In today’s dynamically evolving packaging industry, companies are seeking to use packaging materials that combine strength, reliability, efficiency and sustainability. Packaging is no longer evaluated according to its cost or aesthetics. Industries are taking into account the performance of the packaging material in handling, storage, transportation, converting, and protecting the products.
It is particularly vital in the industries using steel coils, aluminum coils, metal sheets, and other heavy-duty products, in which the packaging material will have to resist harsh handling conditions while protecting the products from dirt, scratching, abrasions, and external factors.
Among the diverse range of paper industrial packaging materials, Steel Mill Kraft Paper stands out as one of the practical options for companies that want to rely on their packaging.
At Shittla Paper Global, we are convinced that sustainable packaging does not imply compromising on efficiency. With our extensive experience in the paper industry, we know the significance of offering paper solutions that combine strength, consistency, functionality, and sustainable use of the material.
Table of Contents
What Is Steel Mill Kraft Paper?
Steel Mill Kraft Paper is a type of kraft paper used in industrial applications where strength, durability, stability, and good converting performance are essential.
One of the areas of application of Steel Mill Kraft Paper is steel coil packaging. Steel coils are large, expensive, and bulky items of industrial production, passing through many stages of manufacturing, handling, storing, and transporting. At these stages, the surface of steel coils can become a victim of many external influences, including dust, friction, scratches, and moisture.
Steel Mill Kraft Paper can serve as a packaging material for protecting steel coils and other metal products from various external influences during wrapping and packaging processes. Its natural strength makes kraft paper suitable for the application, where the material will have to be subjected to some pulling, folding, bending, and tension.
But the choice of the correct type of kraft paper is not only about picking the strongest paper. It should suit the application.
Understanding the Technical Specifications
The Steel Mill Kraft Paper described here has a GSM value of 45 g/m².
GSM stands for grams per square metre and refers to the weight of the paper. Thus, the 45 GSM specification allows the use of a rather light paper, which may benefit companies in managing their material usage while satisfying the needs of appropriate packaging applications.
Lighter paper may also contribute to easy handling and transportation, if the paper chosen is suitable for its application purpose.
Bulk of Steel Mill Kraft Paper ranges from 1.15 to 1.18 cc/gm. Bulk refers to the ratio between the paper’s weight and thickness and may affect its physical properties, handling features, and converting characteristics.
The brightness of the paper is 77–78%, reflecting its appearance. This may be important if there is a need to print something on it.
Strength That Matters During Real-World Handling
The key point about industrial packaging in relation to the paper is very simple: will it be able to endure the strains and stresses that it will have to undergo during its use?
Steel Mill Kraft Paper possesses tensile properties characterized by a breaking length of 7,000-7,500 meters in Machine Direction (MD) and 2,700-3,000 meters in Cross Direction (CD).
Breaking length is a parameter that helps to determine the tensile properties of paper and its behavior under the effect of traction force.
The distinction between MD and CD is as follows:
- Machine Direction (MD): Orientation of paper during the manufacturing process.
- Cross Direction (CD): Orientation of paper width-wise.
This information is helpful for converters and packaging manufacturers to understand the behaviour of Steel Mill Kraft Paper during wrapping, folding, cutting, converting, stacking, handling, and transportation.
It is especially important when the paper is used for industrial purposes such as Steel Coil Packaging, when the material is under stress and tension during wrapping and handling.
Steel Mill Kraft Paper for Steel Coil Packaging
It is important to use packing materials for Steel Coil packing that offer adequate protection without making the packaging too heavy.
In case of storage and transport, steel coils could face such risks as:
- Mechanical handling
- Friction and wear
- Dirt and dust
- Pressures and stacking
- Humidity
- Pressures associated with folding and wrapping
- Long-distance transport
Steel Mill Kraft Paper could be integrated into the system of packaging, adding an extra layer of protection for steel coils. According to the needs of the packaging system, it could be used for wrapping, protecting surfaces, interleaving, and separating.
The idea is to protect the metal surface from any contact with the surrounding environment and wear associated with handling. Thus, for steel and metal manufacturers, the proper selection of the paper could improve the process of packaging.
Controlled Moisture Absorption
Moisture is one of the factors to take into account during the use of paper packaging materials. There may be different levels of humidity in which industrial goods can be kept or transported. Thus, it is necessary to know how the paper will behave regarding the moisture factor.
The Cobb value of Steel Mill Kraft Paper is 30–35 g/m².
The Cobb value shows the amount of moisture that paper can absorb under specific laboratory conditions. It gives us valuable information about paper’s reaction to moisture.
A controlled Cobb value may prove useful in cases where there will be some degree of humidity or moisture in the environment of packaging. But the exact moisture requirements will depend on the final usage, storage, transportation conditions, and packaging itself.
Smoothness and Porosity: Why Do They Matter?
Moisture is one of the factors to take into account during the use of paper packaging materials. There may be different levels of humidity in which industrial goods can be kept or transported. Thus, it is necessary to know how the paper will behave regarding the moisture factor.
