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What Is Chipboard? The Packaging Board, Not the Wood Panel
By What is chipboard? In US packaging, chipboard is recycled paperboard. It is a flat board made from recovered paper, usually gray or brown, with no fluted layer inside. It is the stiff board in folding cartons and the walls of rigid boxes. In British English, though, the same word means a building panel made from small pieces of wood and glue. Some pages online mix the two, which is why an article about boxes may start talking about sawdust and furniture.
Two Materials Share One Name
| Packaging chipboard | Wood chipboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Recycled paperboard | Particleboard |
| Made from | Recovered paper, formed into a board | Small wood particles bonded with adhesive under heat and pressure |
| Who uses the word this way | The US packaging trade | British English |
| Typical use | Folding cartons, rigid box walls | Furniture, flooring, underlayment |
The British meaning is in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, which defines chipboard as board “made of small pieces of wood that are pressed together and stuck with glue” and notes that North American English also calls it particle board. The USDA Forest Service Wood Handbook describes particleboard as wood reduced to small particles, coated with adhesive and pressed with heat into a panel, and names furniture as its main use, with flooring among others.
In US packaging sources, from paperboard mills to a university course, chipboard means the paper board. So if a packaging article talks about sanding chipboard or using it for flooring, it has switched materials partway through.
What Packaging Chipboard Is Made Of
A paper grades lecture from NC State University says recycled paperboard is “sometimes called chipboard.” It is made entirely of recovered paper, often newspapers and other low value paper. Because that fiber is not deinked, the board comes out grayish. The lecture also notes that the grade makes up in thickness what recycled fiber lacks in strength. So chipboard gets its strength from thickness rather than from strong fiber.
Mill descriptions line up with this. Cascades describes its chipboard as a board of several plies that gets its rigidity from compressed paper fibers, made from 100 percent recycled fibers. Graphic Packaging says its recycled paperboard is 100 percent recycled fiber, with at least 45 percent postconsumer content. Those figures describe those mills’ own grades, not every sheet sold as chipboard.
The Forms Chipboard Takes
- Uncoated chipboard. Plain board with no coating, often called uncoated recycled board, or URB. Smurfit Westrock describes its folding chipboard as unglazed multilayer board with a brown surface.
- Coated chipboard. The same recycled board with a clay coating on its surface, often called coated recycled board, or CRB. Graphic Packaging and Smurfit Westrock both describe their CRB as double clay coated, which gives a smooth face for print. Wikipedia’s paperboard entry lists a white, often clay coated version called white lined chipboard.
- Bending chip. A grade meant for folding cartons. Cascades sells a “full bending chip” for folding cartons, with a smoother surface for printing.
- Nonbending chip. Stiff board that is not meant to fold. NC State’s lecture lists setup boxboard among the recycled grades, and Wikipedia’s cardboard box entry describes set up boxes as made from a nonbending grade of paperboard and delivered fully built, not folded flat.
“Chipboard” on its own does not tell you which of these you are getting.
Where Chipboard Goes on a Box
- Folding cartons. A coated, bending grade, printed on the smooth face. NC State’s lecture lists clay coated folding boxboard among the recycled grades. Our guide “What Are Cereal Boxes Made Of?” covers the coated recycled board used on cereal cartons.
- Rigid box walls. A stiff, nonbending board that holds its shape. Our guide on how rigid boxes are made walks through how the board is cut and wrapped.
- Inserts and dividers. Our comparison of packaging inserts and box dividers covers chipboard partitions and when each option fits inside insert boxes.
Chipboard, Corrugated and SBS
| Chipboard | Corrugated | SBS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build | Solid board of several plies | A fluted medium between flat liners | Solid board |
| Board family | Recycled paperboard | Containerboard | Bleached paperboard |
| Surface | Gray or brown, or a clay coated face | Set by the liner | White |
Chipboard is solid through its thickness. Corrugated is built differently, with liners and a fluted medium, and our guide “What Is Corrugated Packaging?” covers it in depth.
SBS is a different board again. Graphic Packaging lists bleached paperboard, which it says is also known as solid bleached sulfate, as a separate family from its recycled boards. So a page that calls SBS a kind of chipboard has mixed up two materials.
What to Ask When a Quote Says Chipboard
- Coated or uncoated? Coated for a smooth printed face, uncoated for a natural look or for parts nobody sees.
- Bending or nonbending? Bending for a carton that folds, nonbending for a rigid box wall.
- How thick? Ask for the caliper. Our guide “How Thick Is Cardboard?” explains points and other units.
- What recycled content? If it matters to your brand, ask for the figure for that grade, since mills publish different ones.
- Will it get damp? Cascades lists the sizing level, which sets water resistance, among the things it adjusts for a customer. Say so if the box will face moisture.
At Custom Boxes Deals, the boards we work with include rigid board, SBS, kraft, cardstock, corrugated and recycled stocks. Recycled content materials are available depending on the specification. Tell us what goes in the box and how it will travel, and we will suggest a board that suits it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chipboard the same as cardboard?
Not exactly. Cardboard is an everyday word that covers everything from paperboard to corrugated, and the trade avoids it for that reason. Chipboard is one specific kind of paperboard.
Is chipboard made of wood?
Not in the way the name suggests. Packaging chipboard is made from recovered paper, which is itself wood fiber, not from wood chips glued together. The wood panel called chipboard in British English is particleboard, a different material.
Why is chipboard gray?
Its recycled fiber is not deinked, so the board keeps a grayish color, according to NC State University’s paper grades lecture.
Is chipboard recyclable?
Cascades describes its chipboard fibers as recycled and recyclable. Whether a given box is accepted depends on local recycling rules, and a bonded barrier or film laminate changes how a pack is handled at end of life.
Anthony Kim
Hello, I'm Anthony Kim, a seasoned packaging consultant and designer. With a professional journey spanning over four years, I've evolved from a budding designer to a recognized expert in the field. Currently holding the position of Packaging Consultant, I've honed my skills in creating not just visually stunning packaging but also solutions that align with strategic business goals.
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