Sweet summertime – ahh… the season that (most) people look forward to — Sun, warm temperatures, vacations, breaks from school, etc. But the heat and humidity that summer brings can be a game changer when it comes to paper products.

As the temperature in the air increases, so does its ability to retain moisture. When humidity levels increase, the fibers in the paper draw in moisture very quickly, resulting in expansion. For example, think about the doors in your house and how they seem to stick during the summertime. That’s because materials expand due to the humidity. The same happens with paper tubes and cores.

During summertime conditions, paper tubes and cores manufactured in high humidity can shrink drastically if an end-user puts them into an air-conditioned room with extremely low humidity. Humidity can weaken the tubes and cores which will then cause them to fail. If used in a timely manner, less moisture will affect the product. Paper tubes and cores should not be stored near any heating or cooling unit, in an air stream of heated or cooled air, or in the path of a humidifying stream of air. Knowing your storage environment is very critical.

Understanding how moisture and humidity affect paper tubes and cores are imperative for end-users as they are looking for products to have the best appearance and performance. To ensure optimum performance, control the relative humidity (R.H.) levels and temperature in the processing and storage environments.