Editing Carton

{{Short description|Type of domestic container}}
{{for|people with the surname Carton|Carton (surname)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}

[[Image:Several Cartons.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.35|Examples of several types of cartons for different products]]
A '''carton''' is a box or container usually made of [[liquid packaging board]], [[paperboard]] and sometimes of [[corrugated fiberboard]].
Many types of cartons are used in [[packaging]]. Sometimes a carton is also called a [[box]].

==Types of cartons==

===Folding cartons===
{{See also|Folding carton}}
[[Image:Reverse Tuck Carton.jpg|right|thumb|Typical blank for folding carton]]
A carton is a type of [[packaging]] typically made from paperboard that is suitable for food, pharmaceuticals, hardware, and many other types of products.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://refinepackaging.com/blog/carton-boxes/|title=Guide to Carton Boxes and Packaging|website=Refine Packaging|date=10 November 2020 |access-date=16 December 2022|archive-date=3 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203033716/https://refinepackaging.com/blog/carton-boxes/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Folding carton]]s are usually combined into a tube at the manufacturer and shipped flat (knocked down) to the packager. Tray styles have a solid bottom and are often shipped as flat blanks and assembled by the packager. Some also are self-erecting. High-speed equipment is available to set up, load, and close the cartons.

===Egg carton===
[[File:有精卵.jpg|thumb|Molded pulp egg cartons, Japan]]

[[Egg carton]]s or trays are designed to protect whole eggs while in transit. Traditionally, these have been made of [[molded pulp]]. This uses recycled newsprint which is molded into a shape which protects the eggs. More recently, egg cartons have also been made from [[expanded polystyrene]] and [[Polyethylene terephthalate|PET]].

===Aseptic carton===
Cartons for liquids can be fabricated from laminates of [[liquid packaging board]], foil, and polyethylene. Most are based on either [[Tetra Pak]] or [[Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft#Packaging|SIG Combibloc]] systems.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} One option is to have the printed laminate supplied on a roll. The carton is cut, scored, and formed at the packager. A second option is to have the pre-assembled tubes delivered to the packaging plant for completion and filling. These are suited for [[aseptic processing]] and are used for milk, soup, juice, etc. Paperboard-based cartons are lighter compared to a similarly sized steel can, but are harder to recycle.  Some open-loop recycling operations pelletize or flatten ground-up cartons for use in building materials; closed-loop recycling is possible by separating the layers before processing, though some recyclers only recycle the cardboard fibers.<ref name="npr">{{Cite news|title=In The Recycling World, Why Are Some Cartons Such A Problem?|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/03/09/591568093/in-the-recycling-world-why-are-some-cartons-such-a-problem|access-date=27 September 2019|publisher=NPR|date=9 March 2018|last1=Jacewicz|first1=Natalie|archive-date=22 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922184836/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/03/09/591568093/in-the-recycling-world-why-are-some-cartons-such-a-problem|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Perga carton ===
Perga cartons entered production in 1932 as a [https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2002/july/features/the-paper-beverage-carton-past-and-future leak-proof can] during World War I. Jagenberg Werke AG, in Düsseldorf, Germany, patented the design. The carton had a ribbed texture and paper sleeves covered in paraffin material, which provided a seamed structure from base to lid. Most cartons had a capacity of 200 mL. Development of the carton slowed during World War II, but the design would see a revival within European markets in the 1960s.

===Gable top===
[[File:Meiji brand fresh cream.JPG|right|thumb|Gable top carton of cream]]
Gable top cartons are often used for liquid products such as milk, juice, etc. These use [[polyethylene]]-coated paperboard<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.recyclecartons.ca/carton-recycling/|title=Carton Recycling|website=Carton Council|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=9 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809123912/https://www.recyclecartons.ca/carton-recycling/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Contrary to what some may think, cartons are not wax coated. What you may see as wax on a carton is actually a thin layer of polyethylene (plastic).  --> or other [[liquid packaging board]] and sometimes a foil laminate. Most are opened by pushing open the gables at the top back and pulling the top (spout) out. Some have fitments to assist in opening and eating the contents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elopak.com/usa/about/history/|title=A consumer favourite for more than a century|website=Elopak|access-date=6 May 2021|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506095118/https://www.elopak.com/usa/about/history/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Folded_Paper_Milk_Carton|title=Folded Paper Milk Carton – Ohio History Central|website=ohiohistorycentral.org|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808082547/https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Folded_Paper_Milk_Carton|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foodandcity.org/food-mover-paper-plastic/|title=Food Movers: Paper or Plastic?|first=Cory|last=Leahy|date=2016-01-08|website=Food+City|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808082547/https://foodandcity.org/food-mover-paper-plastic/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://packagingguruji.com/history-facts-paper-bottle/|title=Surprisingly History Facts of Paper Bottle and FFS Machine {{pipe}} John Van Wormer|date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226070134/https://packagingguruji.com/history-facts-paper-bottle/|archive-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>

