Overview
EN ISO 7263-2:2019 / ISO 7263-2:2018 specifies a laboratory method to determine the flat crush resistance of a corrugating medium after laboratory fluting using a B‑flute geometry. The procedure applies to any corrugating medium intended for use, after fluting, in the manufacture of corrugated board. The standard describes fluting, conditioning options, compression testing and reporting of results including the flat crush resistance index.
Keywords: corrugating medium, flat crush resistance, B-flute, laboratory fluting, EN ISO 7263-2:2019, ISO 7263-2:2018.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and principle
- Measures maximum force before flute collapse when force is applied perpendicular to flute plane.
- Test reflects potential flat crush resistance of corrugated board made from the medium.
- Test options
- Immediate testing after fluting (15–25 s historically; the standard increases realistic timing for initial force application).
- Testing after reconditioning (30–35 minutes under standard laboratory atmosphere).
- Apparatus & conditions
- Laboratory fluter with matched steel corrugating rolls, heated to 175 °C ± 8 °C.
- Roll speed and mesh force: one roll driven at 4.5 r/min ± 1.0 r/min; rolls held in mesh by 100 N ± 10 N force distributed across teeth (under test conditions).
- Cutting device for test pieces and a flat crush tester per calibration/description guidance.
- Measurements & results
- Flat crush resistance (N) and flat crush resistance index (flat crush resistance divided by grammage; Nm²/g).
- Test reporting requirements and precision data (informative Annex B).
Practical applications
- Quality control and incoming material inspection for corrugating medium suppliers and corrugators.
- Product development and material selection to predict corrugated board performance under compression.
- Supplier specification verification and comparative testing of paper grades and flute performance.
- Research laboratories investigating flute geometry effects (A‑flute vs B‑flute) on crush resistance.
Who would use this standard
- Paper and board manufacturers, corrugating medium suppliers
- Corrugated packaging manufacturers and converters
- Quality assurance laboratories and testing service providers
- Packaging engineers and R&D teams optimizing board design
Related standards
- ISO 7263-1 - method using A‑flute geometry (complements Part 2)
- ISO 3035 - flat crush resistance of manufactured corrugated fibreboard
- ISO 187 - conditioning atmosphere for paper and board
- ISO 13820 - calibration/description of compression-testing equipment
- Informative precision references: ISO/TR 24498 and TAPPI T 1200 (as noted in Annex B)
This standard helps translate laboratory flute performance into actionable data for packaging design, QA and material selection when using B‑flute corrugating media.
