Covington GA & Sacramento CA
UNITED STATES
You probably know how every ounce counts when you’re shipping delicate parts in automotive or electronics. Honeycomb paperboard packaging gives you the protective performance you need while shaving off weight and waste. Premier Packaging Products, a fourth-generation family-owned business since 2008, has just opened a 22,000 sq ft West Coast facility in Sacramento (2025) to meet growing demand for sustainable, light-but-tough solutions.
In this guide you’ll learn what makes honeycomb paperboard packaging such a smart choice, how it stacks up against traditional board, and practical tips to apply it in your next project.
Honeycomb paperboard is a sandwich structure made of Kraft liner sheets bonded around a honeycomb-shaped core (think of a beehive). The core cells trap air and help distribute loads across a wide area. You get high stiffness and impact resistance without the bulk of solid sheets.
This honeycomb paperboard production process uses advanced converting lines to meet tight tolerances (±1 mm) for consistent performance.
You can fine-tune these variables in your honeycomb paperboard design to match your load-bearing targets.
Honeycomb cores work like miniature arches, spreading compressive forces. In lab tests, a 50 mm board with a 25 kg/m³ core sustained over 200 kPa of uniform pressure before deforming. That’s on par with many corrugated alternatives, but at a fraction of the weight.
Compared to solid fibreboard of similar thickness, honeycomb paperboard can weigh 30–60% less. If your current trays weigh 800 g, swapping to a honeycomb insert might bring it down to 350–500 g—enough to reduce your overall package weight by 10–20%.
Here are some common specs you can request from suppliers:
Always verify test certificates. Many honeycomb paperboard suppliers include certified lab reports so you can compare performance side by side.
In the automotive sector you’re packing everything from stamped steel brake discs to delicate sensors. Honeycomb paperboard:
Many OEMs use custom honeycomb partitions to cradle individual parts. You’ll find fits for:
Long supply chains can expose packages to multiple handling points. Honeycomb panels lock inside crates and prevent lateral movement. You’ll spend less time repacking damaged goods and more time focused on core engineering tasks.
Rapid prototyping lines at Premier Packaging let you test small-batch runs in days, not weeks. You can mock up:
If you’re exploring new layouts, check out the lightweight honeycomb paperboard line for samples under 10 kg minimum.
| Use case | Honeycomb paperboard | Corrugated board |
|---|---|---|
| Part weight (g) | 400–600 | 800–1,200 |
| Compressive strength (kPa) | 200–400 | 250–450 |
| Stack height without damage | 8–12 layers | 6–10 layers |
| Cushioning performance (J/g) | 10–15 | 8–12 |
| Recyclability | 100% paper (FSC-certified) | Often mixed fiber |
Honeycomb paperboard is made of 100% recyclable paper. It’s often sourced from post-consumer recycled fibre or sustainably managed forests (look for FSC certification). After use you can flatten and send it back into standard recycling streams.
A 2021 life cycle assessment found that paperboard cores emit 30% fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetime than plastic honeycomb alternatives. By choosing paper-based cores you lower your Scope 3 emissions and align with many OEM sustainability targets.
While unit pricing can be 5–10% higher than basic corrugated, honeycomb paperboard often reduces total landed cost by:
When you tally these savings, the ROI often shows up in months, not years. For bulk quotes, lean on cost-effective honeycomb paperboard solutions.
Good news, you’re closer than you think to cutting weight without compromising safety. Reach out to a supplier today to explore sample kits and CAD-based layout services. You’ve got this, and honeycomb paperboard packaging is ready to support your next innovation.