INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 3037

Sixth edition
2022-11

Corrugated fibreboard —
Determination of edgewise crush
resistance (non-waxed edge method)
Carton ondulé — Détermination de la résistance à la compression sur
chant (méthode sans enduction de cire)

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ISO 3037:2022
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3037-2022

Reference number
ISO 3037:2022(E)

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ISO 3037:2022(E)

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ISO 3037:2022
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3037-2022

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 ISO 3037:2022(E)

Contents Page

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... vi
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms............................................................................................................................... 1
3.1 Terms and definitions....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3.2 Abbreviated terms............................................................................................................................................................................... 2
4 Principle......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
5 Apparatus..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
6 Sampling........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
7 Conditioning.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
8 Preparation of test pieces........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
9 Procedure..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
10 Calculation................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
11 Precision........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
12 iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
Test report................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Annex A (informative) Examples of suitable cutting devices..................................................................................................... 6
(standards.iteh.ai)
Annex B (informative) Precision data ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
ISO 3037:2022
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ISO 3037:2022(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
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expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
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www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 6, Paper, board and pulps, Subcommittee
SC 2, Test methods and quality specifications for paper and board, in collaboration with the European
Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical ISOCommittee
3037:2022CEN/TC 172, Pulp, paper and board, in
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accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
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This sixth edition cancels and replaces the fifth edition (ISO 3037:2013), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— the title has been changed from "Corrugated fibreboard - Determination of edgewise crush
resistance (unwaxed edge method)" to "Corrugated fibreboard - Determination of edgewise crush
resistance (non-waxed edge method)";
— the introduction has been updated to highlight the impact of edge effects and the incomparability of
different test methods;
— information about the corrugated fibreboard grades has been added to the scope;
— Clause 3 has been updated;
— Clause 6 has been revised;
— Clause 9 has been updated and a constant feed rate has been added;
— Clause 11 has been added to refer to precision data in Annex B;
— Clause 12 has been updated;
— Annex A has been revised;
— the bibliography has been updated.

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 ISO 3037:2022(E)

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

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ISO 3037:2022(E)

Introduction
A variety of methods for the determination of edgewise crush resistance are in use in different parts of
the world. These can be classified into four groups as follows:
a) Those in which a carefully cut rectangular test piece is tested without any special treatment or
modification (e.g. this document).
b) Those in which the edges of the test piece to which the force is applied are waxed, to prevent the
test result being influenced by edge effects (e.g. ISO 13821).
c) Those in which the test piece edges are not waxed but the shape of the test piece is such that the
length is substantially reduced at a point midway between the loaded edges, in order to induce the
failure to occur away from those edges (e.g. JIS Z 0403-2).
d) Those in which carefully cut rectangular test pieces are tested with edges clamped to prevent the
result from being influenced by edges effects (e.g. TAPPI T 839).
The dimensions of the test piece vary from one group to the other and, in group c), the methods vary
in the shape and method of reducing the length, and in whether or not the test piece is held in a clamp
during crushing.
The methods might not give the same numerical results and experience has shown that results for the
four groups of test methods will not correlate. It can be shown that most of them can be used (at varying

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levels of accuracy) to predict the top-to-bottom compression strength that will be achieved when the
board is properly converted into a transport package, provided that the formula to predict BCT values
from ECT results is based on data from the ECT method being used.
(standards.iteh.ai)
This document describes a method for group a). It is intended as a method for quality measurement and
quality specification purposes and is selected because it correlates with the top-to-bottom compression
strength of the final transport package and because
ISO it is the simplest and most operationally convenient
3037:2022
method, https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/2a211c7f-79fa-44bd-b764-a6c6de762117/iso-
an important factor when large numbers of tests need to be conducted. However, it does not
measure the actual intrinsic compressive strength of the corrugated fibreboard, giving lower results
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than most of the methods in groups b), c) and d). This systematic difference is due to edge effects.
Other methods can be used for other purposes, particularly when the object of the test is to study
fundamental structural characteristics of the package.
There are methods available for calculating the edgewise crush resistance from the compression
strength of the component papers.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 3037:2022(E)

Corrugated fibreboard — Determination of edgewise crush

resistance (non-waxed edge method)

