Industrial Packaging Glossary

A

Angle board

An L-profile board made from laminated kraft paper, placed on the vertical edge of a pallet load so that strapping bears on the board instead of on the product. Also called edge board, corner board or edge protector.

Adhesive edge board

An angle board pre-gummed on its inner faces so it holds position on the stack before strapping, removing a separate taping step on the packing line.

B

Bundle

The pack unit in which edge protectors are supplied. Ours are bundled at 25 or 50 pieces, with a bundle weight of 10 to 30 kg depending on size and ply.

Burst strength

A measure of the pressure a paper or board will take before rupturing. Useful for sheet material; for angle board, compression resistance is the more meaningful figure.

C

Compression strength

The vertical load a board or unit load will carry before it deforms. For edge protection this is the number that decides whether a stack survives being double-stacked in a container.

Core tube

A spiral-wound paper tube used as the centre of a wound roll - fabric, film, foil or paper. Specified by inner diameter, wall thickness and length.

Corner protector

Any component that shields the corner of a load. In paper packaging, usually an L-profile angle board.

D

Dynamic load

The load a pallet carries while it is being moved - on a forklift or pallet truck. Always lower than the static load rating.

E

Edge protector

See angle board. The terms are used interchangeably in the trade; "edge protector" is more common in export documentation, "angle board" on Indian shop floors.

EUDR

The EU Deforestation Regulation. It covers wood and wood-derived products, including paper, placed on the EU market. Goods made entirely from recovered waste paper are outside it; any virgin fibre brings the product back in. It applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators and 30 June 2027 for small ones.

F

Fumigation

A chemical treatment used to meet ISPM-15 for wood packaging, as an alternative to heat treatment. Not applicable to paper packaging.

G

GSM

Grams per square metre - the weight of the paper used in each ply. Our range is 230 to 450 GSM. Higher GSM at the same ply gives density, which resists crushing.

H

Heat treatment

Raising wood packaging to a core temperature of 56°C for at least 30 minutes to meet ISPM-15. Does not apply to paper packaging because the standard covers wood packaging material only.

Honeycomb

A paper structure of hexagonal cells sandwiched between facings, giving high compressive strength for very low weight. The construction used in paper pallets.

HSN code

Harmonized System of Nomenclature - the code that determines the GST rate on an invoice. Paper angle board, edge protector and core tube fall under 48239090 at 18%; PET strap under 39206220 at 18%.

I

IPPC mark

The stamp applied to ISPM-15 compliant wood packaging showing the country, the registered treatment provider and the treatment method. Not required on paper packaging.

ISPM-15

International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15. It regulates wood packaging material moving in international trade, to stop timber pests travelling with freight. Paper and paper-based pallets are outside its scope.

L

L profile

The standard 90-degree angle board with two equal legs. The default shape for rectangular pallet corners.

M

MOQ

Minimum order quantity. Ours is 10,000 pieces domestic and 50,000 pieces export, published openly so a smaller buyer is not sent down a dead end.

P

PET strap

Polyester strapping. Replaces steel strap on palletised loads: it retains tension as the load settles, does not rust, does not mark coated surfaces and is safer to cut.

Ply

The number of kraft layers laminated to form the board. Our range is 3 to 12 ply. Ply gives stiffness; GSM gives density. Both are specified together.

S

Static load

The load a pallet will carry standing still. Our paper pallets are rated up to 600 kg static.

Strap tension

The force applied by strapping to hold a unit load together. Without edge protection, that force is concentrated on the top carton edge and crushes it.

U

U profile

A channel-shaped edge protector that covers a flat edge on three sides. Used for panel, sheet and slab bundles where an L profile would leave a face exposed.

Unit load

The pallet, the goods on it and everything holding them together, treated as one handling unit.

V

V profile

An angle board formed to a specified angle other than 90 degrees, for tapered or chamfered edges.

W

Wrap-around edge board

A single scored length folded around the full perimeter of a pallet or top deck, replacing four separate corner pieces.