Corrugated paper and paperboard

1. Scope and Applicability

This PCR governs foreground data packages for corrugated paper and paperboard made by assembling liner papers and fluting medium on a corrugator. It covers single-face, single-wall, double-wall, and triple-wall board sold in reels or sheets when the product remains corrugated paper or paperboard at the plant gate.

The PCR covers steam or heat conditioning, fluting, starch application, joining liners and fluting, drying or setting on the corrugator, slitting, cutting to sheet or reel form, stacking, and directly associated site utilities and waste handling. It does not cover pulp production, recovered-paper preparation, or corrugated base-paper manufacture as foreground operations; those inputs require upstream datasets. It also excludes conversion of board into cartons, boxes, cases, sacks, bags, displays, or other finished containers, including printing, slotting, die-cutting, folding, stitching, and box gluing.

Coating or laminating is included only when it occurs at the reporting site and the saleable product remains within CPC 32151. The dataset must identify the liner grades, fluting grade, wall construction, flute profile, basis weight, moisture basis, recycled-fibre status, and any coating or lamination.

2. Product Category Identity

Field	Value
canonical_pcr_id	pcr.other-transportable-goods-except-metal-products-machinery-and-equipment.pulp-paper-and-paper-products-printed-matter-and-related-articles.corrugated-paper-and-paperboard
classification_refs	CPC 3.0: 32151, Corrugated paper and paperboard, exact
covered_products	Corrugated paper and paperboard in reels or sheets; single-face, single-wall, double-wall, and triple-wall corrugated board; coated or laminated corrugated board only when it remains an intermediate board product
excluded_products	Linerboard and fluting medium before corrugation; pulp and base-paper manufacture; sacks and bags; cartons, boxes, cases, displays, and other converted containers; manufacturing services performed on materials owned by others
representative_product	Single-wall double-faced corrugated paperboard sheet comprising two liners and one fluted medium bonded with starch adhesive
production_route	Liner and fluting reels are conditioned, fluted, bonded on a corrugator, set or dried, slit, cut or reeled, and prepared as net saleable corrugated board
market_state	Net saleable corrugated board at the corrugator plant gate, before conversion into boxes or other containers

3. Reference Flow

Field	Value
What	Net saleable corrugated paper or paperboard produced by corrugator conversion
How much	1,000 kg
How well	Conforming saleable board with declared liner and fluting grades, wall construction, flute profile, grammage, thickness, moisture content, recycled-fibre status, and surface treatment
How long or cycle	One reporting-period production output normalized to 1,000 kg net saleable product
reference_flow_link	corrugated_board_output

Field	Value
Reference amount	1,000 kg net saleable product
Reference product flow	Corrugated cardboard 8bde297e-98df-463f-bcb4-0db52bf6e0b5
Reference flow property	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66
Reference unit group	Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66
Reference unit	kg
Required qualifiers	liner grades and supplier routes; fluting grade and supplier route; wall construction; flute profile; product grammage in g/m2; thickness in mm; moisture content and measurement basis; recycled-fibre content claim basis; coating or lamination; product form; site; geography; reporting period

When constructing a foreground data package, the items listed in Required qualifiers must be declared in dataset metadata, process notes, reference flow comment, product description, or an equivalent data package field. Missing required qualifiers make the reference flow definition incomplete for that data package.

