Kraftliner

Overview

Kraftliner is the premium linerboard product in the corrugated packaging supply chain. Made from virgin wood fiber (typically softwood kraft pulp), it forms the flat outer layers (liner) of corrugated board, with wiki/entities/fluting providing the fluted middle layer. Its superior strength, stiffness, and printable surface make it the preferred choice for high-performance packaging applications.

In the marketplace, kraftliner is one of the most frequently traded surplus paper types due to the massive scale of corrugated packaging production worldwide. It is categorized under the kraftliner paper type enum in the system.

Technical Specifications

Key mechanical properties measured for kraftliner include:

• Burst strength (kPa): Resistance to puncture
• Tear resistance (mN): Resistance to tearing propagation
• Ring Crush Test (RCT, kN/m): Column compression strength
• Short-span Compression Test (SCT, kN/m): Compressive strength
• Cobb value (g/m2): Water absorption (lower = more resistant)

Surplus Sources

Kraftliner surplus typically comes from:

• Side trims: Narrow strips cut from master rolls to achieve customer width specifications (most common)
• Overruns: Production exceeds order quantity
• Cancelled orders: Paper produced to spec but order cancelled
• Non-standard widths: Rolls cut to unusual widths that do not match standard orders

Market Context

From the PRD's user personas:

• Hans Muller (mill sales manager in Dusseldorf) produces kraftliner and wiki/entities/testliner at 100-300 GSM, max width 2800mm, with ~200 MT/month surplus
• Carlos Mendez (buyer in Valencia) needs kraftliner 120-200 GSM, width 1000-2400mm, at ~30 MT/month
• Production price reference: ~$700-800/MT (FOEX benchmark range)
• Surplus pricing: $395-465/MT depending on grade and destination (40-50% below production)

Quality Grades for Kraftliner

Kraftliner vs Testliner

| Property | Kraftliner | Testliner | |----------|------------|-----------| | Fiber | Virgin (softwood kraft) | Recycled (waste paper) | | Strength | Higher | Lower | | Cost | Higher | Lower (~30-40% less) | | Printability | Better surface quality | Acceptable, less consistent | | Food contact | Often certified | Rarely certified | | Environmental | Higher carbon footprint | Lower (recycled content) | | Typical GSM | 100-440 | 90-300 |

In the marketplace's matching algorithm, kraftliner and testliner are treated as completely distinct paper types -- there is no cross-matching. A buyer spec for kraftliner will never match testliner surplus, and vice versa.

Container Compatibility

Kraftliner belongs to the "packaging" group in the container assembly algorithm, meaning it can share containers with: testliner, fluting, white_top_testliner, duplex, triplex, and coated_board. It cannot share containers with sack_kraft, mg_kraft, greaseproof, or tissue.

Example Match from PRD

The PRD provides a detailed container proposal example for a buyer in Valencia needing kraftliner:

• Lot S-001: Kraftliner 150 GSM, 1200mm, 8 MT, EUR450/MT, Grade A, match score 95 (exact)
• Lot S-002: Kraftliner 170 GSM, 1400mm, 9 MT, EUR430/MT, Grade A, match score 88 (close)
• Lot S-004: Kraftliner 135 GSM, 1060mm, 5 MT, EUR465/MT, Grade A, match score 82 (close)

Sources

• raw/articles/PRD -- Appendix A (Paper Types and GSM Ranges), sections 4.1, 4.2, 8.8

Related

• wiki/entities/testliner -- recycled fiber alternative to kraftliner
• wiki/entities/fluting -- corrugated medium paired with kraftliner
• wiki/concepts/paper-types-overview -- full paper type classification
• wiki/concepts/matching-algorithm -- paper type as binary gate (30% weight)
• wiki/concepts/quality-grades -- A/B/C grading system
• wiki/concepts/container-assembly -- packaging group compatibility