CHAPTER XXVIIIBOXES AND COOPERAGE
Specifications for Boxes — Cooperage Specifications — Government Specifications for Packages — Refrigerator Boxes.
Specifications for Boxes — Cooperage Specifications — Government Specifications for Packages — Refrigerator Boxes.
—Of the many supplies needed about a packing house, one of the most important is boxes into which the finished products are packed ready for shipment. Where they are used in such large numbers, it is very essential to have a box suitable for the products which will be packed into it without waste of room, sufficiently strong to withstand handling in transit and at the same time of minimum weight on account of freight charges.
The kind of lumber used for packing boxes varies in different localities. Cottonwood is the best and wherever available, should be used. The packing house industry has created a very important outlet for this otherwise almost worthless wood. It has no natural flavor and is very desirable for lard, butterine boxes, etc. It is used for making the small-sized packages into which lard is drawn direct instead of using pails or tubs. Boxes for these purposes are usually dovetailed and have a sliding cover. Where cottonwood is not available white pine is used, although in this case it is necessary to use thicker lumber, which as a consequence makes the boxes heavier. The following list gives the kind of boxes, inside measurements, thickness of lumber in the sides, top, bottom, ends and cleats, where necessary. The figures are applicable to cottonwood only: