Honeycomb Paperboard: Rise of Major Players

On Mar. 5 Garner Insights (Pune, India) released additional summary details of their full for-purchase report on the first anniversary of it's publication (Mar. 2018) on the Honeycomb (a more advanced shock absorbing, bracing, cradling, cushioning design) segment of the paperboard packaging market. Parallel market research reports were completed by MarketNReports (Seattle, Wash., USA) in Aug. 2018 and another by Absolute Reports (Portland, Ore.) was completed more recently, with a publishing date of Jan. 28 and Research Report Insights (New York, N.Y.) study which was most recently published (Feb. 24). Their promotional summaries collectively named the following top manufacturers currently active in the honeycomb paperboard segment from 2017-2018 to 2024-2025:

The most "renowned" companies becoming heavily inclusive in the segment as noted by Market Study Report's (Selbyville, Del., USA) Global Honeycomb Paperboard Packaging Market 2018-2023 published on Jan. 11, 2019 are Smurfit Kappa, PCA, Cascades, Axxor, Complete Packaging Solutions, Dufaylite Degvelopments, HonECOre, Multi-Wall Packaging, Rebul Custom Packaging, and Yoj Pack-Kraft.

Research Report Insight's (New York, N.Y.) study completed Feb. 24 noted projected CAGR of the Honeycomb Paperboard Packaging market for 2017-2020 is at slightly above 5%.

This segment of the paperboard packaging market is noted as being largely fragmented during this period with all the major players taking steps to raise their market footprint with more product diversement and development of the honeycomb constructs for additional different types of new / expanded applications for paper-based solutions. There is a growing demand for increased applications due to paperboard being 100% recyclable unlike most traditional materials that have been used in years past to produce insulative cushioning from fossil or petrol-related sources to create foams and polymer formulations such as semi-flexible plastic "bubbles" or a structure of bendable hollow polygons, etc.

The primary challenge in the past of producing effective cushioning paperboard constructs of honeycomb packaging is sourcing the use of board that can bend or give to an appropriate degree without the remaining structure rigidity giving out / wearing far too soon or "crease wrinkling" as a defect compared to the rubber-like resilience of fossil based plastic board or sheets. In the past, less refined techniques for creating a paper-board source for comb material could lead to flattening and failing to "rebound" after an initial impact, thus protecting the packaged product once but rendering the shielding less effective once the area of the impact is "dented".

New technology is overcoming the classic production limitations and is a primary driving factor for significant growth in the honeycomb sector of paperboard packaging in the years ahead. During the current forecast period, Garner Insights (Pune, India) believes the paperboard-based unique design of honeycomb packaging products will become well established as the strongest as well as the most economical option in existing as well as new shipping areas for paper-based designs to begin dominating vs. other less sustainable options.

Honeycomb paperboard packaging products' primary application include pads, fillers, pallets, block, bracing, and wrapping.
For cusioning effective packaging that's paper-based, honeycomb constructs are fast becoming the preferred over standard corrugated designs of classic "wavy" fluting between two board layers.
Safe product delivery of electronics and automotive products purchased through e-commerce is one of the main drivers for the demand of paperboard constructs of honeycomb packaging in shipping materials.

While the majority of paper-based packaging growth heading into the 2020s is greatest in the Asia-Pacific region, honeycomb paperboard constructs in particular are noted by multiple market research studies cited above as maintaining the most dominant growth in the Americas.