Reference specs, per-sheet math, and laser settings for E-flute (~1.5mm) corrugated cardboard — the standard for packaging prototypes, POP displays, and quick dielines. Punch in your sheet price below for an instant per-part quote.
E-flute is the thin, fine-flute corrugated most packaging prototypers reach for first — thin enough to fold cleanly for dielines and mockups, but still stiff enough to hold structural shape for a retail display or shipping insert test.
It's cheap enough to over-order and iterate. Where wood or acrylic pushes you to get the design right before cutting, cardboard's low per-sheet cost means the smart move is often cutting three quick revisions instead of agonizing over one — the material cost of a wrong dieline here is genuinely trivial.
The same math the calculator above runs — worked out longhand, so you can sanity-check it against your own numbers.
Cardboard's low per-sheet cost means the material line is rarely what makes or breaks a packaging quote — machine time and design iteration usually cost more than the board itself, which is exactly why it's the right material to prototype in before committing to something pricier.
This is the material line only. A full shop quote adds machine time, labor, and finishing — KraftyQuote's cost engine rolls all of it into one number automatically.
Ballpark settings for a through-cut — flute direction changes how cleanly the edge cuts, so orient test strips both along and across the flute before committing to a layout. Always run a test strip first.
That's flute orientation — cutting along the flute channels lets heat and smoke vent differently than cutting across them, which changes the char pattern. Test both orientations on your specific layout before finalizing a production run.
No — this guide covers single-wall E-flute corrugated specifically. Chipboard or greyboard (solid, uncorrugated) is denser and cuts more like thin MDF, while double-wall corrugated needs meaningfully more power or passes than E-flute.
Packaging dielines usually nest tighter than random parts because the score lines and fold panels are designed to tile efficiently — 8–10% is realistic for a well-designed dieline, while one-off shapes cut without that planning run closer to 12–15%.
KraftyQuote's full cost engine handles materials, machine time, labor, and margin in one quote — free to build, no card required.