=== Waxed paperboard beverage carton (historical) ===
Cuboid waxed paperboard beverage, a formed waxed paperboard plug crimped and sealed, preceded gabled polyethylene-coated paperboard cartons.<ref name="ift.org" >{{Cite web|url=https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2002/july/features/the-paper-beverage-carton-past-and-future|title=The Paper Beverage Carton: Past and Future|quote=The first records of paper being used to carry liquids on a commercial scale are found in reports, dated 1908, of a Dr. Winslow of Seattle. He remarked on paper milk containers which were invented and sold in San Francisco and Los Angeles by a G.W. Maxwell as early as 1906.|website=[[Institute of Food Technologists]]|date=July 2002 |access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808082547/https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2002/july/features/the-paper-beverage-carton-past-and-future|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Drinking straw#History|Waxed paper straws]] were used to drink.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/products/1888-heavy-duty-paper-drinking-straws-pack-of-24|title=1888 Heavy-Duty Paper Drinking Straws (Pack of 24)|access-date=10 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810034026/https://shop.driehausmuseum.org/products/1888-heavy-duty-paper-drinking-straws-pack-of-24|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Borden (company)|Borden]] distributed milk in this way.<ref>
{{Cite web|url=https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4qT9RTec7SQ1MzCsiV347A7rLwYEcXwbuBWufsCAv1u1HVlJOpNiSFfI3U0Y&s=|title=Wax Paper Milk Carton |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808073354/https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4qT9RTec7SQ1MzCsiV347A7rLwYEcXwbuBWufsCAv1u1HVlJOpNiSFfI3U0Y&s= |archive-date=8 August 2021 }}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite web|url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/b1/08/fdb108f2d23754b6833e3e5b99445109.jpg|title=Wax Paper Milk Carton |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808073204/https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/b1/08/fdb108f2d23754b6833e3e5b99445109.jpg |archive-date=8 August 2021 }}
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.icollect247.com/item/139383/Skookum--Milk--Waxed-Carton |website=iCollect247 |title=Skookum Milk Waxed Carton|date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808071805/https://www.icollect247.com/item/139383/Skookum--Milk--Waxed-Carton|archive-date=8 August 2021}}
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.goantiques.com/swiss-farm-milk-1507072|title=Antiques, Art, Vintage |website=go Antiques |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808071825/https://www.goantiques.com/swiss-farm-milk-1507072|archive-date=8 August 2021}}
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/174849511116|title=2 Vintage Waxed Paper 1qt Milk Cartons Rocky Forest Dairy, Laceyville, Pennsylvania |website=eBay |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808074531/https://www.ebay.com/itm/174849511116|archive-date=8 August 2021}}
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/304018218967|title=Knudsen 1950's Dairy Half Pint Wax Paper Milk Carton |website=eBay |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808075032/https://www.ebay.com/itm/304018218967|archive-date=8 August 2021}}
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{{Cite web|url=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nFoAAOSwsthghJG3/s-l1600.jpg|title=Wax Paper Milk Carton |website=eBay |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808080008/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nFoAAOSwsthghJG3/s-l1600.jpg |archive-date=8 August 2021 }}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/304018218967|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808075032/https://www.ebay.com/itm/304018218967|url-status=dead|title=Vintage Kitchen Décor Knudsen 1950's Dairy Half Pint Wax Paper Milk Carton|website=eBay|archive-date=8 August 2021|access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref><ref>
{{Cite web|url=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/B2oAAOSwdwhghJHE/s-l1600.jpg|title=Wax Paper Milk Carton |website=eBay |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808075954/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/B2oAAOSwdwhghJHE/s-l1600.jpg |archive-date=8 August 2021 }}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite web|url=https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/k5gAAOSw8EpghJHG/s-l1600.jpg|title=Wax Paper Milk Carton |date=2021-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808075941/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/k5gAAOSw8EpghJHG/s-l1600.jpg |website=eBay |archive-date=8 August 2021 }}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/174849511116|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808074531/https://www.ebay.com/itm/174849511116|url-status=dead|title=2 Vintage Waxed Paper 1qt Milk Cartons RockyForest Dairy Laceyville Pennsylvania|website=eBay|archive-date=8 August 2021|access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|reason=It's a statement about milk cartons. Not exactly controversial.|date=March 2023}}

