T 577 om-13

ISSUED AS PROVISIONAL METHOD – 2008

REVISED AS OFFICIAL METHOD – 2013
©2013 TAPPI

The information and data contained in this document were

prepared by a technical committee of the Association. The
committee and the Association assume no liability or responsibility
in connection with the use of such information or data, including
but not limited to any liability under patent, copyright, or trade
secret laws. The user is responsible for determining that this
document is the most recent edition published.

CAUTION:
This Test Method may include safety precautions which are believed to be appropriate at the time of publication of the method. The intent of
these is to alert the user of the method to safety issues related to such use. The user is responsible for determining that the safety precautions
are complete and are appropriate to their use of the method, and for ensuring that suitable safety practices have not changed since publication
of the method. This method may require the use, disposal, or both, of chemicals which may present serious health hazards to humans.
Procedures for the handling of such substances are set forth on Material Safety Data Sheets which must be developed by all manufacturers
and importers of potentially hazardous chemicals and maintained by all distributors of potentially hazardous chemicals. Prior to the use of this
method, the user must determine whether any of the chemicals to be used or disposed of are potentially hazardous and, if so, must follow
strictly the procedures specified by both the manufacturer, as well as local, state, and federal authorities for safe use and disposal of these
chemicals.

Score bend test

1. Introduction

When folding cartons fail to perform properly in a production operation it is difficult to understand the source
of the problem. This procedure provides useful information to the carton manufacturer, converter, printer or product
filling operation to evaluate the performance of a paper carton on a package filling and sealing line.

2. Scope

This procedure is used to determine the score bend resistance of a scored and unscored sample of a
paperboard carton. Score bend resistance of a score on a paper carton is an important parameter to determine the
force required to close a carton flap during a product filling operation on a packaging machine.

3. Significance

3.1 Score quality of paperboard cartons affects product performance in end use applications, such as a
die-cutting or filling operation on a packaging line.
3.2 Score bend resistance can be used to determine the effects of carton aging and moisture when a
finished carton product is used on a packaging line.
3.3 The determination of score bend resistance is not only important for quality control of the
manufactured product, but also for configuring machinery that controls cartons on form, fill and seal lines.

4. Definitions

4.1 Score is defined as an impression or partial cut in a flat material for the purpose of facilitating
bending, creasing, or folding.
4.2 Score ratio is defined as the ratio of two score bend measurements expressed as a percentage. The
calculation is based on the force required to bend a scored paperboard carton to the force required to bend an
unscored paperboard sample.

Approved by the Standard Specific Interest Group for this Test Method
TAPPI
T 577 om-13 Score bend test / 2

4.3 Score bend resistance is defined as the peak force required to bend a scored or unscored sample to
90°.

5. Apparatus1

5.1 A bending fixture capable of applying bending force at a constant speed of 12.0º/s ± 0.5º/s and
allowing sufficient travel to ensure a maximum of 90° bend of the sample (see Figure 1).
5.2 Bending fixture designed to bend the sample 90.0°. The bending fixture must be balanced so that
during a test cycle with no sample in place, the fixture produces a reading less than 20.0 g.
5.2.1 Moveable bending plate to bend the sample at the score line.
5.2.2 Angle gage to accurately record and indicate sample angle to a maximum of 90° to within 0.5° or
better.

Fig. 1. Bending fixture

5.2.3 Sample clamp to firmly affix sample in place. The sample must be clamped along the entire width of
the sample. An air-operated clamp is recommended.
5.3 A force indicator capable of measuring and recording the applied force to within 1.0% of the full-
scale range of the load indicator. Instruments equipped with a 20 N (4.4 lbf) load cell are usually sufficient for
paperboard material. It may be necessary to use a 50 N (11lbf) or 100 N (22 lbf) load cell for materials which exhibit
a higher score bend resistance.

6. Test specimens

6.1 From each test unit of a sample obtained in accordance with TAPPI T 400 “Sampling and Accepting
a Single Lot of Paper, Paperboard, Containerboard, or Related Products,” test specimens should be flat with no
bends at the scored or unscored area and free of defects or delaminations. Test specimens can be from the roll stock
or a converted or finished product sample which will be used during a product filling operation on a packaging
machine.
6.2 Prepare a scored and unscored test sample with dimensions of at least 25.4 mm (1.0 inch) and of
sufficient length to allow a measurement of a scored and unscored section on the same sample (Figure 2). The length
of unscored board above the score line must be between 50.8 mm (2.0 inches) and 152.4 mm (6.0 inches). If there is
insufficient sample length to test scored and unscored area on the same specimen, cut an unscored sample to the
same dimensions as the scored sample from an unused section of the same board as the scored sample.

1
Names of suppliers of testing equipment and materials for this method may be found on the Test Equipment Suppliers list, available as part of
the CD or printed set of Standards, or on the TAPPI website general Standards page.
3 /Score bend test T 577 om-13

Fig. 2. Test sample, indicating minimum dimensions for each part of the specimen.

7. Conditioning

7.1 Precondition, condition, and test samples in accordance with TAPPI T402 “Standard Conditioning
and Testing Atmospheres for Paper, Board, Pulp Handsheets and Related Products.”
7.2 If TAPPI conditions cannot be achieved, report temperature, humidity and sample moisture
content in accordance with TAPPI T412 “Moisture in Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard.”

