The Steps to Making Cardboard

Cardboard manufacture begins with processing pine tree trunks.

The manufacture of cardboard is a multistep process, beginning with the harvest of pine trees grown by large companies. The tree trunks are trimmed, shipped to a mill, chipped and combined with alkaline chemicals. This step is called the sulfate process, which is required to create a fibrous pulp.

Sulfate Process

Alkaline chemicals like sodium hydroxide reduce the wood chips into a fibrous pulp that is then pressed, dried and rolled out into wide rolls called kraft paper, according to MadeHow.com. The rolls are sent on to corrugating plants for finishing.

Finishing

At the corrugating plant, the kraft paper is glued to liner sheets. Other materials that may be added to the cardboard sheets are waxy coatings that protect against water or grease and inks for text or graphics.

References

• Made How; Corrugated Cardboard