Box

An empty corrugated box, made of corrugated fiberboard

Box (plural boxes) describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents.

Boxes may be made of durable material such as wood or metal, or of corrugated fiberboard, paperboard, or other non-durable materials. The size may vary from very small (e.g., a matchbox) to the size of a large appliance. A corrugated box is a very common shipping container. When no specific shape is described, a box of rectangular cross-section with all sides flat may be expected, but a box may have a horizontal cross section that is square, elongated, round or oval; sloped or domed top surfaces, or non-vertical sides.

A decorative box normally may be opened by raising, pulling, sliding or removing the lid, which may be hinged and/or fastened by a catch, clasp, lock, or adhesive tape. Whatever its shape or purpose or the material of which it is fashioned, it is the direct descendant of the chest, one of the most ancient articles of domestic furniture. The name, preceded by a qualifying adjective, has been given to many objects of artistic or antiquarian interest.

A common storage box usually has the shape of a cuboid or right rectangular prism, although boxes of almost any shape may be used.

Packaging boxes

Several types of boxes are used in packaging and storage.

A corrugated fiberboard box (sometimes called cardboard box) is a shipping container made of corrugated board. These are most commonly used to transport and warehouse products during distribution.
A folding carton (sometimes called a box) is fabricated from paperboard. The paperboard is printed (if necessary), die-cut and scored to form a blank. These are transported and stored flat, and erected at the point of filling. These are used to package a wide range of consumer goods.
A "set up" box (or rigid paperboard box) is made of a non-bending grade of paperboard. Unlike folding cartons, these are assembled at the point of manufacture and transported already "set-up". Set-up boxes are more expensive than folding boxes and are typically used for high value items such as cosmetics and gift boxes.
A wooden box is heavy duty shipping container made of wood. See also crate.
A gaylord is a large box often used in industrial environments. It is sized to fit well on a pallet.

Depending on locale and specific usage, the terms carton and box are sometimes used interchangeably.

Wooden wine box

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Permanent boxes

Numerous types of boxes are used in permanent installations. Permanent boxes may include the following:

Compartments

Mailbox
Luxury box
Safe or "strong box"
Humidor

Decorative boxes

Jewelry box

A jewelry (AmE) or jewellery (BrE) box, is a receptacle for trinkets, not only jewels. It may take a very modest form, covered in leather and lined with satin, or it may be larger.

Gift box

Gifts are stored in boxes wrapped in decorative wrapping paper. Gift boxes are usually for containing birthday or Christmas gifts.

Equipment boxes

Toolbox (or tool box), used in various trades.
Fuse box, holds electrical circuit breaker switches.
Set-top box, a device used to decode and display TV signals.
Black box (transportation), a durable data-recording device found in some vehicles, used to assist in the investigation of an accident.

Shelters or booths

Police box, a booth for use by police in 20th century Britain.
Signal box, a building by a railway to coordinate and control railway signals.
Penalty box, a booth used in sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty.
Telephone box, or telephone booth, containing a public telephone.

Postal service

Post box (British English and others, also written postbox), or mailbox (North American English and others) is a physical box used to collect mail that is to be sent to a destination. Varieties of post boxes for outgoing mail include:

Post office box, (often abbreviated P.O. box or PO box), a uniquely-addressable lockable box located in a post office station.
Post box, can refer to a letter box for incoming mail

Other boxes

Ballot box, a box in which votes (ballot papers) are deposited during voting.
Black box, something for which the internal operation is not described but its function is.
Box, informal reference to large box-shaped parts of a computer, such as the base unit or tower case of a personal computer.
Coach Box or the driver's seat on a carriage coach.
Dispatch box, (or despatch box), a box for holding official papers and transporting them.
Glory box or Hope Chest, a box or chest containing items typically stored by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life.
Lunch box, or "lunch pail" or "lunch kit", a rigid container used for carrying food. Can also be decorative.
Mitre box, a woodworking tool used to guide a hand saw to make precise mitre cuts in a board.
Nest box, a substitute for a hole in a tree for birds to make a nest in.
Pandora's box, in Greek mythology, a box containing the evils of mankind and also hope.

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)