The Cobb value of Steel Mill Kraft Paper is 30–35 g/m².
The Cobb value shows the amount of moisture that paper can absorb in special laboratory conditions. It gives us valuable information about paper’s reaction to moisture.
Controlled Cobb value may prove useful in cases when there will be some degree of humidity or moisture in the environment of packaging. But the exact moisture requirements will depend on the final usage, storage, transportation conditions, and packaging itself.
Why Is Steel Mill Kraft Paper Considered a Sustainable Packaging Option?
Increasing attention paid to kraft paper is directly associated with the trend within the packaging industry towards using more responsible materials. Paper is a fibre product obtained from renewable raw materials, and if designed properly, paper packaging can be recycled via proper recycling programs.
Nevertheless, sustainability is not just substitution of one material by paper. A lifecycle of the packaging is important.
Aspects such as weight of paper, source of fibres, coatings, laminations, adhesives, ink used for printing, contamination, transportation, efficiency of packaging design, and its recycling at the end of the lifecycle may all affect the environmental footprint.
That is why companies should look at sustainability in terms of the entire lifecycle rather than focus merely on the term “paper”. The goal should be to use appropriate amount of appropriate material.
Why Industries Are Looking for Better Kraft Paper Solutions
Balanced performance, efficiencies, protections, and cost-efficiencies have become necessary for modern industrial packaging systems.
A light one will not offer sufficient protection. Excessive weight will contribute to increased material use, handling, and transportation costs.
Herein lies the importance of a balanced Kraft paper specification.
With 45 GSM, MD 7,000 – 7,500 metre breaking length, CD 2,700 – 3,000 metre breaking length, 30 – 35 g/m² Cobb value, 160 – 200 ml/min smoothness, and 60 – 70 ml/min porosity, Steel Mill Kraft Paper provides a set of specifications that can be assessed for challenging industrial conditions.
Instead of assessing a single specification, companies will be able to assess overall performance specifications according to their packaging needs.
Industries and Companies Using Protective Industrial Packaging
The relevance of having packaging material for reliable use within the industries is very crucial for the steel, aluminium, metal processing and other downstream manufacturing industries.
Industries like Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. (BALCO), Jindal Aluminium Limited (JAL), Hindustan Aluminium Corporation Limited (HINDALCO), National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Tata Steel Downstream Products Limited (TSDPL), Fortran Steel Pvt. Ltd., KISCO Steels, Asiamet Steel Industries, and Panchdeep Metal Corporation work in different sectors where there is a requirement of packaging for metals, coils, sheets and other industrial products.
For these types of applications, Steel Mill Kraft Paper could be a good option to be used for Steel Coil packaging, metal protection, wrapping, interleaving and other protective packaging purposes, depending upon the actual usage.
It must be noted that each of these manufacturers will have different packaging requirements. The appropriate type of Steel Mill Kraft Paper must be selected based on these factors.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Paper
But not all papers can be used for all industrial purposes. For steel and aluminum products, different packaging materials have to be chosen considering several criteria such as:
- product weight and size
- surface sensitivity
- wrapping needs
- distance of transportation
- storage conditions
- moisture resistance
- converting machines
- tensile strength needed
- packaging effectiveness
That is why technical characteristics play an important role in the selection of Steel Mill Kraft Papers. It is better to consider all the mentioned parameters of a paper together rather than separately. For more insights, explore our guide on choosing the right paperboard and understanding fluting medium.
Shittla Paper Global: Bringing Quality and Responsibility Together
We at Shittla Paper Global realize that different applications have different paper requirements. A paper that is suitable for one application need not be suitable for other applications. This is the reason why knowing the use of the paper is important when choosing a paper grade. The purpose of our business is to pair companies with paper solutions that give them the desired performance and material efficiency.
When it comes to packaging for industrial applications like Steel Coil packaging and packaging of metal products, our aim is not just to pick a paper based on any technical requirement. Instead, companies need to pick the one that can be used effectively in the entire process of packaging. Here at Shittla Paper Global, we believe that the correct choice of paper is one which fulfills all technical specifications and performs effectively as well.
Conclusion
The increased focus on Steel Mill Kraft Paper shows how much the industry is changing in the field of industrial packaging. Companies want to find packaging materials that will give strength, efficiency, protection, converting performance and responsible use of material.
With the combined properties of tensile strength, moisture absorption, surface properties, porosity, bulk, brightness and light weight, Steel Mill Kraft Paper may be used for appropriate industrial packaging, especially in Steel Coil packaging and metal product protection. The future of industrial packaging is not about the use of more strength and heavier materials. It is about the smart use of materials for protection and efficiency. We at Shittla Paper Global feel that the perfect packaging material is one which is strong enough to do what it needs to do, efficient enough for business and responsible enough for the future. Stay updated with the latest packaging trends and learn how to break supplier dependency.