4. Measurement and Unit Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Required property	Required unit	Rule
reference_mass	reference product and all material flows	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Record net saleable product and material inputs or outputs in kg; convert tonnes using 1 t = 1,000 kg.
saleable_mass_basis	reference product	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Use the weighed net saleable board leaving the corrugator boundary, excluding separately reported transport packaging and excluding shavings or rejects.
grammage_measurement	product grammage qualifier	Mass per area	g/m2	Determine and report grammage using ISO 536:2019 or a demonstrably equivalent method; identify whether the value is measured on the assembled board or calculated from component papers.
moisture_measurement	product moisture qualifier and moisture corrections	Mass fraction	% by mass	Determine lot moisture using ISO 287:2017 or a demonstrably equivalent oven-drying method. Report whether inventory mass is as sold or moisture-corrected; do not mix bases.
thickness_measurement	product thickness qualifier	Length	mm	Determine single-sheet thickness using ISO 3034:2011 or a demonstrably equivalent method applicable to corrugated fibreboard.
energy_measurement	electricity and purchased steam or heat	Net or gross calorific value, consistent with the selected Tiangong flow	kWh for electricity; MJ for heat	Preserve metered units and the selected flow-property basis. Document conversions and do not convert steam mass to energy without measured enthalpy or documented operating conditions.

5. System Boundary

Boundary Abstraction

Field	Value
declared_starting_condition	Liner and fluting reels, starch or prepared adhesive, purchased utilities, and ancillary materials are received at the corrugator site boundary.
starting_condition_role	Foreground gate-to-gate corrugator conversion start; upstream fibre, pulp, recovered-paper preparation, and base-paper production remain represented by supplier or secondary datasets.
product_classification_scope	CPC 3.0 subclass 32151 only; the boundary ends before conversion into CPC 32152 or 32153 sacks, bags, cartons, boxes, cases, or related containers.
recursive_input_rule	Corrugated board returned internally for rework remains an internal loop. Purchased or externally recovered corrugated material crossing the boundary is recorded as a separate input with origin, treatment state, and upstream dataset; it is not silently netted against output.
upstream_dataset_requirement	Use grade- and route-specific upstream datasets for each liner, fluting medium, adhesive, electricity mix, heat or steam supply, water supply, and external waste treatment.
disclosure	Declare site, geography, reporting period, wall and flute construction, product mix, integrated or non-integrated operations, included finishing, upstream dataset substitutions, onsite utility generation, wastewater treatment, and all cut-offs.

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
boundary_corrugator_conversion	foreground corrugator conversion	Include liner and fluting unwinding, heat or steam conditioning, corrugating rolls, starch application, single-facing and double-backing, setting or drying, slitting, cutting or reeling, stacking, and directly associated internal handling.	fefco-corrugated-board-production; fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
boundary_supporting_operations	site support operations	Include onsite heat or steam generation, electricity generation, water treatment, wastewater treatment, and solid-waste handling when they occur inside the reporting site boundary; otherwise represent purchased utilities or external treatment as product or waste exchanges.	fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
boundary_upstream_base_paper	upstream liner and fluting production	Exclude pulp and corrugated base-paper manufacture from the foreground corrugator process, but require upstream datasets and actual grade masses for all liners and fluting media.	fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
boundary_container_conversion	downstream container manufacture	Exclude printing, slotting, die-cutting, folding, stitching, and gluing that convert corrugated board into boxes or other containers; create a separate downstream process if these operations are needed.	unstats-cpc-32151; fefco-corrugated-board-production
boundary_cutoff_disclosure	inventory completeness	Do not omit known liner, fluting, adhesive, electricity, heat or steam, water, shavings, rejects, or treatment flows. Any other omission must be quantified where feasible and disclosed with its rationale and estimated significance.	eu-pef-2021-2279

6. Process Inventory Structure

Process Map

process_id	process_name	inclusion	inclusion_condition	role	quantitative_reference
corrugator_conversion	Corrugator conversion to net saleable board	required	Always included for products within this PCR	Foreground board forming and finishing before container conversion	1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board

Process: Corrugator conversion to net saleable board (corrugator_conversion)

Inputs

Product flows

Liner and fluting base papers (base_paper_input)

All liner and fluting grades crossing the site boundary are collected by grade and supplier route. The selected aggregate flow provides one stable inventory role; the foreground package should preserve separate exchanges for materially different upstream grades where possible.

