{"id":626,"date":"2026-10-21T20:08:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.asemankitchenware.com\/blog\/?p=626"},"modified":"2026-10-21T20:08:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:08:21","slug":"what-are-the-paper-types-suitable-for-a-cartoning-machine-4996-566e87","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.asemankitchenware.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/what-are-the-paper-types-suitable-for-a-cartoning-machine-4996-566e87\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the paper types suitable for a cartoning machine?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever walked into a grocery store, pharmacy, or electronics shop and picked up a neatly folded box holding a product inside, chances are that box was run through a cartoning machine. I\u2019ve been supplying cartoning machines to small-batch craft brands and large manufacturing facilities alike for 12 years, and one question I get asked at least once a week is: What paper types work best with these machines?<\/em> It\u2019s not a trivial question\u2014pick the wrong paper, and you\u2019re looking about jams, damaged products, and a whole lot of downtime on your production line. Pick the right one, and your cartoning machine will run faster, produce neater boxes, and even cut down on material costs. Cartoning Machine<\/a><\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s start with the basics: cartoning machines aren\u2019t just random box-folding robots. They have specific capabilities and constraints. Modern horizontal cartoners\u2014 the most common type for food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods\u2014feed flat blanks of paper (or board, technically) into the machine, where they are scored, folded, glued, and then filled with product, then sealed shut. The paper has to be stiff enough to hold its shape during folding, flexible enough to not crack when you bend it along scores, and smooth enough to feed through rollers and sensors without jamming. It also has to adhere well to whatever glue the machine uses\u2014most cartoners rely on hot melt glue for quick, strong seals, so the paper\u2019s surface texture can make or break that bond.<\/p>\n

Now, not all paper is the same. When someone says \u201cpaper,\u201d they\u2019re usually referring to everything from thin notebook paper to thick cardboard, but cartoners work almost exclusively with paperboard (sometimes called containerboard), a category of thick, rigid paper that\u2019s thicker than regular printing paper but less dense than corrugated board. Let\u2019s break down the paper types that work, why they work, and when you might want to pick one over another.<\/p>\n

First up is Folding Box Board (FBB)<\/em>. This is probably the workhorse of the cartoning world, and it\u2019s the one I recommend to 70% of my customers. FBB is a lightweight, smooth paperboard made from 100% virgin pulp. It has a consistent thickness, uniform smooth surface, and excellent folding capabilities\u2014scores on FBB don\u2019t crack easily, even when folded at sharp angles. That makes it perfect for the small, intricate boxes you see for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and small consumer electronics. A big plus for FBB is its printability: the smooth surface takes ink and coatings really well, so brands can get high-quality graphics, product information, and barcodes on their boxes without worrying about smudging or fading. It\u2019s also consistent, which is critical for cartoning machines. If every sheet of board is slightly different in thickness or smoothness, the machine\u2019s sensors can\u2019t pick up the blank correctly, leading to jammed lines. FBB\u2019s uniformity eliminates most of that. I had a customer last year, a small vitamin brand, who was using a thinner, cheaper paper for their boxes and had a 12% downtime rate on their cartoner. They switched to FBB, and that dropped to 1.5% within a month. That kind of downtime adds up fast\u2014losing even a few hours a week can delay order fulfillment, so switching to a consistent board like FBB is often an easy win.<\/p>\n

Next is Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS)<\/em>. If you\u2019ve ever seen a white, glossy box for cereal, toothpaste, or over-the-counter medicine, that\u2019s SBS. It\u2019s another virgin pulp board, but it\u2019s bleached bright white, which makes it ideal for products that need a clean, premium look. SBS is a bit stiffer than FBB, so it holds its shape better for taller boxes or heavier products\u2014like a carton of 12 pills or a tube of toothpaste. It also has a smooth surface that resists moisture, which is a big benefit for products that might be stored in humid environments, like bathroom products or food items. That moisture resistance means the box won\u2019t warp or come apart if it gets exposed to a little humidity. The only thing to watch with SBS is cost\u2014it\u2019s more expensive than some other options, so if you\u2019re looking to cut material costs for a low-cost item, this might not be the best pick. But for brands positioning their products as mid-premium, SBS is hard to beat. I work with a toothpaste manufacturer that switched from FBB to SBS for their new premium line, and they told me their sales went up 8% in three months, partly because the white, glossy box stood out on store shelves. The cartoner handled it without any issues, because SBS is engineered to work perfectly with modern horizontal cartoners.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Kraft Board<\/em>. Unlike FBB and SBS, which use virgin pulp, kraft board is made from processed wood pulp, usually from recycled or sustainable forest sources, with a brown, natural color. It\u2019s cheaper than FBB and SBS, and it\u2019s very durable\u2014great for heavy products or products that might be dropped or handled roughly. A lot of craft brands use kraft board for their artisanal food products, like coffee bags, snack boxes, or small baked goods. The key thing with kraft board, though, is its texture: it\u2019s not as smooth as FBB or SBS, which can sometimes cause issues with feeding through cartoning machines. If the surface is too rough, the rollers can slip, leading to blanks feeding off-center or getting stuck. That\u2019s not a dealbreaker, though\u2014you just have to make sure you get a medium-weight kraft board (around 12pt to 18pt, for reference) that\u2019s been calendered, a process that smooths the surface slightly. I had a craft bakery customer who wanted to use kraft for their cookie boxes to fit their brand\u2019s rustic, natural identity. We adjusted their cartoner\u2019s roller pressure slightly and recommended a calendered medium kraft board, and it worked perfectly\u2014they didn\u2019t have a single jam in the first six months of use. Kraft is also great for sustainability, which is a huge selling point for many brands now. If your goal is to use recycled or low-environmental-impact materials, kraft board is a solid choice, as long as you match it to the right machine settings.<\/p>\n

