The History of the Box
A box (www.ebrocolor.de) is defined as any kind of container or receptacle that is used for storage, packaging, and the transportation of goods. There are a huge range of different boxes in use around the world, from inexpensive boxes made from fiberboard through to strong boxes made from wood and metal.
Boxes have a long history of use in human civilisation, and go back so far it is almost impossible to define their origins. Indeed, the most basic description of a box is any container that contains empty space to be used for the storage of other items. However, while this description may also include non-box items such as baskets, a box is normally square in its appearance and often enclosed as a way to provide practicality and security. While wood, metal, and other materials are often used in the construction of boxes, cardboard and corrugated fiberboard are more commonly used for daily storage and transportation needs.
While it is practically impossible to define the invention of the first ever receptacle or storage container, the history and development of modern boxes is much more clear. The first commercial paperboard box was made in England in 1817, with an industry soon developing around the use of paperboard and fiberboard products. Even today, fiberboard is the material that most people associate with commercial boxes, with a huge range of paper and cardboard boxes used for packaging and storage. For example, it was the development of flaked cereal products like cornflakes that increased the use of cardboard boxes in the western world, with many other food industries soon moving over the cardboard packaging.
The first proper corrugated cardboard box in the United States was developed in 1895, with wooden crates and boxes soon replaced by their low cost cardboard equivalent. In the 21st century, there are a wider range of choices in commercial boxes than ever before, including wooden boxes, metal boxes, plastic boxes, fiberboard boxes, paperboard boxes, and many other designs. With the packaging, storage and transportation of goods just as common today as it ever has been before, there is only likely to be even more box products hit the market as time goes on.