Paperboard is a thick, stiff paper material that's heavier and more rigid than regular paper but not as thick as corrugated cardboard. If you've ever held a cereal box, greeting card, or paperback book cover, you've handled paperboard. It's that firm-but-bendable material that holds its shape better than paper but can still be folded, cut, and printed on easily.

Manufacturers make paperboard by pressing multiple layers of paper pulp together, creating something strong enough to protect products but light enough to keep shipping costs low. The back of a notepad, a shoe box, or the circle under a frozen pizza are all examples of paperboard at work.

The term paperboard distinguishes this middle-weight material from both thin paper (like notebook paper) and heavy corrugated cardboard (the stuff with wavy ridges inside that's used for moving boxes). Think of paperboard as the Goldilocks option: not too flimsy, not too heavy, but just right for packaging food, making crafts, or creating sturdy covers for books and games.