What is SBS vs FBB ?

PaperEkart - Admin
26/01/2022  12336 Views

 

What is SBS vs FBB ?

Unboxing differences: Solid Bleached Sulphate (SBS) and Folding Boxboard (FBB)

If you are in the business of paper conversion, be it mono cartons or greeting cards, it's crucial to know the difference between SBS and FBB paperboard. Read on to learn more.

Be it a milk carton or a biscuit pack with a cut-out window, packaging boxes, or mono cartons. They are made from either SBB or FBB paperboard.

Solid Bleached Board and Folding Box Board are premium grade paper boards derived from virgin wood fiber, pulped, and then bleached. Inherently bland and odorless, they are ideal for packaging cigarettes, food, cosmetics, etc. Available in 150-400 GSM. They are superior in strength to recycled paper boards.


Packaging of branded goods calls for customization. SBS and FBB can be easily printed, embossed, laminated, lined with other materials, and folded intricately. And they are also recycled easily except when plastic lamination and metalized printing inks are used.


As attributes of SBS and FBB overlap, let’s understand the key differences- to enable the right choice for our customers.


Solid bleached board, or ivory paperboard, as commonly known, is made from chemically pulped fibers, flattened on paperboard machines into a single-ply sheet. Its top surface, and quite often the reverse too, is pigment-coated. It is white throughout, making it a perfect print surface.


As we know, the higher the whiteness and bulk, the higher the price of paperboard. So it's no surprise Ivory board costs more. It was considered the gold standard in paperboard until Folding Boxboard challenged it with lower costs and sustainable qualities - without significantly compromising performance.

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Folding Boxboard, a lightweight alternative to SBS, has become the new gold standard in paperboard as it uses lesser wood.

FBB is a multi-layered paperboard with middle layers of mechanical pulp wedged between outer layers of chemical pulp. Similar to SBB, the top layer is bleached and pigment-coated. The inner side is slightly yellow as the middle layer shows through.

New technology permits the use of a lighter-weight pulp in the middle layer. Does this sacrifice strength? No, FBB offers superior safety for packaging a wide variety of relatively lighter-weight products like cigarettes, chocolates, and cosmetics. And it performs equally well on all key performance parameters like creasing, scoring folding, and graphic printing.

FBB Versus SBS

> SBS can be single or multi-ply board. FBB always is multi-ply.

> SBS is perfectly white inside-out. FBB is slightly yellow on the inner side.

> SBS is a medium-density board. FBB is a low-density board with higher stiffness.

> The softness and flexibility of SBS provide superior creasing, embossing, and cutting properties.

> The rigidity of the boxboard retains shape, leading to less wrapping and better creasing and folding.

> SBS is always made from virgin wood fiber, FBB technology does permit the use of recycled fiber in the middle layers.

Sustainable Packaging

While FBB is more eco-friendly than SBS, all paper-based packaging is a sustainable alternative to plastic. So, to boost sustainability and your profitability, learn more about the paper industry. Visit www.paperekart.com.


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