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- Nov 17, 1999
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Newsprint, Ad Print, Toilet Paper, Corrugated, Fibreboard are all VERY different in composition and manufacturing methods.
Here is a reprint of a post on Corrugated that I did long ago -
"I will weigh in on this subject from the "Cardboard's" point of View.
Most everyone has their own vision of "Cardboard". The correct term used in the paperboard industry for paper that has at least two (and as many as six) Liners each seperated by a varying size of wavy interior Medium(s) is called Corrugated. This is what almost all shipping Boxes or Containers are made of, brown Corrugated paper - aka Cardboard.
However, there are other box materials that get called Cardboard that do not have Liners seperated by Mediums, it is one thickness of combined layers of paper tightly pressed together. This type of material is called by names such as "Fibreboard", "Pressboard" or "slickboard" - This material is usually used in items that require POPs (Point of Purchase Displays) or shelf presentation ie. Cereal Boxes, Laundry Detergent Boxes, Cig Cartons, etc.
Let's look at some other Terms of Corrugated/Cardboard that are used within the paper industry;
Liner - An exterior grade of Paper (usually Brown - Kraft, or White - Kla-White). This paper can be any number of Weights.
Weight - How much material was used to make approx 1,000 square feet. The weight can be semi-accurately determined by gauging the paper's final thickness using a mircrometer. The thicker the liner the Heavier the Weight (usually).
Medium - The wavy interior of the combined paper. This paper can also be of varying Weights. The "Waves" are called Flutes. There are several Medium gauges, the most common being "C" Flute, this one is about the size of a number 2 pencil. A smaller one is "B" flute, a Larger one is "A" flute. You can combine these flutes into just about any combination to make "Doublewall" (which is 1 Liner, a Medium, another Liner, a second Medium and 1 more Liner) or "Triplewall" or ....well... you get the idea.
Starch - All the Liners and Mediums are held together with an adhesive with a base of Corn Starch. This adhesive may be thick or thin, this will vary with each run of material and will effect the overall quality of the paper.
On the bottom of most every type of Corrugated Box or Tray is a Printed Stamp, a Box Maker's Certificate (or BMC). This is a Circle or sometimes a Diamond with a large number and other smaller info printed inside it. The number inside the Circle could be the approximate ECT (Edge Crust Test) or the Mullen (Puncture resistance) estimation of that combination of Paper. The Higher the number in the BMC the more durable, more puncture resistant, the higher the stacking strength, etc.
NOW.... lets dig further. All Paper (whether it ends up being Liner or Medium) is produced at a Paper Mill. The Mill has huge Vats that create a Slurry of Paper fibers. Each slurry will have some percentage of Virgin wood material and some percentage of Recycled material (PCW - Post Consumer Waste). The normal amount of Recycled material is approx 15%, this number can increase to 85% or higher. With the decrease of Forests and the cheaper cost of Recycled material the Recycled content of all boxes has climbed dramatically over the past 10 years. The higher the Recycled content the higher the amount of foreign matter, tiny pieces of string, tiny metal pieces...etc...all wind up in the paper. There is no way to tell by looking at any given box how much Recycled material was in the mix when that paper was made, but the amount of foreign matter will greatly effect anything that is cutting it.
WHEW!! For those that are still awake I hope that helps with the understanding of the test material.... all Cardboard is DEFINATELY not the same.
For proper scientific testing the test material must be called out specifically and standardized as much as possible If you are serious about learning how different knives, steels or grinds compare to each other. But there is certainly nothing wrong with testing out one knife to see how it will perform cutting lots of good'ol Cardboard."
Here is a reprint of a post on Corrugated that I did long ago -
"I will weigh in on this subject from the "Cardboard's" point of View.
Most everyone has their own vision of "Cardboard". The correct term used in the paperboard industry for paper that has at least two (and as many as six) Liners each seperated by a varying size of wavy interior Medium(s) is called Corrugated. This is what almost all shipping Boxes or Containers are made of, brown Corrugated paper - aka Cardboard.
However, there are other box materials that get called Cardboard that do not have Liners seperated by Mediums, it is one thickness of combined layers of paper tightly pressed together. This type of material is called by names such as "Fibreboard", "Pressboard" or "slickboard" - This material is usually used in items that require POPs (Point of Purchase Displays) or shelf presentation ie. Cereal Boxes, Laundry Detergent Boxes, Cig Cartons, etc.
Let's look at some other Terms of Corrugated/Cardboard that are used within the paper industry;
Liner - An exterior grade of Paper (usually Brown - Kraft, or White - Kla-White). This paper can be any number of Weights.
Weight - How much material was used to make approx 1,000 square feet. The weight can be semi-accurately determined by gauging the paper's final thickness using a mircrometer. The thicker the liner the Heavier the Weight (usually).
Medium - The wavy interior of the combined paper. This paper can also be of varying Weights. The "Waves" are called Flutes. There are several Medium gauges, the most common being "C" Flute, this one is about the size of a number 2 pencil. A smaller one is "B" flute, a Larger one is "A" flute. You can combine these flutes into just about any combination to make "Doublewall" (which is 1 Liner, a Medium, another Liner, a second Medium and 1 more Liner) or "Triplewall" or ....well... you get the idea.
Starch - All the Liners and Mediums are held together with an adhesive with a base of Corn Starch. This adhesive may be thick or thin, this will vary with each run of material and will effect the overall quality of the paper.
On the bottom of most every type of Corrugated Box or Tray is a Printed Stamp, a Box Maker's Certificate (or BMC). This is a Circle or sometimes a Diamond with a large number and other smaller info printed inside it. The number inside the Circle could be the approximate ECT (Edge Crust Test) or the Mullen (Puncture resistance) estimation of that combination of Paper. The Higher the number in the BMC the more durable, more puncture resistant, the higher the stacking strength, etc.
NOW.... lets dig further. All Paper (whether it ends up being Liner or Medium) is produced at a Paper Mill. The Mill has huge Vats that create a Slurry of Paper fibers. Each slurry will have some percentage of Virgin wood material and some percentage of Recycled material (PCW - Post Consumer Waste). The normal amount of Recycled material is approx 15%, this number can increase to 85% or higher. With the decrease of Forests and the cheaper cost of Recycled material the Recycled content of all boxes has climbed dramatically over the past 10 years. The higher the Recycled content the higher the amount of foreign matter, tiny pieces of string, tiny metal pieces...etc...all wind up in the paper. There is no way to tell by looking at any given box how much Recycled material was in the mix when that paper was made, but the amount of foreign matter will greatly effect anything that is cutting it.
WHEW!! For those that are still awake I hope that helps with the understanding of the test material.... all Cardboard is DEFINATELY not the same.
For proper scientific testing the test material must be called out specifically and standardized as much as possible If you are serious about learning how different knives, steels or grinds compare to each other. But there is certainly nothing wrong with testing out one knife to see how it will perform cutting lots of good'ol Cardboard."