How are papers and boards categorised, and what properties decide their use?
The categorisation of papers and boards, including copier, cartridge and tracing paper, and folding boxboard, corrugated board and solid white board, and the properties of flexibility, printability and biodegradability.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Design and Technology 1.9 on papers and boards, covering copier, cartridge and tracing paper, folding boxboard, corrugated board and solid white board, and the properties of flexibility, printability and biodegradability.
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What this dot point is asking
This is Edexcel key idea 1.9, the categorisation of papers and boards. Edexcel wants you to apply knowledge of the working properties, characteristics, applications, advantages and disadvantages of papers and boards so you can discriminate between them and select appropriately. This is one of the six material groups in Topic 1 core content, examined as recall and Explain questions. The same materials appear in depth in the Papers and Boards material category (Section B) if your school chose it.
Papers
A higher gsm paper is heavier, thicker and stiffer. Copier paper suits everyday printing; cartridge paper takes paint and pencil without buckling; tracing paper lets a designer trace and overlay drawings.
Boards
- Folding boxboard: creases and folds cleanly into cartons, light and cheap, takes good print.
- Corrugated board: a wavy fluted layer glued between flat liners; the flutes act as cushioning arches, giving stiffness and impact resistance at low weight, ideal for shipping boxes.
- Solid white board: a dense, smooth, strong board with an excellent printable white surface, used for high-quality cartons and book covers.
Properties that decide the use
A designer matches these to the product: a low-gsm flexible paper for a leaflet, a folding boxboard for a printed carton, corrugated board for protective shipping, solid white board for premium printed packaging. Paper and board are widely chosen because they are cheap, lightweight, recyclable and biodegradable, though they are weak when wet.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 20214 marksExplain why corrugated board is chosen for a box used to post a fragile item. (4 marks)Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Explain rewards the structure of the board linked to the protective job.
Corrugated board is made of a fluted (wavy) inner layer glued between two flat liners (1). The flutes create a cushion of air and act like tiny arches, so the board is stiff and absorbs impact and crushing forces while staying lightweight (1).
This makes it ideal for posting a fragile item: it protects against knocks in transit (1), is light so postage stays cheap, and is cheap and recyclable. It can also be printed for branding and address labels (1).
Markers reward (1) the fluted structure, (2) the impact and crush resistance with low weight, and the link to protecting the item in the post. Confusing corrugated board with solid board (no flutes) loses the central mark.
Edexcel 20203 marksA board is described as 250 gsm. Explain what 'gsm' tells a designer and why it matters when choosing a board. (3 marks)Show worked answer →
A 3-mark Explain rewards understanding the unit and its design relevance.
"gsm" means grams per square metre, the weight (mass) of one square metre of the paper or board (1). It is a measure of how heavy, thick and stiff the material is: a higher gsm board is heavier, thicker and stiffer than a low gsm paper (1).
It matters because the designer matches the gsm to the job: around 80 gsm for copier paper, 200 to 300 gsm for a greetings card or carton that must stand up, and higher for rigid packaging. Choosing too low a gsm makes the product floppy; too high wastes material and cost (1).
Markers reward (1) grams per square metre, (2) it indicates weight, thickness and stiffness, (3) matching gsm to the product. Saying gsm is the thickness in millimetres is incorrect.
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Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Design and Technology (1DT0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2022)