• Selected flow: Base paper or paperboard web 51b5350f-bd87-4d08-9f00-f9ae3c6e1767
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Sum weighed mass of all liner and fluting reels consumed, adjusted for documented inventory changes; retain grade-level masses and upstream dataset identities.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Product-specific (product_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_base_paper_receipts
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024; fefco-corrugated-board-material-inputs
• Range: European average base-paper input authoring prior, not a conformity limit
  • Range role: Typical range (typical_range)
  • Lower: 1120
  • Upper: 1120
  • Unit: kg
  • Basis: per 1,000 kg average corrugated board product
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: External source (external_source)
  • Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024

Starch-based corrugating adhesive (starch_adhesive_input)

Record the prepared starch adhesive or its dry starch and formulation constituents without double counting. The formulation basis and water content must be retained.

• Selected flow: Starch-based adhesive 2a847cb1-f8c0-4fd4-8c7c-2f26f1dcec70
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Measured adhesive consumption from batch preparation, issue records, or tank balance, reported on the declared wet or dry basis.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_adhesive_records
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-production; fefco-corrugated-board-material-inputs
• Range: Provisional adhesive-use screening estimate to be replaced by reviewed evidence
  • Range role: Default estimate (default_estimate)
  • Lower: 1
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg
  • Basis: broad first-pass estimate per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Process water (process_water_input)

Record water entering adhesive preparation, steam or humidification systems when not included in purchased steam, cleaning, and other corrugator operations. Avoid double counting recirculated water.

• Selected flow: Process water ec205030-248c-496f-9cf2-06d9d26dc6ff
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Metered or allocated site water supplied to the corrugator boundary, net of documented internal recirculation.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_utility_meters
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
• Range: Provisional water-use screening estimate to be replaced by reviewed evidence
  • Range role: Default estimate (default_estimate)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1000
  • Unit: kg
  • Basis: broad first-pass estimate per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Medium-voltage electricity (electricity_input)

Record corrugator drives, fans, pumps, cutting and stacking equipment, and allocated supporting electricity. Use the actual site electricity mix or supplier-specific dataset.

• Selected flow: Electricity, medium voltage 2eb3b2fd-6511-4a22-9018-768024a5b5a6
• Flow property / unit: Net calorific value / kWh
• Amount rule: Metered corrugator electricity plus a documented allocation of shared site electricity.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_utility_meters
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
• Range: Provisional electricity-use screening estimate to be replaced by reviewed evidence
  • Range role: Default estimate (default_estimate)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 1000
  • Unit: kWh
  • Basis: broad first-pass estimate per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Purchased steam or process heat (steam_heat_input)

Record purchased steam or heat used for paper conditioning and adhesive setting. If heat is generated onsite, replace this exchange with fuel and direct-emission rows under the same site boundary.

• Selected flow: heat, steam 74d07391-d5e4-4beb-bd80-4fe9a7617cf1
• Flow property / unit: Gross calorific value / MJ
• Amount rule: Metered heat or steam enthalpy delivered to the corrugator; document pressure, temperature, condensate return, and conversion assumptions.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_utility_meters
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-production; fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
• Range: Provisional process-heat screening estimate to be replaced by reviewed evidence
  • Range role: Default estimate (default_estimate)
  • Lower: 0
  • Upper: 5000
  • Unit: MJ
  • Basis: broad first-pass estimate per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: Reasoned estimate (reasoned_estimate)

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Net saleable corrugated board (corrugated_board_output)

The reference product is weighed after corrugating, setting or drying, slitting, cutting or reeling, and normal internal quality rejection, but before box conversion.

