• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

DasPac

Packaging Automation and Supplies

For FAST Answers, Go Here:
My Proposal Request
  • HOME
  • EDUCATION
  • ABOUT DASPAC
  • CONTACT US
  • OUR TEAM
  • CAREERS
  • LOGIN

Case vs Carton: Clarifying and Distilling the Facts

By Christian King on January 21, 2019 0

Case vs Carton: Clarifying and Distilling the Facts

What’s the most embarrassing thing you can think of? Let us volunteer a suggestion: confusing cases and cartons! Indeed, nothing will get you tarred & feathered at a packaging convention faster than not knowing the difference between these two containers. In fact, we suspect a lot of people avoid the terms in social situations proximous to an abundance of viscous carbon and poultry processing by-product. The difference between a case and a carton is something nearly everyone involved in manufacturing needs to know. If you put products into packages, you almost inevitably use cases, cartons, or both. If you’re wondering what you can do to impress your colleagues with your packaging savvy, you’re in for a treat. In this post, we’ll explore the differences between cases and cartons, leading you to a firm grasp of their definitions and attributes. Let’s start with definitions.

Cartons
There are varying definitions of these two terms across the web, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to internet users. To offer a strict definition, a carton is a paperboard container whose walls are between 0.25 mm to 1.0 mm in thickness. In addition to the physical parameters, a carton is usually used as display packaging on shelves. Naturally, it should be able to accommodate printing of graphics and text. Unlike corrugated box material, carton walls are made up of a single layer. An appealing benefit of cartons as primary packaging is that they have a small storage footprint and are lightweight. However, they must be packed inside heavier containers for transit.

Cartons are always made of paperboard, so a plastic gallon jug of milk or juice would not be a carton. They’re meant to be inexpensive and recyclable or disposable at the end of their lifetime. The paperboard may also have a wax coating. The general rule of thumb is that cartons are flimsier, more attractive packaging used for display purposes or as primary packaging for food products.

Cases
Cases are made of corrugated paperboard with a thickness between 3.0 mm and 6.0 mm. They’re stronger and frequently used for products bought in multiples or in bulk. Products sold in cases are usually packaged in multiples of six, although the exact number of items per case will depend on the seller and the product type. Buying a case of X product assumes the seller’s definition of how many items are in the case for that product. Different vendors may have different quantities per case of a product, although some product cases are rather standard.

You may be interested to know that “cardboard,” while having become acceptable in common vernacular, is technically incorrect when referring to corrugated box material. Corrugated packaging has a layer of arched or ruffled paper called fluting between two layers of flat paper. Corrugated can have multiple layers of flutes and flat paper lining depending on durability needs. Cases are generally made of this corrugated packaging. For its level of dependability and durability, it’s very lightweight and can be rather environmentally-friendly if recycled. Because it’s made of fibers of wood or straw origin, it can be sourced and recycled in an ecologically responsible way. Since the outer layers of corrugated are always paper, these containers can easily bare printing from flexography, lithography, and silk screening. One of the highlights of corrugated is its talent for impact absorption and protection of contents. Impacts and accidental drops aren’t as big an issue with this material. It’s structure also allows it to be stacked and stored while avoiding damage to the product.

A Side-by-Side View
Cases are sturdier than cartons and are often just used for shipping, although not always. Cartons, while lighter and flimsier, tend to be more visually appealing and therefore more shelf-worthy. Cases frequently contain multiple units of cartons. One of the main differences between the two is that cases are made of corrugated, which involves at least three layers of material, while cartons comprise just a single layer of paperboard. Cases and cartons both are usually shaped like cuboids, but not always. Cartons sometimes lack straight edges of any kind, such as ice cream tubs.

