Have you ever opened a cardboard box and seen that a curvy piece of layer is sandwiched between two flat sheets? It’s not a musical instrument nor a filler, but it’s the reason your box doesn’t fall or collapse during shipping.
Whether you are shipping fragile bulk products or ceramics, you have most likely encountered damaged packaging. The problem is not in the box, but it’s the wrong flute that is inside. So, choosing the right flute to protect your fragile products during shipping is important, and saving money.
In this blog, we will discuss the corrugated flute, its profile types, benefits, and factors or tips that are essential to consider when choosing the right type of flute based on your packaging requirements.
Whether you are working or doing business in e-commerce, packaging, or the manufacturing & logistics sector, this guide will definitely help you to make informed decisions.
The purpose of corrugated flutes is to add insulation and protection layers to the corrugated packaging. They help to make the packaging crush-proof and puncture-proof. In addition, it helps custom corrugated boxes by providing strength to hold heavier products without tearing or bending.
The purpose of corrugated flutes is to provide an extra layer of protection and insulation with corrugated packaging. Plus, they also help to enhance the protection and puncture resistance of packaging.
It doesn’t stop here; they also help in providing a great structure to corrugated boxes in order to support heavier items without breaking or folding.
Is the hype related to the flute worth it? Yes, because they are used to add additional strength and sturdiness to corrugated packaging. Moreover, they are helpful in building up a tincture, scratch, and crush-proof product’s packaging. This is the reason corrugated boxes are used to ship heavy-weight products safely over long distances.
Here are the 5 types or profiles of fluting that are essential to understand when choosing the right one. Each profile comes with its core features, benefits, cons, and usage. Five cardboard flute profiles are:
A Flute is the thickest flute available, and it has a measurement of approximately 5 millimeters or 1/4 inch in thickness. It means that 36 flutes are available within a single linear foot of packaging.
Moreover, it is perfect with delicate products that need additional protection, as well as heavier products that need an additional rigid structure of packaging.
The B Flute is one of the most common and best flute profiles for shipping boxes, and it is probably 2.5mm to 3.5mm thick, or 1/8 inch thick. This flute profile provides more resistance, protection, and cushioning of the products during shipping.
Moreover, B-Flute offers a clean surface to be printed on, and there are 49 flutes offered in one linear foot of packaging. You can use this profile for inner packaging materials, such as crush-resistant and puncture-resistant.
Best For:
C-Flute is the second thickest flute profile in corrugated packaging, with 3.2 millimeters of measurement and 11/64 inches in thickness. It is a custom box shipping flute whose profile can hardly be compressed. Just like the B-Flute, the C-Flute is also ideal to be used in branded materials or marketing products since it provides decent printability.
The 4th profile of Flute in corrugated boxes is E-Flute, as it is used to construct shipping boxes, and these boxes are referred to as mailer boxes with a thickness of 1.5 to 2.00mm, which is why this flute is one of the thinnest flute profiles in corrugated packaging.
This flute profile is easy to fold, and they use it is commonly used for e-commerce packaging businesses because it is ideal for that specific packaging. If you have products related to the cosmetic industry, like corrugated mailer boxes, then go with E-Flute packaging.
Best For:
Our last flute profile is F-Flute, which is the thinnest corrugated profile that is available in the market currently. It has a measurement of 1/32 inch or 0.8 millimeters.
Business owners and individuals who want stiff packaging can use the F-Flute type of fluting. The example of F-Flute packaging is shoe boxes, and they are best for Packaging and shipping medium-sized items, and for stacking or assembling.
One of the major differences between these two flutes is the number of flutes per square meter. Because it shows the printability and strength of the box. However, E-flutes have more flues per square meter and are smaller in size.
It will minimize their power and maximize their storage capacity, and you can fold or deform them very easily. Both of these flutes are easiest to print because of their sizes and ease of rolling on printing equipment.
According to Statista, it is estimated that the United States will ship 432 Billion Square feet (BSF) of corrugated packaging by 2028.
