals and food to books, magazines, advertising and transport packaging. Our products are appreciated by conscious customers due to their exceptional properties and low climate footprint. We use fresh fibre from sustainably managed forests and have a total of four production facilities in Sweden and in the UK.

Holmen Group websites

  • Holmen Group - holmen.com
  • Forest - holmen.com/forest
  • Renewable energy - holmen.com/energy
  • Board and Paper - holmen.com/boardandpaper
  • Wood Products - holmen.com/woodproducts

More about the Holmen Group

  • About Holmen
  • Career
  • Sustainability
  • Investors
  • Newsroom

© Holmen Board and Paper 2025