Recycled cereal boxes
Recycled cereal boxes are made from paperboard manufactured out of recovered paper and board instead of freshly pulped wood. It is the most widely used cereal carton material there is, and a well-made one is hard to tell from virgin board on the shelf. The differences are a grey core, a little less stiffness and a few rules on food contact, all of which are easily designed for.
Recycled paperboard cereal packaging is the industry default.
Open most cereal boxes and the inside is grey. That is recycled board: old cartons, newspapers and office paper, pulped and formed into new sheet, with a white coating applied to the side that gets printed. It has been the mainstream cereal material for decades because it prints well enough for almost any design and costs less than virgin board.
Choosing it is therefore less a statement than a baseline. What matters is specifying it properly: the right caliper for the panel size, scores that suit shorter fibres, and a liner between the board and the food. If recycled content is part of a wider environmental brief, see eco-friendly cereal boxes.
Six things to know about CRB cereal boxes.
Select a point on the carton or follow the list.
A white clay coating over the recycled sheet. It gives a smooth, printable surface that hides the grey beneath.
Made the same way, from fibre that has been used before.
Recycled board is printed, cut, folded and glued exactly like virgin board and suits every standard structure. It is the usual material for high-volume seal end cereal boxes run on automated lines.
Recycled board, print and finish options
Select an option to update the specification. Recycled grades are compared with virgin boards under cereal box materials.
Recycled carton specification
Where recycled board fits
How a recycled carton order runs
About recycled cereal boxes
What a recycled cereal box is
A recycled cereal box is a carton made from paperboard whose fibre comes wholly or mainly from recovered paper and board. The usual grade is coated recycled board, CRB, also called clay-coated news back, CCNB. It is built up in layers from recycled pulp, with a white clay coating on the top layer for printing.
The term is sometimes confused with 'recyclable'. Recycled describes where the board came from; recyclable describes what can happen to it afterwards. Paperboard cartons of every grade are recyclable. Recycled board is one of the material choices across our custom cereal packaging range.
Best uses
Recycled board suits most cereal cartons: everyday flakes and hoops, own-brand ranges, value and family sizes, and any brand that wants recovered fibre in its packaging. It is used for a large share of breakfast cereal boxes on supermarket shelves.
It is a weaker choice where edges are prominent or finishes are demanding. Shaped packs, deep embossing and designs with large pale tints are better on white virgin board; see white SBS cereal boxes. For a brown, natural look, kraft is the alternative.
Structure and closures
Each time paper is recycled its fibres get shorter. Shorter fibres make a board that is slightly less stiff and less tolerant of sharp folds. In practice this means two adjustments: a caliper one step heavier than virgin board for the same panel, and scores cut a little wider so the coated surface does not crack along the fold.
With those in place, recycled board runs well on cartoners and folds reliably by hand. Features that are flexed many times, such as reclose tabs, last longer in long-fibre boards, but work acceptably here. Closure options are compared in the cereal box closures guide.
Material options
Recovered fibre is described as post-consumer, collected after use by households and businesses, or pre-consumer, trimmings and waste from paper converting that never reached a customer. Boards vary in how much of each they contain. The figure for a given board comes from the mill, and any percentage printed on a pack should match the mill's documentation.
CRB with a grey back is the standard. Variants with a brown kraft-coloured back are available for a more natural interior. Uncoated recycled board, plain grey chipboard, is used for inserts and backing. See cardboard cereal boxes for how the grades compare, and choosing cereal box thickness for caliper.
Printing and finishing
The coated face prints well by offset or digital. It is a little less bright than bleached virgin board, so very pale colours and large light tints can look fractionally greyer. Strong colours, photographs and text are unaffected for practical purposes. Ask for a proof on the actual stock if a light colour is critical.
Aqueous coating is the usual finish. Laminates, UV and foil are all possible. Two cautions: a dark solid printed across a fold will show a grey line if the surface cracks, so laminate it or keep solids off the scores; and embossing is shallower than on virgin board. See finishes for cereal cartons.
Size considerations
Size the carton from the fill as usual, then choose caliper for the panel. Because recycled board is somewhat less stiff, large flat panels are where the difference shows. Family-size cartons often use 22 to 24pt; some move to a virgin-fibre top layer or a film laminate for extra rigidity.
Small cartons are unaffected, since narrow panels are stiff in any board. For how size and board interact on big packs, see family size cereal boxes.
Retail considerations
Many retailers set packaging targets for recycled content and recyclability, and recycled board helps meet the first. Claims on pack need care: say what is recycled, the carton, and what is not, usually the liner, and keep percentages to what the paperwork supports. Rules on environmental claims are tightening in several markets.
Food contact is the other point. Recovered paper can carry traces of inks and other substances from its previous life. For cereal, the standard safeguard is a sealed inner bag acting as a barrier between board and food, with the grade selected for food packaging use. Requirements differ by market; see food grade cereal boxes.
Artwork tips
Use our dieline with 3mm bleed and 4mm safety. Assume cut edges will be grey and design around them: avoid dark colours running to a die-cut window edge unless the contrast is wanted. Keep heavy solids clear of scores, or specify a laminate.
If you print a recycled-content or recycling message, use the wording and symbols appropriate to your market and check them against the board's documentation. Our artwork preparation guide covers file set-up. When you have a size in mind, request a recycled carton quote.
Get the board's paperwork before you print a claim.
Tell us the carton size and any recycled-content target. We will propose a board and send the mill's data sheet for it, so any statement on your pack is backed by a document.
Recycled cereal boxes: questions answered
Cartons made from paperboard manufactured from recovered paper and board. The usual grade is coated recycled board, with a white printed face and a grey core and back.
The industry's default board, specified properly.
Send your size, quantity and any recycled-content target. We will propose a board, send its documentation and quote.