Many different products come in mailers and corrugated boxes, and it is very important that a business owner selects an appropriate flute. The process of analyzing various kinds of flutes, as well as the choice of the appropriate one, will completely rely on the specifics of the business and the way the goods are packaged.
It is very important to note that flute material thickness will not be used instead of packaging materials, which can be used in wrapping, like bubbles and paper, to package your products.
Here are two major factors that you must consider when selecting the corrugated flute boxes for your products.
Flutes and liners are used to assemble corrugated packaging materials, and the accurate ratios vary. Below are the four types of boards that include a unique combination of flutes and liners.
Single face board has two layers, and one of them is flute and the other layer is liner. This is the reason that we can say that it is not as long-lasting in comparison to the other forms of board. A single-faced board, however, is suitable when it is used to package items that give additional cushion to the products.
In a Single-wall layer, the fluting layer is surrounded by two liners, one on each side. Since it provides protection of the content and sufficient insulation, it becomes one of the most typical types of boards, and it can be commonly used in shipping cartons.
This type of board includes five layers in which three layers of liners are surrounded by two layers of fluting. In a double wall, two boxes are included in one, which means that it is durable and helpful for heavy industrial items.
It has seven layers, and four of the layers are surrounded by three layers of fluting. Similarly to a double wall, it’s like three boxes in one. Triple wall is commonly used for chemical containers and shipping crates, and that’s why it is the most durable board type that is available.
You may imagine that the corrugated cardboard is just your simple square box, yet guess what? This is not so, and actually there are a number of box styles on corrugated fluters and liners. The following are some of the various types of boxes that you may just want to use on your brand and products.
The shipping boxes are designed to be traditional and classic, yet they are protective for your package. These boxes can be used to ship anything, just because of B-fluting and single-wall design.
These boxes are simple, sleek, and easy to assemble, and the box includes a single piece of corrugated cardboard that will be easily assembled to ship out items like artwork and books.
A mailer box is protective, efficient, and stylish in terms of looks. Its smart features include dust flaps that can seal and protect the contents of the package efficiently. Subscription boxes like CBD Subscription Boxes and e-commerce packaging based businesses normally use mailers for their products.
Based on the above discussion, we understand the importance of Flutes in corrugated packaging, and here we are highlighting its benefits.
When E-commerce companies are considering sustainable packaging, they don’t think about the raw materials. The more raw material they use to create packaging, the less eco-friendly the packaging will be.
Fluting enables companies to rely on thin pieces of cardboard, which are held up by the infrastructure itself.. Thin cardboard helps them to minimize wastage, which does not affect the quality and strength of the product.
Furthermore, if you use cardboard instead of plastic, it means that the product would be recyclable because we experience that plastic is among the hardest materials to recycle.
Also Read: How to Measure Box Dimensions?
When it comes to shipping fragile products, packaging is the most crucial factor that must include the right flute so that your product does not get damaged and remains protected. We have covered all types of flutes in corrugated packaging, their benefits, and factors that you need to consider when choosing the flute for your product’s packaging.
Looking for secure and visually appealing packaging? Contact Custom Designs Boxes to get the perfect customized solutions that are durable, stylish, and sustainable for your brand.
What is fluting in cardboard sheets?
It is a plain, wavy, and inner layer in the cardboard that provides strength and insulation to your product.
What is the process of fluting?
The process of fluting includes the wavy structure between two flat layers of the paperboard.
What is fluting paper and how to make it?
A corrugated layer is available between the two sheets of liner. Making fluting paper includes the process: raw material, pulping, sheet formation, pressing, drying, and finishing.
What is the difference between fluted and corrugated?
Flute is the wavy or rigid layer that is available within corrugated materials, and corrugated is defined as the material or structure having a wave-like pattern.
What is the purpose of a flute?
The purpose of corrugated flutes is to provide an extra layer of protection and insulation with corrugated packaging.
What is the flute factor in a corrugated box?
It is the size and type of flute that impacts the strength of the box.
What is the difference between a Flute and B Flute cardboard?
The primary difference between them is the flute thickness and the resulting characteristics.
What is the basic principle of flute?
The basic principle of the flute is to strengthen the cardboard that is used in the packaging.
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