Cardboard storage boxes are one of the most popular packaging materials in the world. Often used for storing, packing, or moving, these boxes are made of heavy paper and corrugated cardboard. They are mass-produced by companies worldwide, and are used by almost every retailer in the world to ship or store products. They are commonly recycled as storage boxes, and can be used for a variety of purposes. They are popular as a place to store junk in a basement or closet; to carry a box of favorites while moving; or for a number of other uses.
Made of a paper-based construction material, cardboard storage boxes consist of two heavy paper liners. These liners surrounded a third corrugated sheet for a sturdy, three-layered, paper pulp thickness. Though they can come in gray or white, the most common color for cardboard storage boxes is brown. They are usually referred to as “boxes,” but these cardboard containers come in many other different shapes, most commonly rectangle or cylinder.
The cardboard storage box in the shape of a rectangle is made with six sides, with one long sheet attached to four flaps at both the top and the bottom. The flaps can be folded upward or downward to construct the box. To close the box, the flaps are most often taped together. Without tape or heavy-duty staples, a cardboard box can be closed by folding the flaps over one another, so only one can be dislodged at a time.
Cardboard boxes are the packing material most often used for deliveries and large or bulky postal mail. They are always taped, and, depending on the product, can be lined on the inside with protective bubble-plastic or with small foam pieces. Many companies will imprint logos or shipping stickers on cardboard storage boxes. Others still will write directions or labels on the boxes, such as “Thanksgiving decorations” or “Do not cut” or “Fragile.”
Cardboard storage boxes do have many other practical uses as well. Popular in the 1980s with the emergence of rap music, cardboard boxes were, and still are, used for breakdancing. By placing the flattened box on the ground, the dancer was allowed a more danceable platform, and a protection from the roughness of the pavement against their clothes or body. Cardboard storage boxes are also commonly seen in car garages or car repair shops. They can be a handy tool to collect oil and other deposits that might drip from the bottom of an automobile.