Facts About Cardboard

Cardboard is a paper product that forms a durable and lightweight material. It comes in two forms: corrugated and board. Corrugated cardboard consists of two "liners" outside a "fluted" sheet. This paper product is used to make boxes for shipping and storage. The board form of cardboard is one thin yet durable sheet that is commonly used in packaging foods.

Shipping Material

Corrugated cardboard is sturdy and lightweight, making a perfect packaging material. Corrugated cardboard is used to ship nearly 90 percent of all products in the United States. Corrugated cardboard was first approved for shipping in the United States in 1903.

Low Costs

Cardboard is inexpensive to make, and its light weight makes it an inexpensive shipping material. According to Corrugated.org, the cost of cardboard is only 1 to 4 percent of the value of the goods the cardboard contains during shipping.

Cardboard Ingredients

Cardboard is most commonly made from paper pulp. Cardboard can also be made from straw, old cardboard and old newspapers.

Evironmentally Safe

Cardboard is a biodegradable product that can be safely disposed of and recycled. Cardboard, due to its ingredients, is also nontoxic.

First Patent

The first patent for a cardboard product came in 1856. The newly patented material was used for the sweatbands in high hats worn by Englishmen.