Cold Corrugation: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters

Cold corrugation is a method of manufacturing corrugated board where the fluting medium is mechanically formed and bonded to linerboard using ambient-temperature adhesives and pressure. The process eliminates the need for steam systems, thus reducing energy consumption, simplifying plant infrastructure, and enabling corrugated board production in facilities where conventional corrugators are impractical and/or inefficient.

What is Cold Corrugation and how does it work?

Cold corrugation is a steam-free corrugating process that follows four key steps:

Mechanical fluting
The fluting paper is formed into a corrugated profile using profiled rollers at ambient temperature.

Adhesive application
A cold-curing adhesive is applied to the flute tips at room temperature.

Pressure bonding
Linerboard is bonded to the fluted medium using controlled pressure.

Immediate usability
Produced board can be converted almost straight off the line and has an outstanding print surface.

Cold corrugation delivers cost reductions, environmental benefits and reduced waste. A typical return on investment, for sheet converters who make their own board using cold corrugation, is less than three years.

Considerations	Cold Corrugation	Heated Corrugation
Heath or steam	Not required	Required
Adhesive curing	Ambient temperature	Heat-activated
Steam plant	None	Required
Energy consumption	Low	High
Start-up time	Immediate	Warm-up required
Typical footprint	Compact	Large
Infrastructure complexity	Low	High

Why cold Corrugation Exists

Conventional corrugation systems were designed for centralised, high-volume production. Cold Corrugators help address the limitations of that model by moving production closer to the point of use, giving decentralised, lower-carbon and more flexible corrugated board production. The cold process is not intended to replace ultra-high-volume corrugators, but serves customers where efficiency, footprint, and energy use matter most.

Who uses Cold Corrugation?

Cold corrugation is particularly suited to:

Sheet plants seeking reduced energy costs
Box manufacturers wanting independence from board suppliers
Facilities without steam or boiler infrastructure
Manufacturers targeting low-carbon packaging
On-demand or decentralised production environments
Geographies where transport time and costs are high

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Cold Corrugation in Practice

The Interpac 1250 is the first commercial implementation of cold corrugation for sheet converters. It uses a steam-free, electrically driven process to manufacture corrugated board at ambient temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cold corrugation use Steam?

No. Cold corrugation does not use steam at any stage of the corrugating or bonding process.

Does cold corrugation replace traditional corrugators?

Cold corrugation serves different use cases. It is ideal for low-energy, compact, or decentralised production rather than ultra-high-volume board mills.

Does cold corrugation lower carbon?

Yes. Manufacturing locally and eliminating steam significantly reduces the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions associated with making corrugated board.