Resource guide
Kraft vs Corrugated Food Trays
A direct comparison of solid kraft board and fluted corrugated trays: strength, cost, print quality, moisture behaviour, and which to choose for a given menu.
Updated August 28, 2026 · About 8 minutes to read
This is the most common question we are asked, usually phrased as "what is the difference between a kraft tray and a cardboard tray". The honest answer is that both are paper products, both are usually brown, and the difference is entirely in the internal structure — but that difference determines almost everything about how the tray performs.
What actually differs
Kraft folding board
One solid sheet of paperboard. Its stiffness comes purely from its thickness, so making it stronger means making it thicker, heavier and more expensive. It creases crisply, folds accurately and takes print beautifully.
Corrugated board
Two thinner liners with a fluted layer glued between them. The flutes act as a row of small arches, so the board resists bending far more than its weight suggests. It creases less crisply, prints slightly less well, and takes up more space.
Head to head
| Kraft folding board | Corrugated | |
|---|---|---|
| Stiffness per unit weight | Lower | Much higher |
| Unit cost at the same footprint | Lower | Slightly higher |
| Print quality | Excellent | Good on E and F flute; fair on B |
| Crispness of folds and corners | Excellent | Good |
| Storage volume flat-packed | Lower | Higher |
| Behaviour when wet | Softens through the sheet | Wicks along the flutes |
| Suitability for hand holes | Poor — tears | Good, with reinforcement |
| Best at | Light portions, fine print, small formats | Weight, depth, hand holes, stacking |
Choose kraft folding board when…
The portion is light
A side of fries, a snack portion, a pastry, a sandwich. Below about a kilo, folding board is entirely adequate and cheaper.
Print quality is the priority
Fine detail, small type, photographic panels and precise colour all hold better on a solid sheet than over flutes.
The format is small or intricate
Taco holders, scoops, small compartment trays — anything with tight folds — works better in solid board.
Storage space is tight
Flat-packed folding board takes noticeably less room than the equivalent corrugated stock, which matters for trucks and small sites.
Choose corrugated when…
The tray carries real weight
Deli portions, catering trays, bread trays, produce. Anything that will be lifted from the middle when full.
You need hand holes
A die-cut hand hole in folding board tears under load. In corrugated, with reinforcement, it holds.
Trays are stacked loaded
Stack strength comes from corner posts in fluted board. Folding board cannot provide it.
The tray is deep
A deep wall in folding board flexes outward under load. Fluted board holds its shape.
A note on the words themselves
"Kraft" describes a pulping process and, in everyday use, the brown unbleached board that results from it. Both folding board and corrugated liners can be kraft — so a corrugated tray can perfectly reasonably be described as a kraft tray, which is where much of the confusion comes from.
When you brief a supplier, describe the structure rather than the colour: "solid folding board" or "E-flute corrugated" removes the ambiguity entirely. If what you actually care about is the brown appearance, say "natural kraft finish" and we will match it in either construction.
A quick test: pick up your current tray, loaded, from the middle of one long side. If it visibly bends, you want corrugated. If it holds flat and you are happy with the print, folding board is doing the job and corrugated would be an unnecessary cost.
Where each construction ends up
Almost everything that has to carry weight ends up in the corrugated food tray range, because the fluted layer is doing work no solid board can match at the same weight.
The reverse is also common: light portions handed over immediately rarely justify fluted board at all, which the restaurant packaging guide works through menu by menu.
Questions this guide gets asked
Is corrugated always stronger than kraft board?
For resisting bending at the same weight, yes, by a wide margin — that is what the fluted layer is for. A much thicker folding board can match a thin corrugated one, but it costs more and weighs more to do it.
Which one is cheaper?
Folding board is usually cheaper at the same footprint, and it stores in less space. Corrugated costs slightly more but is the only option once weight, depth or hand holes are involved.
Can I print full colour on corrugated?
On E-flute and F-flute, yes, and the result is close to folding carton. On B-flute, large solid areas can show faint ridging where ink sits over the flutes — usually invisible in service, occasionally visible in a photograph.
Is a kraft tray the same as a cardboard tray?
The words are used loosely. "Kraft" describes the brown unbleached board; "cardboard" usually means corrugated. Both can be kraft-coloured, which is why the terms get confused. Describe the structure instead: solid folding board or fluted corrugated.
Which handles moisture better?
Neither, without a barrier. Folding board softens through the sheet; corrugated wicks along the flutes. If the food is wet, specify a moisture-resistant food-contact face regardless of which structure you choose.
Can I have hand holes in a folding board tray?
They can be cut, but they tear under any real load. If a hand hole has to carry weight, that tray needs to be corrugated with reinforced walls around the aperture.
