Reference
The box glossary — jargon, decoded.
Corrugated has its own language. Here are the terms you'll meet buying, selling and shipping boxes, in plain English.
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In short
The box trade leans on a handful of acronyms — OCC (old corrugated cardboard), ECT (edge crush test) and Mullen burst for strength; RSC for the common shipping-box style; and ISPM-15 for export-compliant pallets. This page defines those and the rest, so a spec sheet or quote never leaves you guessing.
12 terms · A → Z
- B
Backhaul
- Carrying freight on the return leg of a trip that would otherwise run empty — cutting cost and carbon.
- D
Dunnage
- Loose or shaped material used to protect and stabilize goods in transit; ours is made from upcycled board.
- E
ECT
- Edge Crush Test — a measure of a board’s stacking strength, reported in pounds per inch.
- F
Flute
- The wavy fluted medium between liners that gives corrugated its cushioning and strength (A, B, C, E, F profiles).
- G
Gaylord box
- A pallet-sized bulk corrugated container, typically 40×48 in. Also called a bulk box, pallet box, tote or bulk bin.
- G
Grade (A/B/C)
- A condition rating for used boxes based on liner, corners, crush and moisture history.
- I
ISPM-15
- International standard requiring wood packaging (pallets) used in export to be heat-treated and stamped.
- L
Liner
- The flat facing of a corrugated board, inside and out; can be kraft, mottled white or specialty (poly, foil).
- M
Mullen / burst
- Burst strength — the pressure a board withstands before rupturing, reported in psi.
- O
OCC
- Old Corrugated Cardboard — the recycling-industry grade for used corrugated collected for re-pulping.
- R
Reconditioning
- Restoring a used box — cleaning, cut-downs, re-flapping, re-lining — to return it to service.
- R
RSC
- Regular Slotted Container — the most common shipping-box style, with flaps meeting at the center.
Put it to work
From vocabulary to a spec you can order.
Now that the terms make sense, dig into the numbers behind them — dimensions, wall types and how we grade used stock.