Cardboard Facts for Kids

This article is about Cardboard (disambiguation). For other uses, see Cardboard (disambiguation).

Folded cardboard boxes, viewed sideways

Cardboard is a common name for strong, thick paper products. It can be as simple as a thick sheet of paper or as complex as corrugated fiberboard. This material is made from several layers. Cardboard is used for many things, from small boxes to large shipping containers.

What is Cardboard?
Cardboard's Big Role in Our Lives
Different Kinds of Cardboard
Recycling Cardboard: Good for Our Planet
The History of Cardboard
Where Do We See Cardboard?
See also

What is Cardboard?

Cardboard is a general term for paper products that are thicker and stronger than regular paper. It can be a single thick sheet, called paperboard, or multiple layers glued together. The natural color of cardboard can be gray to light brown. However, it can also be dyed, printed, or coated with different finishes.

Even though we use the word "cardboard" every day, companies and factories often use more specific names. This helps them describe the exact type of material they are working with.

Cardboard's Big Role in Our Lives

In 2020, people in the United States used a lot of cardboard. Over 120 billion pieces were used that year. About 80% of all products sold in the U.S. came in cardboard packaging.

American homes threw away over 13,000 pieces of cardboard packaging in 2020. When combined with all other paper products, this made up almost 42% of all solid waste in the U.S. each year. To help the environment, many families now reuse cardboard boxes.

Even with so much paper waste, a large part of it is corrugated fiberboard. This is one of the most successful and sustainable packaging materials we have today.

Different Kinds of Cardboard

Tubes made of cardboard, which need to be very stiff

There are many types of thick paper products that we might call "cardboard."

Thick Paper and Card Stock

Some types are just very thick paper. These are often called card stock. You might see them used for:

Business cards
Postcards
Playing cards
Covers for catalogs
Special paper for bookbinding
Scrapbooking projects

These items need to be stronger than regular paper.

Paperboard for Boxes

Playing cards need a very stiff single sheet that is durable and easy to print on

Paperboard is a paper-based material. It is usually thicker than about 0.25 millimeters (0.010 inches). Paperboard is often used to make folding cartons and other types of packaging.

Some common types of paperboard include:

Folding boxboard: This has several layers of different paper pulps.
Solid bleached board: Made from pure bleached paper pulp. It often has a smooth, coated surface.
White lined chipboard: This is usually made from recycled paper. It often has a white coating on top. Inside, it looks gray because of its recycled content.
Binder's board: A strong paperboard used to make the hardcovers of books.

Egg cartons

Strong Corrugated Cardboard

Corrugated fiberboard

Corrugated fiberboard is a special type of cardboard. It is made from several layers of paperboard. Usually, it has two flat outer layers and one wavy, fluted layer in the middle. This wavy layer makes it very strong.

Corrugated fiberboard is often used to make large boxes for shipping and storing products. Artists also use this strong material to create sculptures.

Recycling Cardboard: Good for Our Planet

Most types of cardboard can be recycled. This is great for the environment! However, some types are harder to recycle. These include cardboard that has:

Plastic layers (laminates)
Wax coatings
Special treatments to make it strong when wet

Clean cardboard, which means cardboard without chemical coatings or food stains, is usually worth recycling. It helps save trees and energy. Besides recycling, cardboard can also be:

Composted to enrich soil
Shredded and used as bedding for animals

The History of Cardboard

The word "cardboard" has been used for a long time. It appeared in a novel called The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in 1848. This book was written by Anne Brontë.

The Kellogg Company brothers were pioneers in using paperboard. They first used paperboard cartons for their flaked corn cereal. Later, when they sold cereal to everyone, they wrapped a sealed bag of wax paper around the box. This bag had their brand name printed on it. This is how the modern cereal box began! Today, the sealed bag inside the box is usually plastic.

Another important company in early American packaging was the Kieckhefer Container Company. It was run by John W. Kieckhefer. This company was very good at using fiber shipping containers, especially paper milk cartons.