Containerboard
Containerboard is the umbrella term for paper products used to make corrugated boxes: specifically linerboard and corrugating medium. North American containerboard production is one of the largest paper categories by tonnage.
The containerboard category covers everything that gets converted into a corrugated board. Mills produce the linerboard (the outer flat layers) and the medium (the inner fluted layer) — both sold as roll paper to corrugator plants that assemble the final board.
Containerboard demand tracks e-commerce volume, manufactured-goods shipments, and global trade flows. Annual North American production runs in the tens of millions of tonnes, with significant trade across borders.
Distinct categories within paper that get confused with containerboard: boxboard (folding cartons), paperboard (a broader umbrella sometimes including both), and tissue/towel/fine papers (entirely different processes).
Related terms
- LinerboardLinerboard is the flat, smooth paper layer bonded to either side of a corrugated medium to form a corrugated board. It provides the strength, printability, and outer surface of a cardboard box.
- Corrugating mediumCorrugating medium is the fluted middle layer of a corrugated board, sandwiched between two layers of linerboard. The flutes provide compressive cushioning and stack strength; the medium itself does not need the surface qualities of a liner.
- FlutingFluting refers to the wave pattern formed in corrugating medium between two layers of linerboard. The flute profile — A, B, C, E, and F being the common standards — determines compression strength, cushioning, and printability.
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