Corrugated is the fluted board behind shipping cartons, retail shippers and heavy product boxes. It is stronger than folding carton board because of the wave of paper sandwiched between the liners, and that wave (the flute) is the first thing to settle on your spec. iBox Factory prints custom corrugated from a 100 box minimum, with the die and the plates included.
Flute profiles and what each one is for
Taller flutes stack and cushion better. Shorter flutes crush less under press pressure, so they hold finer graphics. Most jobs come down to one of five.
| Flute | Approximate thickness | Usually specified for |
|---|---|---|
| A | About 1/4 inch | Cushioning and stacking strength on bulky, light freight |
| B | About 1/8 inch | Die cut inner packs and boxes that need crush resistance more than cushioning |
| C | About 3/16 inch | The general shipping workhorse, the default for most ecommerce cartons |
| E | About 1/16 inch | Printed retail cartons and mailers where graphics matter |
| F | About 1/32 inch | Small retail boxes that want a corrugated look at near carton thinness |
Single wall, double wall, and how to decide
Single wall is one flute between two liners and covers most retail and ecommerce work. Double wall adds a second flute and a third liner, which is what heavy or fragile freight usually needs. Rather than picking a grade off a chart, send us two numbers: the loaded weight of one box, and how high those boxes get stacked on a pallet or in a warehouse rack. Board grade is a response to load and stack height, not to the product category.
Printing, and what actually moves the price
Ink coverage moves corrugated pricing more than buyers expect. One or two colours on a natural kraft liner is the cheapest route on the board. A full bleed across every panel means a white liner or a printed sheet laminated to the corrugated, more ink, and a longer setup. If the budget is tight, leave large areas of the box unprinted and put colour where the customer's eye lands: the front panel and the inside of the lid.
Minimums, price and turnaround
The minimum order is 100 boxes. Per unit pricing starts from about $0.48 at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote rather than estimated from a public table. Turnaround is stated per product across three lanes: rush is expedited production plus air freight, standard moves by air, and cost saver moves by sea. The floor is from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. Rush carries a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job.
Production runs at two plants, West Chicago in the United States and Guangzhou in China. Which plant runs your job depends on the construction and the lane you pick, and we will tell you which one before you approve anything.
What to send with your enquiry
- Inside dimensions as length x width x depth, or a description of the product that has to fit.
- Loaded weight per box and the stack height it has to survive.
- Number of print colours, or the artwork if you already have it.
- First run quantity and the reorder volume you expect over a year.
If the size is still open, work through corrugated box dimensions first, then sanity check the budget against what custom boxes cost. When the spec is close enough to price, send it through the quote form and we will come back with board grade, plant, lane and per unit price in writing.