We hope you’ve gleaned valuable knowledge from this post. If you’re debating the best type of containers your product needs or the best machinery to do the packaging, please contact our office. The experts at DasPac specialise in determining what your needs are, finding the right combination of equipment and material to satisfy those needs, and even programming the technology to make everything runs smoothly and on schedule. Did we mention we do all of this at competitive prices? Thank you for reading our blog. We enjoy curating our presentations of packaging knowledge, and we look forward to answering any questions you may have about how packaging technology can benefit your bottom line.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Menu
  • wrapping-verticalEQUIPMENT – Click to View Products:
    • Conveyors
      • Accumulating / Collating Machines
      • Accumulator – Collators (robotic)
      • Accumulator – Continuous Loop Machines
      • Accumulator – Conveyors
      • Accumulator – In-line
      • Accumulator – Off-line
      • Accumulator – Rotary Machines
      • Accumulator – Serpentine Machines
      • Accumulator – Spiral / Helical Machines
      • Accumulator – Variable Length Machines
      • Indexing / Counting / Collating Conveyors
    • Blister / Skin / Vacuum Packaging Machines
      • Blister Packaging Machines
      • Skin / Vacuum Packaging Machines
    • Wrapping / Banding / Bundling Machines
    • Cartoning Machines
      • Carton – Blank / Skillet Erecting / Forming Machines
      • Carton – End Flap Closing Machines
      • Carton – Gable Top Form/Fill/Seal Machines
      • Carton – Horizontal End Load Form/Fill/Seal Machines
      • Carton – Three Flap Carton Closing Machines
      • Carton – Top Load Carton Form/Fill/Close/Seal Machines
      • Carton – Tray Erect/ Load/ Seal Machines
      • Carton – Vertical Form/Fill/Seal Machines
      • Carton – Wrap-around Cartoner / Sleeving / Mandrel Form / Fill / Seal Machines
    • Case / Tray Sealing Machines
      • Case – Gluing Machines
      • Case – Stapling Machines
      • Case – Taping Machines
      • Case – Wrap-around Lidding Machines
    • Case / Tray Loading Machines
      • Case – Liner Bag Inserting / Uncuffing / Closing Machines
      • Case – Unloading Machines
      • Drop Packaging Machines
      • Gantry Loading / Unloading Machines
      • Horizontal Case Loading Machines
      • Place Packing Machines
      • Robot Place Loading / Unloading Machines
      • Vertical Case Loading Machines
    • Case Erecting / Tray Forming Machines
      • Bliss Box Forming Machines
      • Case Erecting Machines
      • Partition Inserting Machines
      • Tray Forming Erecting Machines
    • Case Group / Pack and Close / Seal Machines
      • Bottom-Load Case Packing Machines
      • Case / Tray Multipacking Machines
      • Case Erect / Fill / Close Machines
      • Horizontal Case Packing Machines
      • Vertical Case Packing Machines
      • Wrap-around Case Packing Machines
      • Wrap-around Sleeving Machines
      • Wrap-around Tray Packing Machines
    • Cleaning Sterilizing Cooling and Drying Machines
      • Air / Gas / Vacuum Cleaning Machines
      • Sterilizer Machines (batch or continuous)
      • Ultrasonic Cleaning Machines
      • Warming / Cooling / Drying Machines
      • Washing / Rinsing / Cleaning Machines (bottle crate part)
    • Closing Seaming and Sealing Machines
      • Can Seaming Machines
      • Clip / Sewing / Staple / Twist-tie Machines
      • Crimp / Roller Closing Machines
      • Film / Foil Sealing Machines
      • Folding / Tucking Machines
      • Glue Application / Sealing Machines
      • Heat Constant Sealing Machines
      • Impulse Heat Sealing Machines
      • Heat / Induction Sealing Machines
      • Sonic / Ultrasonic / RF Sealing Machines
      • Strapping Machines
      • Tape Dispensing / Sealing Machines
      • Vacuum / Gas Purge Sealing Machines
      • Weld Sealing Machines
    • Labeling Machines
      • Dual Head Printing (over/under tandem) Labeling Machines
      • Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) Source Tagging Machines
      • Foiling Machines
      • Heat Seal Labeling Machines
      • Hot Melt Glue Labeling Machines
      • General Labeling Machines
      • Liner-free Label Printing Machines
      • Pre-gummed Label Applying Machines
      • Pressure Sensitive Labeling Machines
      • Print and Apply Labeling Machines
      • RFID Encoding / Applying Machines
      • RFID Encoding / Printing / Applying Machines
      • Shrink Labeling / Sleeving Machines
