Types of Carton Boxes: Single Wall, Double Wall and More
Short answer: carton boxes differ in three ways — what the board is made of, how many walls it has, and how the box is cut and folded. For moving house and shipping parcels, nearly every box you will use is a corrugated regular slotted carton, and the decision that matters is single wall or double wall. The other types are worth knowing so that you can tell a shipping box from a retail one.
By material: corrugated, paperboard and rigid
Corrugated board is a sandwich of flat liners with a wavy fluted layer in between. The flutes act like small columns, which gives the board stiffness and some cushioning for very little weight. This is the material of shipping and moving boxes.
Paperboard (folding cartons) is a single solid sheet with no flute, also called chipboard or greyboard when made from recycled fibre. Cereal boxes, shoe boxes and medicine boxes are paperboard. It prints well and folds neatly, but it does not survive a courier network on its own.
Rigid boxes are made from thick solid board wrapped in printed paper — phone boxes and gift boxes. They are for presentation and are shipped inside a corrugated outer carton.
The papers used in corrugated board are covered in our guide to testliner, kraftliner and chipboard.
By wall: single, double and triple
| Type | Construction | Typical thickness | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single wall (3-ply) | One flute, two liners | About 3 mm | Light goods, clothes, short trips, top of the stack |
| Double wall (5-ply) | Two flutes, three liners | About 5 mm | Books, kitchenware, tools, stacked loads, storage |
| Triple wall (7-ply) | Three flutes, four liners | Thicker still | Industrial crating; rarely needed for household or parcels |
The step from single to double wall matters most for dense contents and for any box that will have others on top of it. It does not replace cushioning for fragile goods. Our full comparison is in 3-ply vs 5-ply carton boxes.
Whatever the wall, keep a packed box to 15–20 kg. Heavy things go in small boxes and light things in large ones — see how heavy a moving box should be.
By style: how the box is cut
- Regular slotted carton (RSC). The standard shipping box, with four flaps top and bottom. It arrives flat and is taped shut. Almost every moving and courier box is an RSC.
- Document or archive box. A small box sized for A4 files, so that paper — the densest thing in an office — stays liftable.
- Die-cut mailer. A one-piece box with tuck-in flaps and no tape needed, common for subscription and e-commerce parcels.
- Telescopic box. A separate lid that slides over a base, used for long or flat items.
- Cargo or jumbo box. A very large RSC for light, bulky loads and consolidated shipments.
Around the box sit the supporting board products: flat layer pads for dividers and sandwiches, edge protectors for pallet corners, and honeycomb board where a stiff, light panel is needed.
By history: new and once-used
New cartons are plain, clean and consistent — the choice for parcels that carry your brand, for fragile or valuable goods, and for export or long storage.
Once-used Grade A cartons have carried one shipment and been checked by hand: rigid, dry, clean and odour-free. They are cheaper than a comparable new box and suit house moves, storage and outer cartons. They still show the previous owner’s printing and are not food-grade or halal-certified packaging.
What we stock at Quinocycle
Examples from our own range, with single-piece prices at the time of writing:
| Box | Type | Size (mm) | Price per piece |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ain1000 | Once-used, single wall | 320 × 220 × 280 | RM1.10 |
| Bary | Once-used, double wall | 300 × 200 × 250 | RM1.90 |
| Yellow | Once-used, double wall | 460 × 330 × 310 | RM3.50 |
| ALP 6 | Once-used, single wall | 580 × 480 × 460 | RM3.90 |
| PDC | Once-used, double wall | 590 × 380 × 380 | RM5.00 |
| XS | New, mini | 170 × 115 × 150 | RM1.10 |
| JPM document box | New | 380 × 185 × 250 | RM3.50 |
| NLN | New, double wall | 590 × 390 × 390 | RM8.00 |
| T760 cargo box | New, jumbo XXL | 760 × 760 × 760 | RM38.00 |
See the full lists in the once-used carton category and the new carton category, and the layer pads, edge protectors and honeycomb board that go with them. Custom sizes and printing can be arranged and are quoted case by case.
Which type for which job
- Moving house: once-used double wall in two or three matched sizes; single wall for clothes and bedding.
- Online orders: a close-fitting new or once-used carton, or a flyer bag for soft goods.
- Office files: document boxes, never large cartons.
- Storage: double wall, off the floor, three tiers at most.
- Fragile goods: new double wall with bubble wrap or foam inside.
- Pallet loads: matched double-wall cartons with layer pads and edge protectors.
FAQ
What are the main types of carton boxes?
By construction: single wall (3-ply), double wall (5-ply) and triple wall (7-ply) corrugated boxes, plus paperboard cartons and rigid boxes used for retail packaging. For moving and shipping, the choice is almost always between single and double wall.
What is the difference between single wall and double wall?
Single wall has one fluted layer between two liners and is about 3 mm thick. Double wall has two fluted layers and three liners, is about 5 mm thick, and carries heavy contents and stacked loads much better.
Which type of carton box is best for moving house?
Double wall for books, kitchenware and anything at the bottom of a stack; single wall is fine for clothes and bedding on top. Use small boxes for heavy things and large boxes for light things.
What is a regular slotted carton?
It is the standard shipping box: four flaps on top and four on the bottom, with the outer flaps meeting in the middle. It ships flat, is taped shut, and is the style of nearly every moving and courier box.
Not sure which type you need?
Quinocycle Sdn Bhd, No.13, Jalan Taming P/1, Taming Jaya, 43300 Balakong, Selangor. WhatsApp +6016-891 6381, office 03-8962 6381, or email sales@quinocycle.com with what you are packing. We are open Monday to Friday 8.30am–5pm and Saturday 8.30am–1pm, and closed on Sundays and public holidays.