1、Designation: D 5639/D 5639M 05Standard Practice forSelection of Corrugated Fiberboard Materials and BoxConstruction Based on Performance Requirements1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 5639/D 5639M; the number immediately following the designation indicates theyear of original ado
2、ption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of lastreapproval. A superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice provides information on corrugated fiber-board for the p
3、rospective user who wants guidance in selectingattributes of materials and box construction based on perfor-mance requirements. These attributes should be part of speci-fications which establish levels of the qualities a shippingcontainer must have in order to be acceptable to the purchaseror user.
4、The attributes and qualities should be testable, usingstandard methods that are recognized by both the buyer andseller. This practice will assist users in developing specifica-tions for corrugated containers through an analysis of perfor-mance requirements and subsequent relationships to fiberboardm
5、aterials and box construction attributes. This practice isintended to provide specific corrugated container performancestandards as opposed to packaged product performance evalu-ation through distribution and handling environments, such asPractice D 4169.1.2 The attributes and their levels should be
6、 based on theintended use of the box, including the handling and environ-ment it will encounter. Many packaging regulations includedetailed descriptions of the materials that may be used andstyle, closure, or other construction details of allowed shippingcontainers. These regulations are presented a
7、s minimum re-quirements; they may be exceeded for functional reasons, butthere is no regulatory reason to do so. Rail and motor freightclassifications applicable for surface common carrier transpor-tation have established minimum requirements for certainattributes of corrugated packaging. These may
8、or may not beappropriate for application in the complete distribution system,as they encompass only containerboard or combined corru-gated boardnot finished boxesand are not intended toprovide for the distribution system beyond the transportationsegment.1.3 Corrugated containers for packaging of haz
9、ardous ma-terials for transportation must comply with federal regulationsadministered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (Codeof Federal Regulations49CFR).1.4 The values stated in both SI and inch-pound units are tobe regarded separately as standard. Within the text, theinch-pound units are sh
10、own in brackets. The values stated ineach system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each systemshall be used independently of the other.1.5 Lists and Descriptions of Performance and MaterialCharacteristics and Related Test ProceduresFor furtherinformation on the development of performance-based s
11、peci-fications, please refer to the sections on Specifications and TestProcedures of the Fibre Box Handbook.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety
12、and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D 585 Practice for Sampling and Accepting a Single Lot ofPaper, Paperboard, Fiberboard, and Related ProductD 642 Test Method for Determining Compressive Resis-tance
13、 of Shipping Containers, Components, and UnitLoadsD 685 Practice for Conditioning Paper and Paper Productsfor TestingD 996 Terminology of Packaging and Distribution Environ-mentsD 4169 Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Con-tainers and SystemsD 5118/D 5118M Practice for Fabrication of Fibe
14、rboardShipping BoxesD 5168 Practice for Fabrication and Closure of Triple-WallCorrugated Fiberboard ContainersD 5276 Test Method for Drop Test of Loaded Containers byFree FallE 122 Practice for Calculating Sample Size to Estimate,With a Specified Tolerable Error, the Average for aCharacteristic of a
15、 Lot or Process1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D10 on Packagingand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D10.27 on Paper and PaperboardProducts.Current edition approved April 1, 2005. Published April 2005. Originallyapproved in 1994. Last previous edition approved i
16、n 2000 as D 5639/D 5639 95(2000)e1.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.1Copyright ASTM Internatio
17、nal, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.2.2 TAPPI Methods:T411 Thickness of Paper, Paperboard, and CombinedBoard3T 803 Puncture Test of Corrugated Fiberboard3T 808 Flat Crush Test of Corrugated Fiberboard-FlexibleBeam Method3T 810 Burst Test of Corrug
18、ated Fiberboard3T811 Edgewise Crush Test of Corrugated Fiberboard3T 825 Flat Crush Test of Corrugated Fiberboard-FixedPlaten Method32.3 Government Documents:Code of Federal Regulations, Title 4942.4 Other Publications:Fibre Box Handbook5National Motor Freight Classification Item 2226Uniform Freight