• Selected flow: Corrugated cardboard 8bde297e-98df-463f-bcb4-0db52bf6e0b5
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Normalize the reporting-period net saleable product mass to exactly 1,000 kg while retaining the measured unnormalized mass and moisture basis.
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Product-specific (product_specific)
• Normalization basis: 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_saleable_product
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
• Range: Reference-flow normalization identity
  • Range role: QA guardrail (qa_guardrail)
  • Lower: 1000
  • Upper: 1000
  • Unit: kg
  • Basis: per reference flow
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: External source (external_source)
  • Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries

Waste flows

Corrugated paperboard shavings and rejects (paper_shavings_output)

Record corrugator trim, cuttings, and quality rejects leaving the process boundary. Internal rework is not an output; offsite recycling or treatment destinations must be disclosed.

• Selected flow: Packaging waste, cardboard 72270223-04b1-4986-a546-94e5a0821317
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: Weighed shavings and rejected board leaving the boundary, classified by destination; do not subtract the amount from paper input without retaining the explicit output.
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg net saleable corrugated board
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_shavings_records
• Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024; fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop
• Range: European typical corrugator production-shavings authoring prior, not a conformity limit
  • Range role: Typical range (typical_range)
  • Lower: 100
  • Upper: 100
  • Unit: kg
  • Basis: per 1,000 kg corrugated product
  • Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
  • Evidence kind: External source (external_source)
  • Sources: fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop

Elementary flows

7. Allocation and Co-product Handling

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
allocation_single_product	corrugator conversion producing corrugated board	Treat corrugated board as the reference product and shavings, rejects, wastewater, and other treatment outputs as explicit waste or residual flows; do not assign them a share of foreground burdens merely because they may have recovery value.	fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop
allocation_subdivision_first	multiple board grades or lines sharing utilities	Subdivide metered data by line, grade, campaign, or machine time wherever technically feasible. Allocate only the unresolved shared remainder, using net saleable mass as the default driver and disclosing the allocation share for every product group.	eu-pef-2021-2279
allocation_recycling_separate	paper shavings and downstream recycling	In this gate-to-gate foreground dataset, report shavings and their destination without an avoided-production credit. If a downstream lifecycle model applies a closed-loop or circular-footprint method, identify the method, geography, period, recycled-content inputs, recovery outputs, and allocation factors separately.	fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop; eu-pef-2021-2279
allocation_no_silent_netting	internal rework and inventory changes	Internal rework may remain inside the boundary, but purchased or externally recovered board, external waste outputs, and opening or closing inventories must not be silently netted. Preserve gross records and show the normalization calculation.	fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024

