What Hexacomb Corporation does

Hexacomb Corporation, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, is the protective packaging division of Packaging Corporation of America (NASDAQ: PKG). With approximately 126 employees, Hexacomb manufactures paper-based honeycomb packaging products marketed as the leading engineered substitute for traditional foam, wood, and expanded polystyrene in protective and load-securement applications. Its core technology exploits the strength-to-weight ratio of honeycomb kraft structures to deliver cushioning, rigidity, and impact absorption at roughly 60% of the weight of equivalent wood-based packaging.

The product portfolio centers on the Hexacomb® brand and includes Cushion-Comb® (foam replacement cushioning), HexAir® (single-piece panel and airbag system for load securement meeting American Association of Railroads specifications), Clear-View (stretch-wrap-integrated self-shipping system), die-cut honeycomb panels, edge and corner protectors, custom top/bottom pads and trays, paper-based pallets, buffer pads, void fill, and separator panels. Products carry Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Certified Sourcing approval, making them recyclable within standard corrugated waste streams and eligible for sustainability-mandated procurement at Fortune 500 manufacturers.

Hexacomb operates an enterprise field-sales GTM in which application specialists visit customer facilities to observe loading procedures at origin and destination before presenting customized solutions. The company sells engineered-to-order products under custom quote-based pricing with no publicly disclosed list rates, serving seven primary vertical segments: appliance manufacturers, furniture manufacturers, electronics, automotive, food & beverage, produce/agriculture, e-commerce, and general manufacturing. Distribution is conducted through PCA's nationwide Hexacomb facility network. No revenue, M&A activity, funding events, or leadership changes are disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Hexacomb Corporation

Legal name

Hexacomb Corporation

Website

https://hexacomb.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hexacomb Corporation is the protective packaging division of Packaging Corporation of America, manufacturing paper-based honeycomb packaging—pallets, dunnage, cushioning, and load securement products—as a sustainable, engineered substitute for foam and wood. It serves appliance, furniture, electronics, automotive, food and beverage, produce, e-commerce, and manufacturing customers via direct field sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protective Packaging

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper-Based Protective Packaging (Kraft Paper, Honeycomb, Molded Pulp) (IMALAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protective & Cushioning Packaging (Bubble Wrap, Air Pillows, Foam-in-Bag) Manufacturing (IMANAEAF)

Keywords

• Protective packaging solutions
• Paper-based honeycomb packaging
• Industrial dunnage products
• Custom packaging manufacturing
• Load securement solutions

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom protective packaging products: Sale of custom-sized honeycomb packaging solutions including planks, pads, trays, edge protectors, pallets, and dunnage products. Solutions are tailored to customer specifications and requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hexacomb Corporation manufactures and sells paper-based honeycomb protective packaging products, including custom-sized planks, pads, trays, edge and corner protectors, paper pallets, dunnage (buffer pads, void fill, separators), and specialized systems (Cushion-Comb®, HexAir®, Clear-View). Products are custom-engineered to protect goods during shipping and storage for manufacturers across appliances, furniture, electronics, automotive, food & beverage, produce, e-commerce, and general industrial segments.

Product overview

Hexacomb Corporation, a division of Packaging Corporation of America, offers the Hexacomb® brand as the leading paper-based honeycomb packaging solution. The product portfolio includes the core Hexacomb® honeycomb packaging along with specialized features including Cushion-Comb® (foam replacement), HexAir® (airbag system), Clear-View system, die-cut packaging, edge/corner protectors, custom pads and trays, paper pallets, buffer pads, and void fill products. These products serve markets including appliances, furniture, electronics, and automotive parts, providing protective packaging, load securement, and dunnage solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cushion-Comb®: Replacement for traditional foam that allows for consistent product protection throughout shipping
• HexAir®
• Clear-View

