Frequently asked questions.

Corrugated cardboard and paper honeycomb panels share many commonalities, but each take very different approaches to supporting weight.
Corrugate tends to focus on edge crush strength (ECT). This rating specifies how well a stacked box can resist crushing during transportation and storage. The corrugate structure provides high strength in a parallel direction to the flutes, but it doesn’t perform as well when off-axis loads are applied.

In contrast, honeycomb leverages a three-dimensional hexagonal cell structure to distribute loads in all lateral directions. This simultaneously provides a very high vertical compressive strength and rigidity per unit of weight that exceeds corrugate by a significant factor. One thing to note is that while honeycomb performs excellently in flat compression scenarios, it performs poorly under localized point loadings or large shear stresses.

The truth is that corrugate and honeycomb work best together as a hybrid packaging system. In a stacking application, a corrugated cardboard shell can handle linear tension and provide structure and bending resistance. The honeycomb pads then absorb heavy drops and blunt impacts.

In summary, corrugated is the best choice for carton and box applications while honeycomb is the better choice for internal pads, posts, or layer boards to provide padding, blocking, and bracing.

Honeycomb panels are engineered for distributed loads only. A distributed load spreads force evenly across the panel face — such as a product resting on a flat honeycomb pad, or a pallet supporting a palletized unit load. In these applications, honeycomb performs exceptionally well.

Point loads — where force is concentrated at a single location, such as a bolt, foot, or edge — can cause local cell collapse at the contact point, even when the panel's distributed load rating is well above the applied force.

It is important to consider if these point loads will be a factor in your packaging design. Blocking, bracing, or die-cut through holes can be incorporate in our products to mitigate these point loads and take advantage of the high strength-to-weight ratio of honeycomb panels and pads.

Cell size is the primary lever for tuning honeycomb performance. Smaller cells mean more paper per unit area in the core i.e, higher compressive strength and greater rigidity. Larger cells reduce core density, lowering compressive strength but increasing the panel's ability to deform and absorb energy under impact, making it a more effective cushioning material.

Axxon offers five cell sizes: 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 1". The 3/8" cell delivers the highest compressive ratings (55+ PSI distributed), while the 1" cell is optimized for cushioning and energy absorption (approximately 12 PSI distributed). Liner grade also affects performance — virgin kraft liners increase compressive ratings at any given cell size.

Standard paper honeycomb is not waterproof or moisture resistant. It is a paper-based product — prolonged exposure to water, high humidity, or direct moisture will degrade both the core and facing papers, reducing structural performance and potentially causing delamination.

For applications involving moderate humidity exposure (such as typical warehouse environments), standard honeycomb performs reliably. For applications with direct moisture exposure, discuss your requirements with Axxon — specialty coatings and moisture-resistant facing options exist, though these are outside our standard product range. In most cases, the outer packaging provides sufficient moisture protection for the honeycomb components inside.