Corrugated Box Styles

Slotted Boxes

• Manufacturers produce slotted boxes from a solid fiberboard or a corrugated piece that they score and slot to allow you to fold the box. They come as flat boxes, so you must open the boxes in a square before you can insert your items. The regular slotted container or RSC has the same size flaps for the entire box. The two lengthwise outer flaps measure 1/2 the box's width and meet in the middle of the box when you fold the box. This type of box is the most common box style available and can accommodate most products.

  Another slotted box is the full overlap slotted container or FOL. The flaps in a FOL box measure the same length along the width of the container. In addition, the outer flaps fold within an inch of completely overlapping. This type of box can withstand rough handling. Additionally, the overlapping flaps offer cushioning when loaded on the bottom panel, while the box offers stacking durability due to the extra thickness loaded on the side panel.

  The overlap slotted container or OSC is another type of corrugated box. It is similar to the FOL box, but the flaps on the outside extend at least an inch.

Telescope Boxes

• Telescope boxes usually consist of two individual pieces. They have a separate top section and a separate bottom section. The top section of the box fits snugly over the bottom portion of the box. The telescope design style container or FTD is a two-piece box where manufacturers combine two scored and slotted trays for this kind of box such as a rectangle-shaped gift box.

  The design style container with cover or DSC box consists of a tube-like body with two similar covers. This works well with long and hefty products that are hard to lower in a container. Place the item on the bottom cover and lower the tube over the item to close.

  Another telescope box similar to the DSC box is the octagonal double cover container. It is a box with two pieces, except is has additional panel to create an octagon shape. Close the container by placing the octagon-shape cover over the bottom portion. Many fancy hatboxes are octagonal double cover containers.

Folder Boxes

• Folder corrugated boxes consists of one or pieces of board combined to offer an unbroken bottom section. In this type of box, the bottom section does not have flaps that meet in the middle or overlap. The bottom section is one smooth section of the box. For example, the one-piece folder or OPF has a piece of board that offers a flat bottom surface with flaps that form the ends and the sides that extend to create the top of the box. This type of box is ideal for clothing or small electronics.

  Another type of folder box is the a wraparound blank. This type of corrugated box works in conjunction with an automatic machine that uses a fiberboard or corrugated material to tightly wrap the materials around a stiff or unbendable product. Typically, this type of box is a regular slotted container turned on its side.

Rigid Boxes

• Manufacturers sometime refer to a rigid box as a bliss box. This type of box consists of the same size end panels running the width of the box and a one-piece body section that creates the two sides along the length of box forming an unbroken bottom and top section. You can have flaps on the box at the side panels, the body of the box or for all the sections. For example, you can find a bliss-style container with end flaps, a bliss-style container with flaps on the panels or sides, and a bliss-style container with two end flaps and two end panel flaps.