DIN 19304 is a DIN standard for evaluating the technical quality of creasings (score lines) in corrugated board using measurement-based criteria.
It is used in packaging and converting operations to compare creased vs. uncreased material behavior and to control creasing quality during development, supplier qualification, or production changeovers. If you need help mapping your samples and acceptance targets to the cited edition, talk with our team.
DIN 19304:2021-04 — Prüfung von Wellpappe – Rillungen (Testing of corrugated board – Creasings)
DIN 19304 provides guidance for judging the technical quality of creasings in corrugated board and describes the procedure and boundary conditions for metrological evaluation.
The standard applies to flat-laid, creased corrugated board specimens, supporting consistent comparisons between materials, creasing settings, and process conditions.
Quick definition
What it is: A DIN procedure/guideline for instrumented assessment of corrugated board creasing quality.
What it measures: Crease-related weakening or bend behavior, commonly expressed using a foldability-type coefficient or bending resistance comparison (depending on the test setup and reporting approach used with the standard).
Typical users: Corrugated packaging converters, packaging QA/QC labs, and R&D teams evaluating score quality and process robustness.
What This Standard Covers
DIN 19304 focuses on creasings (score lines) in corrugated board and how to assess their technical quality under defined test conditions.
In practice, this is used to quantify how the creasing operation changes the board’s bending behavior at the crease zone, rather than relying only on visual inspection.
Why This Standard Matters in Testing
Creasing quality directly affects convertibility and box performance. Over-creased lines can lead to cracking, delamination, or loss of stiffness, while under-creased lines can cause poor folding and dimensional issues.
DIN 19304 supports objective, repeatable comparisons—useful when adjusting creasing rules, changing liners/mediums, qualifying new board grades, or troubleshooting fold-line complaints.
Common Materials, Product Types, or Applications Covered
Common materials: Corrugated board (flat-laid specimens with creasings).
Common applications: Score-line process control, packaging development, incoming board evaluation, and supplier/process change validation in corrugated packaging.
Common Test or Verification Workflow
Most workflows compare creased specimens to uncreased reference specimens to quantify how much the creasing operation changes bending behavior at the fold line.
Common workflow: Prepare flat-laid creased samples → run a defined bending-style evaluation of the creased zone → calculate the reported indicator (e.g., a foldability coefficient derived from bending resistance comparison) → trend results by flute type/board grade/creasing setting and set internal limits.
Equipment Commonly Used for This Standard
Because DIN 19304 is centered on measured crease quality, the equipment selection typically follows the bending-evaluation approach used for the creased zone.
Common equipment: A universal testing machine or dedicated bending tester equipped with a 2-point bending fixture suitable for corrugated/board strips, plus appropriate force measurement and software for consistent calculation and reporting.
If you are selecting a bending fixture, load cell range, and software outputs for crease-quality reporting, you can request a detailed quote for a configuration matched to your specimen geometry and throughput.
How to Read This Designation or Revision
DIN standards are commonly cited by number, and many users include the edition date to avoid ambiguity. For example, the DIN Media listing shows DIN 19304:2021-04, where “2021-04” indicates the publication date (year-month) of that edition.
Revision sensitivity: Test conditions, specimen definition, and calculation/reporting details can be edition-dependent, so purchasing decisions (fixture geometry, software calculations, reporting templates) should be aligned to the exact DIN 19304 edition referenced by your customer or internal specification.
Related Standards, Methods, or Frameworks
DIN 19304 is often discussed alongside creasing evaluation for folding boxboard and other paper/board bending methods, because labs may use similar bending principles and fixtures across materials.
Commonly associated references: DIN 55437-3 (creasing evaluation for folding boxboard) and bending resistance methods such as DIN 53121 / ISO 5628 / ISO 2493-1 when a comparable 2-point bending approach is used in the lab’s broader paper and board test program.
Talk with a testing specialist
If you need to align equipment, fixtures, and reporting to a specific DIN 19304 edition and your corrugated board construction, contact our team with your board type, specimen dimensions, and whether you are comparing creased vs. uncreased references.