What about corrugated board? Wait, a lot of people ask me about corrugated, which is the wavy stuff you see behind cardboard boxes used for shipping. Can you run that through a cartoning machine? Almost never. Corrugated is too thick and rigid to fold into the small, neat boxes cartoners produce. It\u2019s designed for shipping protection, not for retail packaging that fits around a product. There\u2019s a type of corrugated board called \u201cmicrocorrugated\u201d that\u2019s thinner, but even that is usually too flexible for most cartoners. I\u2019ve had a few customers try it, and 9 times out of 10, it leads to blanks that don\u2019t fold correctly, because the corrugated layer makes it hard to get a sharp score line. Save corrugated for outer shipping boxes, not the retail cartons your machine will be building.<\/p>\n

Now, what paper types should you avoid<\/em>? Let\u2019s get into that, because I get more questions about bad choices than good ones. First, thin newsprint or lightweight copy paper\u2014these are way too thin and flexible. They won\u2019t hold their shape when folded, so your boxes will come out lopsided, and they\u2019ll jam in the cartoner. Second, uncoated, rough recycled board that hasn\u2019t been calendered. If the surface is too bumpy, glue won\u2019t adhere properly, and blanks won\u2019t feed through the machine smoothly. I had a small supplement brand that tried to use cheap, uncalendered recycled board to cut costs, and they ended up with 20% of their boxes having weak seals, which meant half their products were damaged during shipping. Third, plastic-coated paper. A lot of food products use plastic-coated paper for grease resistance, but that plastic layer keeps hot melt glue from sticking, and it can also gum up the cartoner\u2019s rollers over time. If you need grease resistance for food, go for a grease-proof paper board that\u2019s coated with a water-based material, not plastic\u2014it works with the glue and won\u2019t damage the machine.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a common misconception that you can just pick any paper and it\u2019ll work with any cartoning machine. That\u2019s not true. The machine\u2019s speed is a big factor. If you have a high-speed cartoner running 150 cartons a minute, you need a board that\u2019s super uniform, like FBB or SBS, because even a tiny variation in thickness can cause a jam at that speed. For a low-speed machine, running 30 cartons a minute, you can get away with a slightly less consistent board, like uncalendered kraft, as long as you adjust the machine\u2019s settings. I always tell customers to test a small batch of paper first before committing to a big order. Most paper suppliers will send free samples, and you can run them through your cartoner to check for jams, folding quality, and seal strength. That extra step saves you a lot of headaches down the line.<\/p>\n

Another thing to consider is coating. If your product needs to be protected from moisture, grease, or UV light, you\u2019ll need a coated board. But not all coatings work the same with cartoning machines. Water-based acrylic coatings are the most common, and they work great with hot melt glue\u2014they bond quickly and don\u2019t leave residue on the machine. Wax coatings, though, can be tricky. Wax can make the surface too slippery, so blanks don\u2019t feed properly, and it can also clog the machine\u2019s glue nozzles. If you do use a wax-coated board, make sure it\u2019s a light coating, and you adjust your cartoner\u2019s cleaning schedule to prevent wax buildup.<\/p>\n

Let me also share a few real-world examples to make this concrete. Last year, I worked with a cosmetics startup that was using a 12pt uncoated board for their eyeshadow palettes. Their cartoner was jamming 10 times an hour, and they were throwing away $500 worth of product a day. We recommended they switch to 14pt FBB, which is slightly thicker, smoother, and more uniform. The downtime dropped to 1 jam a day, and their boxes looked much neater, which helped their sales. On the other end, I had a coffee roaster that wanted to use 100% recycled board for their bags, so we suggested calendered medium kraft board. It\u2019s a bit rougher than FBB, but their cartoner handled it once we adjusted the roller pressure, and it aligned with their sustainability brand, which their customers loved.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the right paper type for your cartoning machine depends on three things: your product, your brand goals, and your machine\u2019s capabilities. If you\u2019re making small, premium pharmaceuticals, SBS or high-quality FBB is the way to go. If you\u2019re a craft brand focused on sustainability, medium kraft board with a smooth finish will work. If you\u2019re running a high-speed line, consistency and uniformity matter more than cost.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve been in this industry long enough to know that choosing the right paper is one of the easiest ways to improve your line\u2019s efficiency, reduce costs, and make a better product for your customers. If you\u2019re not sure what paper type will work with your cartoning machine, or you\u2019re dealing with jams that seem like they\u2019re related to the material, don\u2019t hesitate to reach out. I\u2019ve helped hundreds of customers sort through this, and I can walk you through what will work for your specific setup.<\/p>\n

Cartoning Machine<\/a> Reference<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Soroka, W. (2019). Fundamentals of Packaging Technology<\/em>. Institute of Packaging Professionals.<\/li>\n
  2. Tracton, A. (2021). Paperboard for Packaging: Properties, Processing, and Performance<\/em>. CRC Press.<\/li>\n
  3. Cartoning Machine Manufacturers Association. (2022). Best Practices for Material Selection in Horizontal Cartoners<\/em>. Industry Technical Bulletin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Wenzhou Leadwing Machingry Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    With abundant experience, we are one of the most reliable cartoning machine manufacturers and suppliers in China. We warmly welcome you to buy advanced cartoning machine made in China here from our factory. All customized machines are with high quality and low price.
    Address: Room 101, Unit 2, Building 10B, Zilai Entrepreneurial Park, Wanquan Town, Pingyang County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province
    E-mail: wzleadwing@163.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.leadwingmach.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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