      • Stretch Labeling / Sleeving Machines
      • Weigh / Price / Labeling Machines
      • Tag Applying Machines
      • Wet Glue Labeling Machines
    • Specialty Packaging Machines
      • Aseptic Packaging Machines
      • Clamshell Handling Machines
      • Compressing Machines
      • Controlled Atmosphere Packaging (CAP) Machines
      • Fitment Assembly / Insertion Machines
      • Foam In Place Machines
      • Leaflet / Label / Booklet / Outsert Folding Machines
      • Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) Machines
      • Opening / Closing Device Application Machines
      • Product / Package Recovery Machines
      • Tamper Evident Seal / Band Application Machines
      • Twist Wrapping Machines (eg candy)
      • Zipper Application Machines
    • Close
  • film-by-densityMaterials – Click to View Products:
    • Packaging Containers
      • Ampoules / Vials
      • Bags / Pouches
        • Bags
        • Breather – Bags / Pouches
        • Chevron Peel Pouches
        • Header Bags / Pouches
        • Mailer Bags
        • Reclosable – Bags / Pouches
        • Retort – Bags / Pouches
        • Standup – Bags / Pouches
      • Baskets / Punnets
      • Blister Packaging
      • Bottles / Jars
      • Boxes / Cartons / Cases
      • Cans
      • Clamshell Packaging
      • Crates
      • Cups
      • Drums / Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC)
      • Pallets
      • Point-of-Purchase (POP) Displays
      • Pre-forms for containers
      • Protective Packaging
      • Retail-Ready Packaging
      • Reusable / Transport Containers
      • Trays
      • Tubes
    • Packaging Components
      • Adhesive / Glue (pressure-sensitive cohesive)
      • Carrying / Handling Components
        • Bottle Carriers
        • Hooks / Hangers / Straps / Bands
      • Closing Components
        • Can Ends – Metal or Composite Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Continuous Thread Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Lug Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Tamper Evident (TE) Tamper Resistant (TR) Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Lug Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Tamper Evident (TE) Tamper Resistant (TR) Closures
        • Cap – Bottle / Jar – Vacuum Closures
        • Capsule Fillets and Closures
        • Clip Closures
        • Closures for Plastic Bags
        • Compostie (multi-material) Closures
        • Dispensing Closures (flip top pour spout pumps push-pull “sport” spray nozzle)
        • Lids
        • Membrane / Seals
        • Overcaps
        • Staples
        • Tape
        • Zippers / Slides
      • Labels (Decorating / Marking)
        • Cold Glue Labels
        • Extended Text Book Labels
        • Hot Melt Labels
        • Liner-free Labels
        • Pressure-Sensitive Labels
        • Shrink Sleeves
        • Stretch Sleeves
        • Thermal Transfer Ribbon
      • Pallet Components (pallets bottom sheets top sheets slip sheets)
      • Specialty Components
        • Dessicants
        • Fitments (dispensing venting)
        • Inks
        • String / Paper
      • Strapping Materials (metal plastic)
      • Track and Trace Materials
        • Anti-Counterfeiting Solutions
        • RFID Tags / Labels
        • Taggets
    • Packaging Materials
      • Films
        • Bio / Eco-polymer Films
        • Converted – Metalized Films
        • Converted – Shrink Films
        • Converted – Stretch Films
        • Formable Flexible Films
        • Mono-layer Co-extruded Films
        • Multi-layer Films
        • Nylon Polyamide (PA) Films
        • Oriented Polystyrene (OPS) Films
        • Polyethylene (PE) Films
        • Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Films
        • Polylactic Acid (PLA) Films
        • Polypropylene (PP) Films
        • Polystyrene (PS) Films
        • Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Films
      • Glass
      • Metal
        • Aluminum
        • Steel
      • Paper / Paperboard
        • Corrugated Paperboard
        • Kraft Paperboard
        • Paperboard
      • Plastics (polymers resins biopolymers etc)
        • Additives
        • Polyethylene (PE)
        • Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
        • Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)
        • Polyhydroxybutyrate (PBA)
        • Polylactic Acid (PLA)
        • Polypropylene (PP)
        • Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
    • Close
© Copyright 2025 DasPac. All rights reserved.