Carton Consumption & Costing: Formulas and a Worked Example

Every export order ships in cartons, and cardboard is a real cost line that a merchandiser has to quote accurately. Carton consumption is the area of cardboard needed to make one carton, expressed in square feet (SFT) or square metres (SQM). Carton cost then builds on that area plus ply, seaming, print, and material. Here are the formulas, the ply-board rates, and a complete order-level worked example.

What drives the number

A merchandiser orders cartons by three-dimensional measurement (L × W × H), but cartons are priced by ply-board area, which is derived from those three dimensions. The +2" (or +5 cm) in each formula accounts for the flaps and seam allowance of the box.