==Packaging history==
<blockquote>Robert Gair was a Brooklyn printer and paper-bag maker during the 1870s. While he was printing an order of seed bags, a metal rule normally used to crease bags shifted in position and cut the bag. Gair concluded that cutting and creasing paperboard in one operation would have advantages; the first automatically made carton, now referred to as "semi-flexible packaging", was created.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/cdfs-133|title=A History of Packaging|access-date=10 August 2021|archive-date=25 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125191820/https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/cdfs-133|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

;Folded carton
In 1817, the first commercial cardboard box production began in England.<ref name="auto"/> In 1879, [[Robert Gair]], in Brooklyn, New York, operated a factory that die-ruled, cut, and scored [[paperboard]] into a single impression of a folded carton.<ref name="auto"/> By 1896, the [[Nabisco|National Biscuit Company]] was the first to use cartons to package [[Cracker (food)|crackers]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The packaging designer's book of patterns|date=11 July 2000|publisher=Bilimsel Eserler|isbn=9780471385042|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RLhcx5ZZHUkC&q=Robert+Gairfolding+carton&pg=PA16|access-date=10 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810034025/https://books.google.com/books?id=RLhcx5ZZHUkC&q=Robert+Gairfolding+carton&pg=PA16|url-status=live}}</ref>

<blockquote>During the first decade of the 1900s, G. W. Maxwell developed the first paper milk carton.<ref name="auto1"/></blockquote>

;Milk carton
In 1908, Dr. Winslow, of Seattle, Washington, described paper [[milk]] containers that were commercially sold in [[San Francisco]] and [[Los Angeles]] as early as 1906.<ref name="ift.org" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://karlasullivandotcom.wordpress.com/2019/12/26/the-best-chocolate-drinks/ |website=Karla Sullivan |publisher=Lifetime Chicago |access-date=6 May 2021 |language=en |date=26 December 2019 |quote=(Photo) Bordens Dutch Chocolate |last1=Sullivan |first1=Karla Sullivan |title=The best chocolate drinks |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506111514/https://karlasullivandotcom.wordpress.com/2019/12/26/the-best-chocolate-drinks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The inventor of this carton was G.W. Maxwell.<ref name="ift.org" /> Later, in 1915 John Van Wormer of Toledo, Ohio, received the a [[patent]] for the gable-topped, wax-coated, "paper bottle," a folded blank box for holding milk, calling it the "Pure-Pak."<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506095118/https://www.elopak.com/usa/about/history/ |archive-date=6 May 2021  |title=History |url=https://www.elopak.com/usa/about/history/ |website=Elopak |access-date=6 May 2021 |quote=1915 Patent for the gable-topped Pure-Pak granted 1936 First machines installed in US market}}</ref> The milk carton could be folded, glued, filled with milk, and sealed at a dairy farm.<ref>{{cite book|title=Food packaging: principles and practice|date=22 September 2005|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9780849337758|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NFRR6GayR74C&q=John+Van+Wormer+inventor+of+milk+carton&pg=PA117|access-date=16 October 2020|archive-date=29 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929180538/https://books.google.com/books?id=NFRR6GayR74C&q=John+Van+Wormer+inventor+of+milk+carton&pg=PA117|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1953, Seok-kyun Shin introduced the gable-topped milk carton to Korea.<ref name="yonsei">[https://annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1860 Hence, the Edison of Korea, Doctor Shin Seok-kyun, suggested creating packages that would store milk for a prolonged time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418130538/http://annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1860 |date=18 April 2021 }}.</ref> In the 1960s, Mario Lepore, a Detroit engineer designed a machine to fold and seal a gable top paper carton.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

In 1957 paper milk carton company [[John W. Kieckhefer|Kieckhefer Container Co.]] merged with the [[Weyerhauser]] Timber Company of [[Tacoma, Washington]].{{Citation_needed|date=July 2019}}

==Shape==
[[File:Tetra Classic of milk Tomoe.jpg|right|thumb|Tetrahedral carton of milk]]
Although quite often shaped like a [[cuboid]], it is not uncommon to find cartons lacking [[right angle]]s and straight edges, as in [[squround]]s used for [[ice cream]].

[[Tetrahedron]]s and other shapes are available.  Cartons with a hexagonal or octagonal cross sections are sometimes used for specialty items.

