ASTM D4727/D4727M, “Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes,” has just been released as the new 2012 Edition and is available for purchase or download from Document Center Inc. The document is a popular packaging specification, covering corrugated and solid fiberboard sheet stock (container grade) and cut shapes intended for use mainly in the fabrication of boxes and interior details (for example, pads, sleeves, liners, partitions, and die-cut sheets). It replaced the federal specification PPP-F-320 back in 1994.
The performance of fiberboard boxes is largely dependent on the paper components from which they are fabricated and, in the case of corrugated boxes, on the flute structure as well. Therefore, a variety of grades reflecting varied performance levels are specified in ASTM D4727/D4727M-12.
The three classes of corrugated fiberboard are domestic and domestic/fire retardant, weather resistant and weather resistant/fire retardant, and water and water-vapor resistant and water and water-vapor resistant/fire retardant. For solid fiberboard, the two classes are domestic and domestic/fire retardant, and weather resistant and weather resistant/fire retardant.
Corrugated fiberboards are expected to be manufactured with two, three, or four facings for single-, double-, or triple-wall varieties, respectively, with each facing separated by and securely adhered to the corrugating medium of any suitable fiber. Solid fiberboards, on the other hand, are manufactured from plies securely and continuously laminated together. The facings of corrugated fiberboards and plies of solid fiberboards should conform to the requirements in the document.
Tests for thickness, basis weight, puncture resistance, ply separation, bursting strength, flame spread, specific optical density, and edge crush are also defined in the specification.
Along the same lines, the ASTM D4728 2006, “Standard Test Method for Random Vibration Testing of Shipping Containers,” has been reaffirmed so that it is now the ASTM D4728-06(2012) Edition.
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