19、Classification Rule 4173. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor general definitions of packaging anddistribution environments, see Terminology D 996.4. Significance and Use4.1 This practice assists users in selecting appropriate per-formance characteristics of corrugated fiberboard or box con-struction, or
20、both, commensurate with the users need forpacking and distribution of goods. This practice describesseveral attributes of fiberboard and boxes which relate tovarious hazards encountered in distribution and describes testparameters which may be specified by the user to ensuresufficient strength in th
21、e box for containment, storage, han-dling, and protection of contents.4.2 The user should specify only those attributes and relatedtests which are required for satisfactory performance in theusers operations and distribution cycle(s). When using pack-aging regulations as a basis for developing speci
22、fications, thereason for the existence of the regulation and its function andimportance should be understood. As previously stated, regu-lations may be exceeded and should be when the minimumspecifications are inadequate for the full effects of the distri-bution cycle.4.3 See Appendix X7 for several
23、 examples of specificationdeterminations.5. Sampling5.1 Selection of a sampling plan depends on the purpose ofthe testing. The sampling plan from Appendix X2.2.2 ofPractice D 585 is recommended for acceptance criteria. Anexample of acceptance and rejection criteria based on variouslot sizes may be f
24、ound in Appendix X1. For purposes of otherthan acceptance criteria, use Practice E 122.6. Conditioning6.1 All test specimens shall be preconditioned, conditioned,and tested in accordance with Practice D 685.7. Fiberboard Attributes7.1 Corrugated fiberboard is commercially available in threewall cons
25、tructions, and four common flute structures. The usershould specify desired wall construction and flute structurebased on performance requirements.7.1.1 ConstructionSinglewall board is used for lightercontents where some structural rigidity, compression strength,puncture resistance, and cushioning i
26、s needed. Doublewallboard is used for heavier contents requiring a greater degree ofstructural rigidity, compression strength, and puncture resis-tance. Triplewall is used for the heaviest contents wheremaximum structural rigidity, compression strength, and punc-ture resistance are required.7.1.2 Fl
27、ute Structure“A” flute offers the highest top-to-bottom compression strength, but low resistance to flat crush.“B” flute has high flat crush resistance but lower top-to-bottomcompression than “A” or “C”. “C” flute is the most commonwith average resistance to flat crush and top-to-bottom com-pression
28、. “E” flute generally replaces solid boxboard, hasexcellent flat crush resistance, is used mostly for graphics andconsumer products, but seldom used for shipping containers.The following typical flute structures are provided as areference:Approximate Number Approximate Flute Height(not including thi
29、cknessof facings)Flutes/Meter Flutes/Foot mm in.A-Flute 100 to 120 30 to 36 4.67 0.184B-Flute 145 to 165 44 to 50 2.46 0.097C-Flute 120 to 140 36 to 42 3.61 0.142E-Flute 280 to 310 86 to 94 1.19 0.0477.2 Burst StrengthThis attribute relates to the tensilestrength and stretch elongation of the fiberb
30、oard. It alsoprovides rupture strength as protection against rough handling.7.2.1 Burst Strength is measured by the burst (Mullen) testutilizing TAPPI Method T 810.7.2.2 There is no direct relationship, such as a formula, torelate box handling performance to needed burst strength.However, as a funct
31、ion of box size and weight of the filledpackage, minimum burst strength requirements for corrugatedpackaging used in surface common carrier transportation arepublished in the rail and truck classifications and are shown inTable X2.1. These requirements may or may not be appropriatefor the users appl
32、ications.7.3 Puncture ResistanceThis attribute relates to the abilityof the fiberboard to resist both internal and external forces. Italso relates to the rough handling integrity of the finishedcontainer.7.3.1 Puncture resistance is measured by the puncture testutilizing TAPPI Method T 803.7.3.2 The
33、re is no direct relationship, such as a formula, topredict rough handling performance of a box based on the3Available from the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, 15Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 30092.4Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washingto
34、n,DC 20402.5Available from the Fibre BoxAssociation, 2850 Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows, IL60008.6Available from American Trucking Association, Inc., 2200 Mill Rd., Alexan-dria, VA 22314-4677.7Available from National Railroad Freight Committee, Tariff Publishing Officer,151 Ellis Street, NE, Suite 200,