8. Foreground Data Collection, Calculation, and Quality Rules

Data Collection Protocols

protocol_id	process_id	flow_role	record_type	raw_fields	collection_method	unit	frequency	temporal_coverage	site_scope	aggregation_rule	quality_evidence
cp_saleable_product	corrugator_conversion	net saleable corrugated board	calibrated scale record and product-quality record	timestamp; product code; wall construction; flute profile; liner and fluting grades; gross mass; transport-packaging mass; reject mass; moisture sample; grammage; thickness	Export scale or production scale linked to product batch; ISO 536 grammage; ISO 287 moisture; ISO 3034 thickness or demonstrably equivalent methods	kg; g/m2; % by mass; mm	Each batch or production order, aggregated monthly	At least 12 consecutive representative months, or the full campaign for seasonal or short-run production	All lines and products represented by the dataset	Sum net saleable mass after subtracting separately reported transport packaging; retain product-level totals before normalization	Scale calibration; sampling plan; test records; reconciliation to sales or dispatch totals
cp_base_paper_receipts	corrugator_conversion	liner and fluting base papers	receiving, issue, and inventory record	supplier; mill; grade; liner or fluting role; primary or recovered fibre status; flow UUID; upstream dataset; reel mass; issue mass; opening inventory; closing inventory; moisture basis	Calibrated receiving or process scales and inventory ledger	kg	Each delivery and issue, reconciled monthly	Same reporting period as product output	All base-paper inputs to included corrugator lines	Consumption = opening inventory + receipts - closing inventory - documented transfers; preserve grade-level values	Scale calibration; supplier specification; invoice or goods receipt; inventory reconciliation
cp_adhesive_records	corrugator_conversion	starch adhesive and formulation constituents	batch sheet, purchase issue, and tank balance	batch id; dry starch; water; caustic soda; borax or alternatives; wet-strength agent; prepared adhesive mass; return or loss; solids content	Batch weighing or flowmeter plus stock reconciliation	kg	Each batch, aggregated monthly	Same reporting period as product output	All adhesive preparation serving included lines	Report prepared adhesive and dry constituents on explicitly declared bases; prevent double counting water and formulation components	Calibrated scales or meters; formulation sheet; stock reconciliation
cp_utility_meters	corrugator_conversion	electricity, heat or steam, and process water	utility meter and allocation record	meter id; start and end readings; unit; pressure; temperature; condensate return; shared-load driver; downtime	Dedicated meters where available; otherwise documented engineering allocation from site meters	kWh; MJ; kg	Continuous or per shift, aggregated monthly	Same reporting period as product output	Corrugator and included supporting operations	Subtract documented non-production loads; allocate shared utilities by measured machine time, throughput, or engineering heat balance before normalization	Meter calibration; invoices; allocation worksheet; completeness reconciliation
cp_shavings_records	corrugator_conversion	shavings and rejected board	waste dispatch and production-reject record	weight ticket; container id; product grade; internal rework; external destination; recycler or treatment route; moisture basis	Dedicated waste scale, baler scale, or verified collector weight ticket	kg	Each dispatch or production shift, aggregated monthly	Same reporting period as product output	All trim and rejects from included lines	Exclude internal rework from external output; sum gross external shavings and rejects by destination	Scale calibration; recycler receipt; waste manifest; reconciliation to paper mass balance

Calculation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Formula or rule	Inputs	Output	source_ids
calc_reference_normalization	every inventory exchange	normalized amount = reporting-period exchange amount / reporting-period net saleable board mass × 1,000 kg	exchange amount; net saleable board mass	amount per 1,000 kg reference flow	fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
calc_base_paper_consumption	liner and fluting input	consumed base paper = opening inventory + receipts - closing inventory - transfers out; retain separate liner and fluting grade totals before summing	inventory and receipt records by grade	kg base paper consumed by grade and in total	fefco-corrugated-board-material-inputs
calc_board_mass_balance	corrugator conversion	reconcile base papers + dry adhesive constituents + other retained materials against net saleable board + external shavings and rejects + documented inventory or moisture change; investigate and disclose the residual	base-paper records; adhesive records; output mass; shavings; moisture; inventories	mass-balance residual and explanation	fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024
calc_energy_conversion	heat or steam	convert steam to MJ only from metered energy or documented mass, pressure, temperature, condensate return, and enthalpy difference; record the property basis used by the selected flow	steam or heat records; operating conditions	MJ delivered heat on declared gross or net basis	eu-pef-2021-2279
calc_moisture_disclosure	product and paper masses	preserve as-sold mass as the reference basis; if dry-mass comparison is also reported, calculate it from measured moisture and keep both values with the formula	as-sold mass; ISO 287 moisture result	as-sold mass and optional dry mass	iso-287-2017; fefco-corrugated-board-outputs

