A squround is a container whose shape is between a square and a round
tub. It resembles an
oval
An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one ...
but is sometimes closer to a rectangle with rounded corners. These allow the contents to be easily scooped out of the container. The name is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[carton
A carton is a box or container usually made of liquid packaging board, paperboard and sometimes of corrugated fiberboard.
Many types of cartons are used in packaging. Sometimes a carton is also called a box.
Types of cartons
Folding carto ...](_blank)
s), referring to a compromise between a square and a round carton. It is also sometimes known as the scround.
"Squround" can apply to shapes of things other than tubs: Watches, swimming pools, bottles, etc.
Ice cream squround containers
The term applies mostly to
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
packaging design
Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a co ...
, where the switch to a squround from
paperboard bricks,
cylindrical half-gallons and other containers is motivated by consumer preference, as well as cost effectiveness. These packages are more rectangular than square, but the side edges are rounded, while top and bottom surfaces are completely flat. Squround packaging affords some of the consumer appeal of traditional cylindrical packaging, while also packing tightly like brick-shaped square cartons.
The container is usually made of
paperboard but can have thermoformed or injection molded plastic components. There is usually a separate lid made of paperboard, plastic, or both.
It offers several advantages over other ice cream packages:
* it can be easily scooped out
* it fits better in home freezers
* it packs tightly into secondary packages for shipping
* it makes more efficient use of retail shelf space
* it has good
brand recognition
Brand awareness is the extent to which customers are able to recall or recognize a brand under different conditions. Brand awareness is one of two dimensions from brand knowledge, an associative network memory model. Brand awareness is a key consi ...
(over the round half-gallon) since the flatter front is a more legible "
billboard" for each flavor
* the lid can have
tamper-evident
Tamper-evident describes a device or process that makes unauthorized access to the protected object easily detected. Seals, markings, or other techniques may be tamper indicating.
Tampering
Tampering involves the deliberate altering or adultera ...
features.
Although squrounds are available in traditional half-gallon sizes, there exists a trend toward marketing non-traditional 56-ounce, and recently even 48-ounce sized cartons. The downsizing in carton size has not seemed to negatively affect unit sales.
Mayfield Dairy, which announced the switch to squround cartons in January 2003, told ''
Food Engineering'' in April that they expect to sell the same number of 56 oz. units in 2003 as it sold 64 oz. cartons in 2002.
Breyers
Breyers is a brand of ice cream started in 1866 by William A. Breyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
History
In 1866, William A. Breyer began to produce and sell iced cream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first from his home, and later via hor ...
, which in 2000 was an early adopter of the smaller package for its "Ice Cream Parlor" brands, uses the smaller package across all its ice cream flavors. In 2008, they changed to an even smaller 48 oz container.
See also
*
Squircle
A squircle is a shape intermediate between a square and a circle. There are at least two definitions of "squircle" in use, the most common of which is based on the superellipse. The word "squircle" is a portmanteau of the words "square" and "ci ...
*
Fillet (mechanics)
In mechanical engineering, a fillet is a rounding of an interior or exterior corner of a part design. An interior or exterior corner, with an angle or type of bevel, is called a "chamfer". Fillet geometry, when on an interior corner is a line o ...
*
Chamfer
References
* Yam, K.L., ''Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology'', John Wiley & Sons, 2009,
External links
*
*
{{packaging
Food packaging
Ice cream
Geometric shapes