1 Scope
This document specifies a non-waxed edge method for the determination of the edgewise crush
resistance of corrugated fibreboard. The force is applied in the direction of the flute axis.
This method is applicable to single-wall (double-faced), double-wall, and triple-wall corrugated
fibreboard.
It is applicable to all corrugated fibreboard flute types if no buckling and/or tipping occurs during
measurement. This method is also applicable to test samples taken from corrugated cases and other
converted products.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
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undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 186, Paper and board — Sampling to determine average quality
(standards.iteh.ai)
ISO 187, Paper, board and pulps — Standard atmosphere for conditioning and testing and procedure for
monitoring the atmosphere and conditioning of samples
ISO 3037:2022
ISO 13820, Paper, board and corrugated fibreboard — Description and calibration of fixed platen
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compression-testing equipment 3037-2022

3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms

3.1 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://​w ww​.iso​.org/​obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://​w ww​.electropedia​.org/​
3.1.1
edgewise crush resistance
maximum force per unit length that a test piece of corrugated fibreboard can support until the onset of
failure when a compressive force is applied in the direction of the flute axis
3.1.2
buckling
failure mode distinct from pure compression, where the mid-part of the sample moves substantially out
of the vertical plane creating a “c” or similar shape
Note 1 to entry: This can occur when the bending resistance of the sample is lower than the compression
resistance of the sample for the given geometry of the test piece, or when sample edge imperfections add an
angular or rotational component to the force from the loading platens.

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ISO 3037:2022(E)

3.1.3
tipping
failure mode distinct from pure compression, where the load drops off because the sample leans or falls
over during the test
Note 1 to entry: This occurs primarily due to sample edge imperfections leading to a sideways component to the
applied load.

3.2 Abbreviated terms

BCT box compression test

ECT edgewise crush test

4 Principle
A rectangular test piece of corrugated fibreboard, placed between the platens of a compression testing
machine with the direction of the flute axis, is subjected to an increasing compressive force until failure
occurs. The maximum force sustained by the test piece is measured.

5 Apparatus

5.1
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Fixed-platen compression testing machine, in accordance with ISO 13820.

While it is safer to avoid the use of emery paper on the platens, because it is a requirement of other test
methods, the platens can be faced with(standards.iteh.ai)
very fine emery paper of a grade not coarser than 00. Where this
is done, due regard should be paid to maintaining the flatness and parallelism requirements specified
for the faces.
ISO 3037:2022
The possibility of erroneous test results is sufficiently low to allow the use of emery paper in all ISO test
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methods in which the use of this compression testing machine is now required, provided that a grade
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with a grain size of at least 240 (equivalent to type 00 in the USA) is used.

5.2 Cutting device, such as a high-speed table saw or Billerud-type cutter (see Annex A), capable of
cutting test pieces to the quality of cut described in 8.3 and 8.4.

5.3 Guide blocks, two rectangular, smooth-finished, blocks of dimensions approximately

20 mm × 20 mm × 100 mm, to support the test piece and keep it perpendicular to the platen surfaces. It
is recommended to fit each guide block with a probe, to enable each block to be moved safely during the
test.

6 Sampling
If the average quality of a lot of corrugated fibreboard is to be determined, sampling shall be carried out
in accordance with ISO 186.
If another type of sample is to be tested, make sure that the test pieces taken are representative of the
sample received.
Sample away from score lines, joints, and closures and ensure that the test pieces are free of visible
folds, creases, cracks, washboarding, converting machine marks or other defects. If not possible, it shall
be mentioned in the test report.
NOTE 1 Especially, washboarding of corrugated board can have a severe impact on the test values.

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 ISO 3037:2022(E)

If printed areas are tested, it shall be mentioned in the test report.

NOTE 2 When testing of finished packaging is undertaken, testing of printed areas can be encouraged or
required in some situations so that test values are representative of the material examined. In this case, random
sampling of the packaging material will lead to a fraction of samples from the printed area in rough proportion
to the fraction of the box that has been printed. Because printed areas can be affected in the printing process,
including printed areas can increase the variation in the test results.

7 Conditioning
The samples shall be conditioned in accordance with ISO 187.

8 Preparation of test pieces

8.1 Prepare the test pieces in the same atmospheric conditions as used to condition the samples.

8.2 Using a sharp blade and a procedure that ensures the cuts are parallel, cut, from the samples, test
pieces with the following dimensions: 100,0 mm ± 0,5 mm in the direction perpendicular to the flutes
and 70 mm to 300 mm in the direction parallel to the flutes, such that test pieces can be obtained from
an undamaged area of the sample.

