SBS (Ivory Board) is a premium paperboard made from fully bleached chemical pulp. It has a clean white appearance, smooth surfaces, and excellent printability—ideal for high-end packaging and graphic applications.
Key Characteristics
High whiteness & cleanliness: Suits minimalist and high-contrast designs.
Smooth, uniform coating: Excellent dot reproduction for CMYK + spot colors, fine lines, and small text.
Balanced strength & stiffness: Reliable formability and flatness at given GSM.
Food-contact capable: Available in food-grade options (verify certifications for direct/indirect contact).
Excellent converting: Compatible with die-cutting, creasing, gluing, foil stamping, emboss/deboss, lamination, spot UV, etc.
Common Specs
Basis weight (GSM): typically 200–400 gsm (others available on request).
Caliper: approx. 300–600 µm (brand and calendering dependent).
Coating types:
C1S: coated one side (back more writable/grippy)
C2S: coated two sides (for high-quality print both sides)
Finish: Gloss or matte; some grades in cast-coated high-gloss.
Printing & Converting
Printing: Offset/UV offset and digital (HP Indigo, inkjet) supported. Use appropriate inks/powders for set-off control.
Finishing tips:
Foil/spot UV/emboss reproduce crisply.
Mind rule/crease ratio and grain direction (MD/CD) to reduce cracking.
For thick calipers and tight folds, increase radius or pre-score; light varnish on the inside fold can help.
Applications
Beauty & personal care: perfume, lipstick, skincare kits, PR boxes
Premium food & beverage: chocolate, tea, nutraceuticals, specialty coffee cartons
Gifting/retail & stationery: gift boxes, sleeves, display cards
Healthcare/pharma: folding cartons (subject to regulatory compliance)
Comparisons
SBS vs. FBB (GC1/GC2): SBS offers purer white and superior print fidelity; FBB is generally lighter/bulkier at lower cost with strong stiffness-to-cost balance.
SBS vs. Greyboard/White-backed chip: SBS provides much higher visual/ hygiene standards; greyboard is lower cost and robust for inner trays/transport-oriented packs.
Sustainability & Compliance
Available with FSC/PEFC chain-of-custody.
Food-contact declarations available by region.
Can pair with water-based coatings, solvent-free adhesives, recyclable/biobased films (confirm supply chain availability).
Quality & Inspection
Key metrics: GSM, caliper, stiffness, whiteness/brightness, opacity, surface strength (pick), smoothness.
Incoming QC: spot-check caliper & stiffness, print holdout/dot gain, and foil/UV adhesion.
Dimensional stability: acclimatize to plant conditions; store at ~45–55% RH to limit curl/warp.
Purchasing & Sampling Tips
MOQ: finished cartons often feasible from 100–500 pcs, but 500+ improves unit economics.
Sampling: do white mockups and print proofs (digital/spot) before mass production.
Artwork & specs: provide editable vectors (AI/PDF), Pantone/CMYK references, and clear L × W × H (state internal vs. external) plus a process list.