About Corrugated Boxes
The corrugated cardboard box was invented by American Robert Gair in 1890. He precut a flat piece of manufactured bulk corrugated cardboard into a template to fold a box. The invention was an accident. Gair was a printer and paper bag maker. The machine that normally creased the paper to make bags shifted and cut out the paper instead. Gair discovered that the cut paper could be folded into the paper bag. He took the used the same creasing and cutting process on corrugated cardboard to create a box.
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Emergence of the Corrugated Box
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A process was developed in 1894 to cut, fold and assemble a corrugated box. Mass production of the box began during the same year. The same year, Wells Fargo became the first company to use corrugated cardboard boxes for small shipments of freight. The corrugated box gained governmental approval in 1903 to be used as a shipping container. It was at this time that cereal companies began using this method for shipping their cereal.
Paper-to-Corrugated Time Line
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The first layered form of writing paper was in 950 BC when the Egyptians glued together plant stem layers to use for writing. The first authentic paper was made of bamboo and mulberry fibers. The process was developed by the Chinese in 100 BC. People in Spain, Germany, Italy and France began the first paper mills during the 15th century. The first paper mill in the United States was built in 1690 near Philadelphia. The first production of paper from wood pulp, in 1854, was in England, where production of corrugated paper followed in 1856. Corrugated cardboard, or heavy paper, was used for the first time in 1871 to wrap the flutes of lanterns for shipment.
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Corrugated Market Sky-rocketed
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Corrugated production gained significant speed during 1910. There were approximately 50 companies making corrugated boxes by this time due to the fact that it was an affordable, lighter weight, readily available product that companies could use for shipping.
Design
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Corrugated boxes were designed in a range of sizes to accommodate the needs of their customers. They adapted well to volume packing, were of uniform quality, easy to seal and easy for workers and customers to handle. The corrugated box offered cushioning for the items it contained. The box also allowed for manufacturers to print on the outside---an inexpensive way to advertise.
Evolution
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The Industrial Revolution caused an expansion of the variety of sizes of corrugated boxes. Today, they may be made to specific dimensions of each article at a reasonable price and are the preferred packaging for shipping.
Corrugated Paper
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Corrugated paper has been used in some fashion since 1856. The simple unlined corrugated paper was first used inside of a hat for a sweat band lining. A liner was placed on the corrugated paper to keep the flutes from stretching in 1874. This is the type of corrugation used in corrugated boxes familiar to most people.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit packing cardboard image by amlet from Fotolia.com