8.3 From undamaged areas of the test pieces (8.2), using an appropriate cutting device (5.2), cut
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sufficient test pieces 25,0 mm ± 0,5 mm in the direction parallel to the flutes, so that 10 valid single
results are obtained. Each test piece will then measure 25,0 mm ± 0,5 mm in height (the direction of the

(standards.iteh.ai)
flutes) and 100,0 mm ± 0,5 mm in length (the direction perpendicular to the flutes).

If a Billerud-type cutter (5.2) is used, insert the uncut strip until it almost contacts the end stop, and
ensure that a sufficient length of strip extends on the other side of the blades and that the edge is in
contact with the squareness guide. ISO 3037:2022
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Irrespective of the method of cutting, the edges subjected to load shall be cleanly cut, straight, parallel
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and perpendicular to the board surfaces (8.4).
Some corrugated board grades tend to buckling or tipping. If buckling or tipping occurs during the test,
the test pieces and the results of the latter shall be rejected and it can be necessary to test more than 10
test pieces to receive 10 valid single results. Buckling or tipping shall be mentioned in the test report.

8.4 Test piece quality. Each test piece shall be examined for quality.

The width of the test piece shall not vary by more than 0,1 mm along its length.
Cleanness of cut is judged by inspection of the test pieces. Flutes shall show no discernible distortion,
and the cut edges shall not be furry or have loose fibres visible when inspected under normal laboratory
conditions, i.e. under room lighting with no magnification.
Straightness, parallelism and perpendicularity can be judged by the following procedure.
Stand two test pieces on their cut edges on a plane surface with two of their faces almost touching.
With perfectly flat board, the two adjacent faces should appear flat and parallel to each other over their
whole surface. If the board is warped, which might not be the case, but the test pieces are acceptable if
they stand vertically on their bottom edges, if the top cut surfaces appear flat and parallel to each other
and at right angles to the liner surfaces close to the cut, and if the cut ends of the test pieces appear to
be in the same plane, it should not be possible to see light under the cut edge of either test piece, when a
load of about 1 N (equivalent to light finger pressure) is applied to the top edge.
Rotate one test piece end-for-end (rotate 180° about its vertical axis) and invert it (rotate 180° about
its horizontal axis), then invert the other test piece. In each configuration, the criteria of the preceding
paragraph shall apply.

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ISO 3037:2022(E)

Test other pairs of test pieces in the same way.

With cutters of the high-speed saw and Billerud type (see Annex A) and any other type of cutter, where
relevant, these checks should be done when the cutter is first used to establish that it is operating
correctly. Thereafter, the checks should be done periodically to ensure that the cutter remains in good
condition.
The quality of test piece cutting can have a significant effect on the test results and it is therefore
essential that this be maintained to the highest possible state. More information on the importance of
accurate, parallel cutting can be found in Reference [6].
NOTE The quality of the test piece cutting can be influenced by the operator, the cutting device and general
handling. The variation of results, caused by the cutting device, can be up to 5 % (see Reference [5]).

9 Procedure
Conduct the tests in the standard atmosphere that was used in Clause 7.
With the platens of the compression testing machine (5.1) conveniently separated, place the test piece
on one of its 100 mm cut edges onto the lower platen. The test piece can be supported by placing a
guide block (5.3) on each side to prevent the test piece from tipping over. If used, the guide blocks shall
be relocated away from the test piece when the load reaches about 50 N. They can be either left on the
platen or removed from it. If applicable, take whatever action is appropriate to ensure that the weight of
the guide blocks does not contribute to the force reading.
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The constant feed rate of the compression testing machine is (12,5 ± 0,25) mm/min.
NOTE
(standards.iteh.ai)
Different speeds are commonly used in different parts of the world. The use of other feed rates [e. g.
(10,0 ± 0,25) mm/min] can have an impact on the test values, due to different strain rates of the applied load.

The feed rate used shall be reported in the testISO

report. Operate the compression testing machine until
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the test piece fails. Test failure can be identified by a maximum in the load-deflection curve, which
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often corresponds to visual compression in the body of the test piece and/or curling of the edges of the
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test piece where they are in contact with the loading platens.
Record, to the nearest 1 N, the maximum force, Fmax, developed up to the moment when instant failure
occurs. Repeat the test on sufficient test pieces, so that at least 10 valid results are obtained.

10 Calculation

10.1 Calculate the mean maximum force, Fmax , and standard deviation, sFmax.

10.2 Calculate the edgewise crush resistance, R, expressed in kN/m, to the nearest 0,01 kN/m using
Formula (1):

Fmax
R= (1)
l
where

Fmax is the mean maximum force, in newtons;

l is the length of the test piece, in millimetres (100 mm).

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