8. Test procedure

8.1 Verify accuracy of the tester and bending fixture before testing.
8.1.1 Level the tester according to manufacturer’s instructions (see Appendix A.1.1).
8.1.2 Verify the load cell according to manufacturer’s instructions (see Appendix A.2.1).
8.1.3 Check the balance of the bending plate according to manufacturer’s instructions (see Appendix
A.4.1).
8.1.4 Check the air pressure of the air operated bending plate, 2.60 bar (30 psi) is recommended.
8.2 Set the test to measure maximum force between 0.0° and 90.0°.
8.3 Open sample clamp
8.4 Place scored sample in the sample clamp, being sure to center the sample horizontally in the
sample clamp. The scored line on the sample must be located centrally between the slot on the bending plate and the
sample clamp bar (see Figure 3).

Fig. 3. Slot on the bending plate and the sample clamp bar
T 577 om-13 Score bend test / 4

8.5 Zero the force indicating device if needed.

8.6 Record maximum force obtained during the test.
8.7 Test 10 scored/unscored pairs from each sample selected.
8.8 Repeat 8.3-8.7, until both scored and unscored sample samples have been tested.

9. Interpretation of observations

The score ratio is determined as follows:

Peak force of the scored sample

Score ratio in % =  100
Peak force of the unscored sample

10. Report

10.1 The bending force in grams-force (gf) for each test replicate.
10.2 The average and standard deviation bending force in gf for all replicates of a sample.
10.3 The average score ratio calculated as in section 9.
10.4 Any deviations from the procedures described in this method, Sections 5 through 8.

11. Precision

On the basis of studies made in accordance with TAPPI T 1200 “Interlaboratory Evaluation of Test
Methods Used with Paper and Board Products,” the precision of test results representing the average of five (5)
score bend readings are expected to agree within the amounts shown in Table 1. The interlaboratory study included
four (4) laboratories and four (4) samples of printed paperboard measured at the score line.

Table 1. Scorebend resistance of paperboard

Sample score length Repeatability ratio, %r Reproducibility ratio, %R

A – 68 mm (2.68 in.) score 12.4% 31.1%

B – 122 mm (4.80 in.) score 6.3% 16.2%

C – 66 mm (2.80 in.) score 10.5% 22.9%

D – 150 mm (5.90 in.) score 5.5% 11.6%

12. Keywords

Scores, Score bend efficiency, Paperboard, Bend strength

13. Additional information

13.1 Effective date of issue: November 5, 2013.

13.2 TAPPI T 829 “Score quality test.” Score bend test using a u-channel and a straight blade
corrugated samples.
5 /Score bend test T 577 om-13

13.3 Changes in the 2013 edition included: (a) moved Applicable document reference for TAPPI T 829
“Score quality test” to the Additional Information 13.2; (b) renumbered the standard after section 4 was moved; (c)
added English units for Table 1 and Section 5.3; (d) changed text for Fig. 2 to indicate that the sample show is the
minimum size for the specimen; (e) added “Precondtion” to 7.1 to complete statement for sample conditioning; (f)
reorganized section 8 for better clarity of the testing procedure; (g) reorganized section 10 for better clarity of what
needs to be reported.

Appendix

A.1 Adjustment and maintenance of testing instrument.

A.1.1 Before testing or verifying operation, the operator should ensure that the tester is level in both the
side to side direction and the front to back direction.
A.1.2 Determine the proper clamping pressure of the sample clamp (if equipped with air clamps).
A.2 Verification of testing instrument
A.2.1 Verification of force measuring system. After leveling the instrument, verify the force measuring
mechanism with standard weights by the dead weight method; for example, obtain readings at about (10) points
evenly spaced throughout the force measuring scale, by applying known weights with increasing than decreasing
increments. If readings differ by more than 1.0 %, construct a correction curve or calibrate according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
A.3 Verification of the bending fixture
A.3.1 Verify the bending fixture using spring steel plates with a thickness of 100 μ ± 2 μ (0.004 ± 0
.00008 in.) and a hardness of 48-52 Rockwell C.
A.3.2 A set of 3 plates of varying widths between 22 mm ± 2 mm (0.875 inch ± 0.00008 in.) and 100
mm ± 2 mm (3.93 in. ± 0.0008) are suggested.
A.3.3 Obtain bending force readings at three intervals between 0° and 90° at increasing intervals. Spring
steel plates have target values ± 10 g.
A.3.4 Air pressure setting for verification of spring steel plates is 5 bar ± 0.17 bar (500 ± 17 kPa)
A.4 Verification of the 90° bending angle
A.4.1 During a test cycle, the protractor pointer will travel 90.0° ± 0.5°. To check this operation, first
adjust the position of the upper bracket and load cell assembly to allow the protractor pointer to rest slightly below
the 0.0° position. Cycle the testing instrument and verify the protractor pointer travels 90.0° ± 0.5° and returns to the
starting position.

Your comments and suggestions on this procedure are earnestly requested and should be sent to the TAPPI
Standards Department. 