Data Quality Requirements

requirement_id	Applies to	Requirement	Evidence
dq_identity	product and process identity	Product code, wall construction, flute profile, liner and fluting grades, product form, surface treatment, site, geography, and reporting period must be unambiguous and consistent with CPC 32151.	Product specification, production order, and classification review
dq_temporal	foreground activity data	Use at least 12 consecutive representative months unless a shorter complete campaign is justified; identify shutdowns, abnormal periods, and the reference year.	Meter extracts, production ledger, and reporting-period reconciliation
dq_completeness	all required inventory roles	Reconcile base papers, adhesive, utilities, saleable output, shavings, and other known outputs. Record zero only after confirming that the flow does not occur; distinguish unavailable data from zero.	Mass balance, utility reconciliation, waste records, and omission log
dq_measurement	mass, grammage, moisture, thickness, and utilities	Retain instrument identity, calibration status, sampling frequency, test method, unit conversion, and aggregation worksheet.	Calibration certificates, ISO or equivalent test records, and calculation workbook
dq_representativeness	site dataset and secondary datasets	Assess technological, geographical, time-related, and precision representativeness; justify any proxy upstream dataset and identify differences in fibre route, energy mix, mill technology, and product grade.	EU PEF data-quality assessment and supplier dataset metadata
dq_supplier_coverage	liner, fluting, adhesive, energy, and treatment datasets	Every material upstream input and external treatment route must have a named dataset or a documented gap; average FEFCO values may support QA but do not replace supplier- or route-specific foreground quantities.	Supplier declarations, secondary dataset references, and gap register
dq_industry_prior	comparison with industry evidence	Treat FEFCO weighted averages as external screening priors. Do not claim they are site-specific or universally representative outside the reported European geography, technology, and reference year.	FEFCO questionnaire coverage and peer-review statement

9. Validation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
validation_identity_scope	product category	Confirm that the output is corrugated paper or paperboard and not base paper, a box, carton, sack, bag, display, or manufacturing service; reject ambiguous product identities.	unstats-cpc-32151; environdec-pcr-2010-14-v4-2026
validation_reference_flow	reference flow	Require exactly 1,000 kg normalized net saleable corrugated board with the mass property and units-of-mass UUIDs, plus every required product qualifier.	fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries; iso-536-2019; iso-287-2017; iso-3034-2011
validation_process_coverage	corrugator boundary	Require documented coverage of paper conditioning, fluting, starch application, liner joining, setting or drying, slitting, cutting or reeling, stacking, and included supporting utilities; separately disclose every excluded onsite operation.	fefco-corrugated-board-production; fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries
validation_mass_balance	material inventory	Check gross base-paper input, adhesive constituents, net saleable output, shavings and rejects, moisture basis, and inventory changes as one mass balance; a non-zero unexplained residual is a finding, not an automatic adjustment.	fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024
validation_energy_water	utilities	Require measured or transparently allocated electricity, heat or steam, and process water; require unit and property conversions to be reproducible from retained records.	eu-pef-2021-2279
validation_recycling	shavings and recycling	Require gross shavings or reject output and destination. Reject silent netting or an avoided-production credit inside the gate-to-gate process unless a separately declared downstream recycling method is in scope.	fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop
validation_data_quality	published foreground data package	Require temporal, technological, geographical, completeness, precision, calibration, proxy, and uncertainty disclosures sufficient for downstream secondary or background use.	eu-pef-2021-2279; fefco-corrugated-board-questionnaire-2024

10. Published Dataset Profile

Field	Value
dataset_role	Site- and technology-specific foreground dataset for corrugator conversion to corrugated paper or paperboard
downstream_use	secondary_dataset; background_dataset
allowed_use	Foreground process construction, supply-chain modelling, product environmental footprint studies, EPD preparation under an applicable current PCR, scenario comparison, and lifecyclemodel assembly when product qualifiers and geography match
excluded_use	Direct representation of pulp or base-paper production; direct representation of box or container conversion; unsupported geography or technology claims; use of provisional reasoned-estimate ranges as measured site data; product-to-product comparative assertions without applicable programme rules
required_metadata	canonical PCR id; CPC reference; site and geography; reporting period; technology; liner and fluting grades and routes; wall and flute construction; grammage; thickness; moisture basis; recycled-fibre claim basis; surface treatment; reference flow UUIDs; upstream dataset identities; allocation; cut-offs
required_quality_disclosure	Primary-data share; meter and sampling coverage; calibration; mass-balance residual; proxy datasets; temporal, technological, geographical, and precision representativeness; provisional estimates; uncertainty; treatment destinations; review status
update_trigger	Material change in corrugator technology, product mix, fibre route, adhesive formulation, energy or heat supply, allocation, system boundary, site, data source, or more than five years since the foreground reference year

