Design Guide

Selecting Thickness and Weight for Corrugated Plastic

The two numbers that decide whether the part works

Two Independent Variables

Thickness sets the flute height and therefore the stiffness of the section. Weight per square metre sets how much polypropylene is in that section, which drives skin thickness, flute wall thickness and crush resistance.

A supplier who only asks for thickness is not asking enough. Everplast covers 2 mm to 12 mm and 250 g/m² to 2000 g/m², and the two are ordered separately.

Working Ranges by Application

Application	Typical thickness	Notes
Light dividers and partitions	2 – 4 mm	Lower weight where the part only separates product
Sign board	2 – 5 mm	Corona treated grade for printing
Box walls in a returnable loop	4 – 8 mm	Weight matters as much as thickness
Layer pads under bottles and cans	2 – 12 mm	Heavier stock where a layer picker grips the edge
Heavy duty panels and bulk bins	8 – 12 mm	Highest weights in the range
Floor and window protection	2.2 – 5.0 mm	275 – 900 g/m², 2000 × 1000 mm standard

Application

Typical thickness

Notes

Light dividers and partitions

2 – 4 mm

Lower weight where the part only separates product

Sign board

2 – 5 mm

Corona treated grade for printing

Box walls in a returnable loop

4 – 8 mm

Weight matters as much as thickness

Layer pads under bottles and cans

2 – 12 mm

Heavier stock where a layer picker grips the edge

Heavy duty panels and bulk bins

8 – 12 mm

Highest weights in the range

Floor and window protection

2.2 – 5.0 mm

275 – 900 g/m², 2000 × 1000 mm standard

Where the Ranges Come From

These are working ranges rather than published limits: the right value depends on load, stack height, number of trips and whether the part is handled by machine. Send the load case with the enquiry and the specification can be worked back from it.

Special Cases

Temporary surface protection board runs a narrower set: 2.2, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 mm at 275 g/m² to 900 g/m², at 2000 × 1000 mm or any size required.

PP honeycomb board covers 1.5 mm to 13 mm at 250 gsm to 3000 gsm, with a maximum width of 2500 mm, and gives rigidity in both panel directions rather than mainly along the flute.