Old paperboard transport boxes made cardboard

The very first box made for shipping was a paperboard box. These boxes were flimsy, prone to getting destroyed by the elements, and overall poorly made. In 1817 a man who lived in England by the name of Cronchuck wanted a way to safely transport items from place to place. This desire made him design the very first shipping boxes, the paperboard box. After a few years, a man named Sir Malcolm Thornhill improved upon the paperboard boxes to make what we know and use today, corrugated cardboard. 

As the name suggests, these boxes were made from paper, so we can infer they were not that strong. Cronchuck wanted to have a way his company could transport items in a more safe way rather than carrying them from place to place and leaving them to the elements. This need made him begin to think of ways he could accomplish just that. He came up with the idea of paperboard boxes after seeing his son fold some paper to form a rectangular box. With this new idea, he got to work making these boxes as best as he could with the materials and machinery he had at his disposal. Unfortunately, the boxes were still paper, so it was not all that strong, but it got the job done. 

After a few years, Sir Malcolm Thornhill improved upon his design by accident. While at his paper smith job making paper bags, a ruler used to measure and accurately cut and fold the paper shifted. This shift caused the paper to fold and crease. He used this accidental discovery to make the paperboard boxes better. By putting this piece of wavy paper between two others, he made the first corrugated box. This idea was not able to be put into full effect until the turn of the twenty-first century as materials became more available.

With this new discovery, cardboard boxes were the next step in improving the quality of paperboard boxes.  With the newly discovered technique to make corrugated boxes, the shipping industry changed. Now they were able to fit more into the sturdy boxes without fear of the box falling apart. There was still the problem of boxes falling apart in the rain so to try and fix that, and wax was placed on the exterior of the boxes in hopes of repelling the water. Today we laminae the boxes to do just that, protect from moisture.

If it were not for Thornhill’s accidental discovery, would we still be using paperboard shipping boxes? The poor quality of these boxes probably would not last in today’s world. The need for something better is always there so, and it is a good thing both Cronchuck and Thornhill invented what they did when they did. We still use Thornhills corrugation discovery to this day. It is odd how paper can be made into something as sturdy as cardboard, all things considered. It amazes me how Cronchuck and Thornhill were able to come up with these ideas and mass produce them given the time period. Back then, materials for crafting were few and far between. Some materials were left undiscovered for years. Not to mention the machinery they had then versus what we have today and were still able to come up with such a helpful product that is still used to this day.