11. Data Sources

Source id	Type	Reference	Used for
environdec-pcr-2010-14-v4-2026	Standard (standard)	EPD International, PCR 2010:14 Processed paper and paperboard, version 4.0.0, published 2026-03-03, valid until 2030-03-03, https://www.environdec.com/pcr-library/pcr_487bc5e7-8e58-474b-f2f6-08de791141fe, retrieved 2026-07-27	Current official PCR scope confirming inclusion of UN CPC 32151
unstats-cpc-32151	Official guidance (official_guidance)	United Nations Statistics Division, CPC subclass 32151 and class 3215 classification details, https://unstats.un.org/unsd/classifications/Econ/Detail/EN/1073/32151, retrieved 2026-07-27	Product identity and exclusion of separate container subclasses
fefco-corrugated-board-production	Extension guidance (extension_guidance)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, Corrugated board production, https://www.fefco.org/lca/dscription-of-production-system/corrugated-board-production, retrieved 2026-07-27	Product construction and corrugator process decomposition
fefco-corrugated-board-boundaries	Official guidance (official_guidance)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, Boundaries and declared unit, https://www.fefco.org/lca/methodology-questions/boundaries, retrieved 2026-07-27	Gate-to-gate boundary, supporting processes, and 1 tonne net saleable product basis
fefco-corrugated-board-data-2024	Dataset (dataset)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, calculated inputs and outputs for 1 tonne corrugated product, https://www.fefco.org/lca/data, retrieved 2026-07-27	European average paper input of 1.12 t/t product and 0.12 t/t paper-for-recycling output; mass-balance QA prior
fefco-corrugated-board-material-inputs	Dataset (dataset)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, Material inputs, https://www.fefco.org/lca/data-description/material/inputs, retrieved 2026-07-27	Liner, fluting, starch glue, and formulation constituent inventory roles
fefco-corrugated-board-outputs	Dataset (dataset)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, Material outputs, https://www.fefco.org/lca/data-description/material/outputs, retrieved 2026-07-27	Product moisture evidence and residue-boundary interpretation
fefco-corrugated-board-questionnaire-2024	Dataset (dataset)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, 2024 data-collection questionnaire and coverage, https://www.fefco.org/lca/data-description/questionnaire, retrieved 2026-07-27	Foreground data roles, reporting-period design, industry coverage, and representativeness caveats
fefco-corrugated-board-closed-loop	Method factor (method_factor)	FEFCO, European Database for Corrugated Board Life Cycle Studies, Closed-loop approach, https://www.fefco.org/lca/methodology-questions/closed-loop-approach, retrieved 2026-07-27	Recycling allocation method and typical corrugator production shavings of about 100 kg/t corrugated product
iso-536-2019	Standard (standard)	ISO 536:2019, Paper and board — Determination of grammage, https://www.iso.org/standard/77583.html, retrieved 2026-07-27	Product grammage measurement
iso-287-2017	Standard (standard)	ISO 287:2017, Paper and board — Determination of moisture content of a lot — Oven-drying method, https://www.iso.org/standard/69063.html, retrieved 2026-07-27	Moisture measurement applicable to corrugated board
iso-3034-2011	Standard (standard)	ISO 3034:2011, Corrugated fibreboard — Determination of single sheet thickness, https://www.iso.org/standard/51266.html, retrieved 2026-07-27	Product thickness measurement
eu-pef-2021-2279	Official guidance (official_guidance)	European Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279 on Product Environmental Footprint and Organisation Environmental Footprint methods, consolidated text, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02021H2279-20211230, retrieved 2026-07-27	Allocation hierarchy, company-specific activity data, cut-off disclosure, and data-quality dimensions