What’s the difference between boxes and cartons? from li lan's blog

Whether you’re shipping or storing something, we want to make sure you get your packaging right. The terminology between the two words often gets mixed up. And lord knows there’s just way too many special jargon out there in the printing world.

So to make things easier to understand for the rest of us, I will provide a simple rule of thumb below:

What’s the difference?

While both boxes and cartons are made out of paper materials, cartons are usually thinner of the two. You’ll see it used in cereal boxes, milk cartons, pharmaceuticals, and more.

A box, on the other hand, uses thicker paper stock that is mostly meant for shipping. As it’s built for durability, you will most likely notice multiple layers of paper that include an inside and an outer layer with a ruffled shaped paper sandwiched in between. Probably very easy to imagine since most of us have opened up a UPS or Amazon package at some point.

What’s the best for your business?

Depending on the industry, your packaging material may vary. What’s used in the food industry will differ from the footwear industry of course. So if you’re looking for packaging that is:

• Lightweight

• Affordable

• Safe

• Customizable

• Eco-friendly

• Durable

• Or Affordable