Products and services

• Hexacomb® Paper-Based Honeycomb Packaging Custom paper-based honeycomb packaging solution with unique engineering that provides cushioning, rigidity, and superior product protection for manufacturers across appliances, furniture, electronics, automotive, food & beverage, produce, e-commerce, and general industrial segments.
• Cushion-Comb® Foam Replacement Replacement for traditional foam that provides consistent product protection throughout shipping. Used by manufacturers needing foam-like cushioning without the environmental drawbacks of foam.
• HexAir® Panel and Airbag System Single-piece panel and airbag system that secures products in place during transit. Designed to meet American Association of Railroads (AAR) specifications for rail-shipment dunnage.
• Clear-View Self-Shipping System Self-shipping system that combines honeycomb packaging with stretch wrap to minimize materials, weight, and overall packaging footprint.
• Custom Paper-Based Honeycomb Pallets Custom-sized paper-based pallets with no nails, splinters, or broken boards; up to 60% lighter than wood alternatives and recyclable with other paper products. Used as a sustainable alternative to wooden pallets.
• Custom Die-Cut Honeycomb Packaging Custom die-cut honeycomb panels designed to protect vital parts and assemblies in industries such as automotive and electronics.
• Edge and Corner Protectors

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% lighter than wood pallet alternatives
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)minorOthersHexacomb products are approved for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certified Sourcing label, indicating that raw materials used in Hexacomb packaging come from responsibly managed forests.
• American Association of Railroads (AAR)minorOthersHexacomb dunnage products have been designed to meet the specifications of the American Association of Railroads, ensuring compliance with railroad industry standards for protective packaging.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pactiv Evergreen Inc. Pactiv Evergreen is a major food and beverage packaging producer whose molded-fiber and paper-based protective formats place it as a broad packaging incumbent competing for produce and food-and-beverage protective-packaging accounts also served by Hexacomb.
• Mondi plc: Mondi is a major international paper and packaging group whose product range includes paper-based protective packaging such as MailerBags and cushioned mailers competing for paper-pallet and protective-wrap share. It represents the global incumbent scale player adjacent to Hexacomb's offering.
• Smurfit Kappa Group: Smurfit Kappa is one of Europe's largest paper-based packaging producers with a growing North American protective-packaging portfolio that competes for the same paper-honeycomb-adjacent applications Hexacomb serves. Its scale and recyclability positioning overlap with Hexacomb's value proposition.
• Sonoco Products Company: Sonoco is a diversified global packaging company that, alongside rigid and paper-based containers, offers protective and cushioned packaging solutions to industrial customers. It overlaps with Hexacomb in serving appliance, furniture, and industrial shippers with paper-adjacent protective formats.
• Sealed Air Corporation: Sealed Air is the incumbent leader in protective packaging through its Bubble Wrap brand and Instapak/Ethafoam foam systems, serving the same appliance, furniture, and e-commerce customers as Hexacomb. It is the dominant incumbent Hexacomb's Cushion-Comb® was designed to replace, making it the principal competitive benchmark in protective packaging.

Direct peers

• Pregis LLC: Pregis manufactures protective packaging including paper-based padding systems, air pillows (AirSpeed), and foam-in-place, targeting similar e-commerce and industrial customers. It is a Hexacomb competitor across both paper-based cushioning and the foam/air systems Hexacomb's products are designed to displace.
• Ranpak Holdings Corp. Ranpak is the closest direct competitor to Hexacomb: a publicly traded maker of paper-based protective packaging including cushioning pads, void fill, and wrapping systems used in e-commerce and industrial shipping. Both companies compete for the same conversion opportunity away from plastic foam void fill and bubble packaging.
• Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbH: Storopack is a global protective packaging producer whose PAPERplus paper-based void-fill and cushioning systems directly compete with Hexacomb's honeycomb pads. Both target the same paper-conversion-from-foam theme within industrial and e-commerce protective packaging.

Emerging players

• EcoEnclose LLC: EcoEnclose is a sustainability-focused packaging supplier offering paper-based mailers and protective formats to e-commerce and DTC brands. It competes for the same recyclable, paper-based protective packaging positioning Hexacomb leverages, especially with e-commerce customers listed as a Hexacomb primary segment.
• Atlantic Packaging Corporation: Atlantic Packaging is a U.S.-focused paper and protective packaging manufacturer offering paper void fill, edge protectors, and dunnage serving similar industrial customer accounts in North America. Its product mix overlaps with Hexacomb's honeycomb-pad and edge-protector line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@packagingcorporationofamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hexacomb-corporation
• Instagraminstagram.com/packagingcorp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hexacomb Corporation