Paper fluting. What is it?

People who do not deal with the paper industry on a daily basis are often surprised to learn how many types of paper are distinguished by professionals. One example is fluting paper, which most of us have had our hands on at least once in our lives, but would not be able to name it correctly. What exactly is it?

Fluting

Fluting is the English word for gouging or grooving. This is precisely the purpose of this paper: it is used to produce corrugated board, or more precisely the middle 'corrugated' layer. The outer layers are the covering paper, expertly called kraftliner or testliner. Fluting paper is recycled paper, which is made from recycled raw materials. If required, it can also be produced in the traditional manner. Thanks to its structure, fluting paper is very resistant to mechanical damage and, thanks to its grammage, it can be used to create many different types of packaging. It is also used as an acoustic and thermal insulator when laying floors, as a filler when packing fragile products, or as a protection (e.g. for floors during painting and other renovation work).

How is fluting paper made?

Creating fluting paper requires a special manufacturing process. First of all, it is necessary to use damage-resistant paper that can easily be fluted. It is placed between special fluting cylinders. These are responsible for forcing the paper into the grooves so that it achieves its characteristic shape. The machine corrugates the paper given to it across the width of the web. Specialised plants ensure that the entire process is always reproducible and that the fluting paper achieves the right technical parameters and characteristics every time. It is important to remember that fluting paper is still paper. In its traditional form, it is therefore not resistant to moisture, which takes away most of its protective properties. On the other hand, it is possible to find water-resistant fluting on the market, although it is quite complicated to produce and therefore more expensive.