==Materials==

Cartons can be made from many materials: [[paperboard]], duplex, white kraft, recycled and many more various plastics, or a [[Composite material|composite]].  Some are "food grade"  for direct contact with foods. Many cartons are made out of a single piece of paperboard. Depending on the need, this paperboard can be [[wax]]ed or coated with [[polyethylene]] to form a moisture barrier. This may serve to contain a liquid product or keep a powder dry.

<!-- Lacking any content
==Environmental concerns==
<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/03/09/591568093/in-the-recycling-world-why-are-some-cartons-such-a-problem In The Recycling World, Why Are Some Cartons Such A Problem?]</ref>
-->

==Artistic design and other imagery==
In art history, the [[cartoon#Fine art|carton]] (pronounced the French way) was a drawing on heavy pasteboard or paperboard, used as life-size design for the manufacture in an [[atelier]] of a valuable [[tapestry]], such as a [[gobelin]]. During the weaving it hung behind the tapestry in the making, a time-consuming process thus in a creative sense simplified to 'mechanical' painting-by-numbers.

As these were extremely valuable, often commanded by the very richest art-buyers, including princes who hung them in their palaces and even took them on their travels as prestigious displays of wealth, often with a visual message, especially the world-famous Flemish ateliers were deemed worthy to have cartons made by some of the greatest graphic artists of the time, including such celebrated painters as Rubens.

In the 1980s, milk cartons in the United States often [[Photo on a milk carton|printed photos of missing children]] with the hope that someone would recognize the photograph and provide information to police.

Many milk cartons also included advertisements and sponsors. These images and sponsors ranged from DVDs, Cereal, Cartoons, Frozen Dinners, and Albums.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Philip |date=2009-08-27 |title=Using Milk-Carton Ads to Build Strong Brands |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/business/media/27adco.html |access-date=2023-04-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Carton-pierre==
''Carton-pierre'' was a material used for the making of raised ornaments for wall and ceiling decoration. It is composed of the pulp of paper mixed with whiting (ground [[calcium carbonate]]) and glue, this being forced into plaster moulds backed with paper, and then removed to a drying room to harden. It is much stronger and lighter than common plaster-of-Paris ornaments, and is not so liable to chip or break if struck with anything.

== Beverages & snacks found in cartons ==
There's a plethora of beverages and snacks found within carton-packaging. This includes milk, juices, egg whites, coffee, protein shakes, water, and even snacks like [[Goldfish (cracker)|Goldfish]] and [[Whoppers]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2016-12-07 |title=Food and Beverages You Didn't Know Come in Cartons |url=https://www.recyclecartons.com/consumer/food-and-beverages-you-didnt-know-come-in-cartons/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Carton Council – Consumer |language=en-US |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420005216/https://www.recyclecartons.com/consumer/food-and-beverages-you-didnt-know-come-in-cartons/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Corrugated box design|Corrugated box]]
* [[Tetra Pak]]
* [[Elopak]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Yam, K.L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-470-08704-6}}
*<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gable Top Cartons {{!}} Gable Top Packaging |url=https://www.cartonservice.com/products/gable-top-cartons/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=Carton Service |language=en-US}}</ref>
* ''The Paper Beverage Carton: Past and Future''. 1 July 2002, <nowiki>https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2002/july/features/the-paper-beverage-carton-past-and-future</nowiki>.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kirwan |first=M. J. |title=Paper and Paperboard Packaging |date=2011-03-17 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781444392180.ch8 |work=Food and Beverage Packaging Technology |pages=213–250 |access-date=2023-04-16 |place=Oxford, UK |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|doi=10.1002/9781444392180.ch8 |isbn=9781444392180 }}</ref>
*<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chertoff |first=Emily |date=2012-08-01 |title=The Surprising History of the Milk Carton |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/08/the-surprising-history-of-the-milk-carton/260587/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>
*<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2016-12-07 |title=Food and Beverages You Didn't Know Come in Cartons |url=https://www.recyclecartons.com/consumer/food-and-beverages-you-didnt-know-come-in-cartons/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=Carton Council – Consumer |language=en-US |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420005216/https://www.recyclecartons.com/consumer/food-and-beverages-you-didnt-know-come-in-cartons/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Philip |date=2009-08-27 |title=Using Milk-Carton Ads to Build Strong Brands |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/business/media/27adco.html |access-date=2023-04-16 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==External links==
* How cartons are made, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNbKIc8tD5I How Paper Cartons Are Made]

{{Wiktionary}}

{{packaging}}

[[Category:Containers]]
[[Category:Paper products]]
[[Category:Paperboard packaging]]
[[Category:Domestic implements]]
[[Category:Milk containers]]