Testliner

Overview

Testliner is linerboard made from recycled fiber (waste paper), serving the same structural role as wiki/entities/kraftliner -- the flat outer layers of corrugated board. It is the most common linerboard grade in markets where recycled content is preferred (most of Europe) and where maximum strength is not required. The name "testliner" comes from the historical grading system where it was considered a "test" or secondary grade compared to virgin kraft liner.

In the marketplace, testliner is classified under the testliner paper type enum. It is a distinct type from kraftliner in the matching algorithm -- they are never cross-matched.

Technical Specifications

Mechanical properties are generally lower than kraftliner at equivalent GSM:

• Burst strength, tear resistance, RCT, and SCT values are typically 15-30% lower
• Cobb values tend to be higher (more water absorbent)
• Surface quality is less consistent, affecting printability

White Top Testliner

A variant called White Top Testliner (WTTL) has a white-coated surface layer applied over the recycled base. It provides better printability while maintaining the cost advantage of recycled fiber. In the marketplace, this is a separate paper type (white_top_testliner, GSM 115-250) distinct from standard testliner.

From the PRD, Mara (trader in Holland) sends daily surplus lists that include "Uncoated White Top Test Liner" -- abbreviated as "UWTTL" in her Excel files. The parser config maps both "UWTTL" and "Uncoated White Top Test Liner" to white_top_testliner.

Surplus Context

Testliner surplus sources are similar to kraftliner:

• Side trims from cutting master rolls to customer width specifications
• Overruns exceeding ordered quantities
• Cancelled orders
• Off-spec production (GSM or strength deviation)

From the PRD's buyer persona, Carlos Mendez (Valencia) needs testliner 90-170 GSM, width 1000-2400mm, at ~20 MT/month as his second-priority specification (after kraftliner). He specifies recycled fiber preference and accepts grades A and B with a max price of EUR380/MT.

Pricing

Testliner is significantly cheaper than kraftliner:

• Production prices are approximately 30-40% lower
• Surplus discount follows the same grade structure: A-grade 5-15% off list, B-grade 20-35%, C-grade 40-60%
• In the PRD's container proposal example, Testliner 160g from Czech Republic (Grade B) is priced at EUR395/MT, compared to Kraftliner 150g from Germany (Grade A) at EUR450/MT

Matching Behavior

In the wiki/concepts/matching-algorithm:

• Testliner is a separate paper type from kraftliner (binary gate, 30% weight)
• A BuyerSpec for testliner will ONLY match testliner surplus
• A BuyerSpec for kraftliner will NEVER match testliner surplus
• GSM scoring uses the same tolerance band logic: within range = 80-100, +/-5% = 60, +/-10% = 30

Container Compatibility

Testliner belongs to the "packaging" group in the container assembly algorithm. It can share containers with: kraftliner, fluting, white_top_testliner, duplex, triplex, and coated_board.

In the PRD's container proposal example, a 40ft container for Carlos combines Kraftliner lots with 4 MT of Testliner 160g (Grade B, match score 72 as a "partial" match due to being a different paper type than the primary kraftliner spec). This demonstrates that container assembly can combine compatible paper types even though matching treats them as distinct.

Environmental Context

Testliner is favored in environmentally conscious markets:

• 100% recycled content appeals to sustainability-focused buyers
• European corrugated packaging increasingly specifies recycled content
• Lower carbon footprint than virgin fiber kraftliner
• However, recycled fiber degrades with each recycling cycle, requiring some virgin fiber input to maintain supply chain quality

Sources

• raw/articles/PRD -- Appendix A (Paper Types and GSM Ranges), sections 4.1, 4.2, 8.8, 12.2

Related

• wiki/entities/kraftliner -- virgin fiber alternative (higher strength, higher cost)
• wiki/entities/fluting -- corrugated medium paired with testliner
• wiki/concepts/paper-types-overview -- full paper type classification
• wiki/concepts/matching-algorithm -- paper type binary gate
• wiki/concepts/quality-grades -- A/B/C grading for testliner
• wiki/concepts/container-assembly -- packaging group compatibility