Paperboard is a thick paper based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.25 mm/0.010 in or 10 points) than paper. According to ISO standards, paperboard is a paper with a basis weight (grammage) above 224 g/m², but there are exceptions. Paperboard can be single or multi-ply. Paperboard used for the manufacture of folding cartons and rigid set-up boxes is often called boxboard. Paperboards used for the manufacture of corrugated fiberboard are called containerboard. It can be easily cut and formed, is lightweight, and because it’s strong, it’s used in packaging. Another end-use would be graphic printing, such as book and magazine covers or postcards. Sometimes it is referred to as cardboard, which is a generic, lay term used to refer to any heavy paper pulp based board.

Within the packaging industry, the generic term is more often pasteboard, and specific kinds are referred to by their initials or a shorthand. The most common types used for retail packaging are SB (solid bleach), CCKB (clay-coated kraft back) and CCNB (clay-coated news back).

Paperboard