35、Atlanta, GA 30335.D 5639/D 5639M 052puncture resistance of the fiberboard from which it is made.Shippers and carriers, however, have used various puncturegrades successfully for years as noted in Appendix X3. TableX3.1 lists suggested puncture strengths versus maximum grossweights and size. These re
36、quirements may or may not beappropriate for the users application.7.4 Edgewise Crush ResistanceThis attribute of fiber-board relates directly to the finished box compression strengththrough the well-known simplified formula published in 1963by the Institute of Paper Chemistry (now the Institute of P
37、aperScience and Technology, or IPST) and commonly known as theMcKee Formula. Other versions of the McKee Formula utilizethe exponent values of box perimeter and board thicknessinstead of the square root function, or bending stiffness insteadof board thickness, and will understate the resultant boxco
38、mpression by about 5 % compared to the simplified squareroot method.7.4.1 The simplified McKee Formula is:BCT 5 5.87! 3 ECT! 3 =BP! 3 T! (1)where:BCT = estimated average top to bottom compression teststrength of an RSC box, kN lbf,ECT = edge crush test, kN/m lb/in.,BP = inside box perimeter (sum of
39、twice inside lengthand twice inside width), m in., andT = combined board thickness, m in.When solving for ECT using this formula, rearrange asfollows:Estimated average ECT 5Required BCT5.87 3 =BP 3 T(2)See Appendix X4 for example and limitations of formulause.7.4.2 Edgewise crush resistance is measu
40、red by the edge-wise crush test (ECT) utilizing TAPPI Method T 811.7.4.3 Although, as shown in 7.4.1, ECT directly relates tofinished box compression strength, the rail and truck classifi-cations have minimum ECT requirements as an alternate tominimum burst strength requirements as shown in Table X4
41、.1.These requirements may or may not be appropriate for theusers application.7.5 Minimum Uncombined Flute HeightThe overallthickness (caliper) of corrugated fiberboard is an importantmaterial attribute relating directly to finished box compressionstrength. Since thickness consists primarily of the f
42、lute struc-tures, minimum flute heights may be specified, not includingany linerboards (facings).7.5.1 Use as minimum flute heights, the manufacturerstarget flute heights, minus 4%.7.5.2 Test MethodFirst measure the thickness of thecombined board structure using TAPPI Test Method T411.Then measure t
43、he thickness of each facing (linerboard), with-out soaking apart, and subtract the thickness of the facings toobtain flute structure(s) height. All readings must be taken atleast 25 mm 1 in. from any score line, cut edge, or printedarea.7.6 Flat Crush ResistanceThis attribute is an indication ofthe
44、rigidity of the flute structure which is in turn directly relatedto the finished box compression, printing crush resistance, andquality of fabrication practice.7.6.1 Combined singlewall fiberboard should meet the fol-lowing minimum flat crush requirements:Flute Flexible Beam Method, kPa lbf/in.2ABC1
45、30 19200 29165 247.6.2 Flat crush resistance is measured by the flat crush test(FCT). The above values are measured by using the flexiblebeam test method of TAPPI T808. An alternate methodutilizing the fixed beam, TAPPI T825, is also available but willproduce values about 20 to 30 % higher.7.7 Print
46、ing CrushExcessive printing crush of fiberboardwill reduce compression strength of the finished box andadversely affect automatic packing equipment and warehousestacking.7.7.1 The following are suggested maximum crush deforma-tions for singlewall boards:Oil-Based Inks, mm in. Water-Based Inks, mm in
47、.A-fluteB-fluteC-flute0.38 0.0150.28 0.0110.33 0.0130.20 0.0080.15 0.0060.18 0.0077.7.2 For doublewall boards used 75 % of the combinationof flute structure allowances, for triplewall use 50 % (that is,AAA-flute has maximum allowable crush of 0.30 mm 0.012in. for water-based inks).7.7.3 Test MethodU
48、sing TAPPI Test Method T411mea-sure the board sample at least 25 mm 1 in. from any scoreline, cut edge, or printed area. Then measure it in the printedarea and subtract from the first reading to determine amount ofcrush deformation.8. Finished Container Attributes8.1 Box StyleA wide variety of box s
49、tyles are available tothe user ranging from the most common Regular SlottedContainer (RSC) to specialized styles configured for particularapplications. The more common styles are depicted in PracticeD 5118, Figures 1 through 14 and in the Fibre Box Handbook.In addition, rigid boxes formed by automatic in-plant equip-ment may be appropriate and include the following styles:Bliss, Bliss with tri-fold ends; Bliss with internal flange; Blisswith triangular corner posts; Bliss with integral “H” divider;Tray
