Examination of scoring parameters of corrugated fiberboard
| Authors: | John M. Considine, Nathan J. Bechle, James Bridwell, Matthew A. Arvanitis, B. Frank, Xiaoyan Tang |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Forest Products Laboratory |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.32964/TJ25.8.493 |
| Source: | TAPPI Journal |
Abstract
One of the less interrogated aspects of corrugated packaging are scoring and scoring profiles, the intentional localized crushing of flutes to accommodate package folding and closure. This study explores the effect of scoring parameters on box compression test strength (BCT) of two balanced corrugated boards.
Scoring differences produced BCT that varied by 10% for one board and less for the other board. Parameters from 4-point bending of scored specimens showed some correlation with BCT, while eccentricity and torsion parameters had less correlation. Different scores produced BCT differences that were not strongly predicted by most standard tests in the current study, implying other tests may be needed to examine the actual boundary conditions on a box during compression. In a few cases, aggressive scoring produced cracked score lines, and those containers had lower BCT than containers with uncracked score lines.