The humble cardboard box is used up and down the country every day for so many reasons that it almost feels like it’s been around forever! But, of course, it hasn’t, so we’ve put together a brief history of its life so far…

Cardboard is essentially a heavy type of paper, noteworthy for its rigidity and durability. It was first invented in China in the 15th century and is used for a wide variety of purposes. One of its more common uses is as a packaging material is the form of boxes.

Cardboard boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes, primarily used for packaging goods and materials. Cardboard Boxes are constructed from to ply’s of paper which in turn sandwich together with a fluted sheet. These are then glued which gives the construction unique strength, rigidity and insulation properties which other packaging can’t achieve.

The cardboard box was invented back in 1817 in England. The box was simple, not corrugated paperboard, but it was a box! Kellogg Cereals helped popularise this box in the mid-1800s, and it wasn’t until in 1856 that corrugated paper was patented.

In the 1870’s, American Robert Gair invented the pre-cut cardboard or paperboard box by accident! He worked as a printer and paper-bag maker, and while he was printing an order of bags, a metal ruler normally used to crease bags cut on of the bags. Gair realised that by cutting and creasing cardboard in one operation he could make prefabricated boxes.

The first machine for producing large quantities of the corrugated board was built in 1874 and by the early 1900s, corrugated cardboard boxes began replacing the custom-made wooden crates and boxes previously used for trade.

At Dapak, our boxes come in a myriad of sizes and designs which accommodate a huge range of products we all use on a daily basis. We can provide any type of box be it printed or not so whatever industry sector you are from we can accommodate you, so call us today for more information – 01335 344215.