A Brief History Of Cardboard Boxes

Everybody uses cardboard boxes, they are useful for storage and removals and are also environmentally friendly. Cardboard boxes are the first thing you look for when moving house or looking to transport large amounts of paperwork or your precious items, but where did they come from and how long have they been around?

Although still referred to as 'cardboard boxes' by most people nowadays, industrially prefabricated boxes can now actually be made from other similar materials such as card stock, paperboard or corrugated fibreboard and come in a massive amount of styles, sizes and shapes. People see and use them every day and don't even notice, cereal boxes, drink cartons and cigarette packets are all used daily by many people. Anything remotely expensive that you buy is likely to come in one, from shoes to computers, televisions or even CD's and DVD's that you purchase online.

It is thought that the first commercial boxes were made in England as long ago as 1817! 73 years later in 1890 the first flat-pack boxes were invented. These cardboard boxes were actually made of paperboard as the material we know today as cardboard was manufactured until the turn of the twentieth century. The popularity of flaked breakfast cereal massively increased the volume of cardboard boxes being manufactured and circulated. The popularity of cardboard boxes was worldwide, their manufacture in USA was started around 1895 and by the early twentieth century they were replacing traditional wooden crates and wooden boxes as a cheaper and easier solution to transporting goods.

Due to their biodegradable nature, cheapness and the fact that they are environmentally friendly, cardboard boxes are as popular today as they have ever been. Whether you are using them for storage or moving home, you will find online companies that offer them at fantastic prices.