ASTM_D_5639_-_D_5639M_-_11_2015.pdf

Designation:D5639/D5639M11(Reapproved 2015)Standard Practice forSelection of Corrugated Fiberboard Materials and BoxConstruction Based on Performance Requirements1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5639/D5639M;the number immediately following the designation indicates theyear of original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of lastreapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice provides information on corrugated fiber-board for the prospective 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 shall have in order to be acceptable to the purchaseror user.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 fiberboardmaterials 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 D4169.1.2 The attributes and their levels should be 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 as 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 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.1.2.1 The attribute levels contained herein are based on USpractice and specifications.Some attributes such as flutedimensions and basis weights may be defined differently inother countries.1.3 There are two distinctly different methods commonlyused for specifying boxes.The most common approach is tospecify materials,such as defining flute,edge crush value,Mullen burst value,and flat crush minimums,containerboardweights and thicknesses.An alternative approach is to definesome measure of performance.Mullen burst values can be oneof these measures if the user has determined that someminimum burst value is all that is required in their distributionsystem.The overall compression strength of the box is another,and this measure allows each supplier to achieve the requiredstrength through their own unique combination of materialsand processes.A third measure would be to pass some sort ofrough handling performance protocol,with Practice D4169being one example.Unlike material specifications,wheredefinitions of fluting,test methods of ECT,and difficulty ofassessing individual components of the box structure exist,compression values of the finished box are easily tested andverified using a common test method(Test Method D642).Thesame can be said of box performance measured against aperformance protocol.Using only material specifications todefine a box does not guarantee the box will be well made.Forexample,the best possible material could be used for making abox,but if the score lines are too deep or too shallow,or if themanufacturers joint is not secured correctly,the box will failin distribution.Conversely,box compression and rough handling perfor-mance protocols measures both material and manufacturingquality simultaneously.It is sometimes advantageous to use acombination of both these methods to help assure the outerliner will not easily scuff or break.Though suppliers will needto continue to use material specifications when making boxes,the user would benefit more from employing performancespecifications to help guarantee similar box attributes from avariety of suppliers.It should be realized that no two suppliers,especially if theyre located in different countries,will use thesame materials and processes for making a box.Employing1This 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 Oct.1,2015.Published October 2015.Originallyapproved in 1994.Last previous edition approved in 2011 as D5639/D5639M 11.DOI:10.1520/D5639_D5639M-11R15.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Bo