Case vs. Carton — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on August 2, 2024
A case is a general term for a sturdy container used for holding or transporting items, while a carton is specifically a lightweight box usually made of paper or cardboard designed for storing various goods.
Difference Between Case and Carton
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Cases and cartons are both types of containers used for storage and transport of items. A case is a general term for a protective container or box, which can be made of a variety of materials. A carton, on the other hand, refers to a lightweight container, commonly made of paper or cardboard.
While cases can be crafted from metal, wood, plastic, or other sturdy materials, cartons are predominantly made from paper products. Both serve the purpose of safeguarding the items inside, but cases are often more robust and durable compared to cartons.
Cases might be used for carrying tools, musical instruments, or electronics, offering a greater degree of protection. Cartons, being more lightweight, are more suitable for packaging consumer goods like milk, cereals, or eggs.
In many industries, products are first packed into cartons, and then these cartons are grouped and placed into cases for bulk transport. Thus, while cartons serve as the immediate packaging for individual or small groups of products, cases are used for bulk handling.
The choice between a case and a carton often depends on the nature of the item being stored or transported. Fragile items might be packaged in cartons with protective padding, and then placed in cases for added protection during shipment.
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Comparison Chart
Material
Can be metal, wood, plastic, etc.
Predominantly paper or cardboard
Durability
Generally more robust and durable
Lightweight and may be less durable
Common Use
For tools, electronics, instruments
For consumer goods like milk or cereals
Protection
Offers a higher degree of protection
Provides basic protection, often for retail
Relationship in Packing
Used for bulk handling or transport
Often the immediate packaging for products
Compare with Definitions
Case
A legal matter to be decided by a court.
The case went to the supreme court.
Carton
A large box made of thick cardboard.
The toys were delivered in a large carton.
Case
A particular instance or example of something.
This is a case of mistaken identity.
Carton
A container for liquid products.
He bought a carton of orange juice.
Case
The outer protective covering of something.
She put a new case on her phone.
Carton
Packaging for retail products.
The cereal came in a colorful carton.
Case
An instance of a particular situation; an example of something occurring
A case of mistaken identity
In many cases farmers do have a deep feeling for their land
Carton
A lightweight box for transport.
She packed her books in several cartons for the move.
Case
An instance of a disease, injury, or problem
200,000 cases of hepatitis B
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.
Case
A legal action, especially one to be decided in a court of law
A libel case
A former employee brought the case against the council
Carton
A small, light box or container in which drinks or foodstuffs are packaged
A carton of milk
Case
Any of the forms of a noun, adjective, or pronoun that express the semantic relation of the word to other words in the sentence
The accusative case
Carton
Any of various containers made from cardboard or coated paper
Cans packed in cartons.
A milk carton.
Case
A container designed to hold or protect something
A silver cigarette case
Carton
The contents of a carton
Dyed the whole carton of eggs.
Case
Each of the two forms, capital or minuscule, in which a letter of the alphabet may be written or printed.
Carton
To place (something) in a carton.
Case
Surround in a material or substance
The towers are of steel cased in granite
Carton
An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.
A carton of milk or eggs
Case
Reconnoitre (a place) before carrying out a robbery
I was casing the joint
Carton
A pack of cigarettes, usually ten, wrapped in cellophane or packed in a light cardboard box.
Case
An instance or occurrence of a particular kind or category
A case of mistaken identity.
Carton
(Australia) A cardboard box that holds (usually 24) beer bottles or cans.
Case
An occurrence of a disease or disorder
A mild case of flu.
Carton
(archaic) A kind of thin pasteboard.
Case
A set of circumstances or a state of affairs; a situation
It may rain, in which case the hike will be canceled.
Carton
(archaic) A small disc within the bullseye of a target.
Case
Actual fact; reality
We suspected the walls were hollow, and this proved to be the case.
Carton
(archaic) A shot that strikes this disc.
Case
A question or problem; a matter
It is simply a case of honor.
Carton
To put in a carton.
Case
A situation that requires investigation, especially by a formal or official body.
Carton
Pasteboard for paper boxes; also, a pasteboard box.
Case
An action or a suit or just grounds for an action.
Carton
The quantity contained in a carton
Case
The facts or evidence offered in support of a claim.
Carton
A box made of cardboard; opens by flaps on top
Case
A set of reasons or supporting facts; an argument
Presented a good case for changing the law.
Carton
A paper or cardboard box for packaging.
She opened a carton of milk.
Case
A person being assisted, treated, or studied, as by a physician, lawyer, or social worker.
Case
(Informal) A peculiar or eccentric person; a character.
Case
In traditional grammar, a distinct form of a noun, pronoun, or modifier that is used to express one or more particular syntactic relationships to other words in a sentence.
Case
Case In some varieties of generative grammar, the thematic or semantic role of a noun phrase as represented abstractly but not necessarily indicated overtly in surface structure. In such frameworks, nouns in English have Case even in the absence of inflectional case endings.
Case
A container; a receptacle
A jewelry case.
Meat-filled cases of dough.
Case
A container with its contents.
Case
A decorative or protective covering or cover.
Case
A set or pair
A case of pistols.
Case
The frame or framework of a window, door, or stairway.
Case
The surface or outer layer of a metal alloy.
Case
A shallow compartmented tray for storing type or type matrices.
Case
The form of a written, printed, or keyed letter that distinguishes it as being lowercase or uppercase
Typed the password using the wrong case.
Case
To put into or cover with a case; encase.
Case
(Slang) To examine carefully, as in planning a crime
Cased the bank before robbing it.
Case
An actual event, situation, or fact.
For a change, in this case, he was telling the truth.
It is not the case that every unfamiliar phrase is an idiom.
In case of fire, break glass. [sign on fire extinguisher holder in public space]
Case
A given condition or state.
Case
A piece of work, specifically defined within a profession.
It was one of the detective's easiest cases.
Social workers should work on a maximum of forty active cases.
The doctor told us of an interesting case he had treated that morning.
Case
(academia) An instance or event as a topic of study.
The teaching consists of theory lessons and case studies.
Case
(legal) A legal proceeding, lawsuit.
Case
(grammar) A specific inflection of a word (particularly a noun, pronoun, or adjective) depending on its function in the sentence.
The accusative case canonically indicates a direct object.
Latin has six cases, and remnants of a seventh.
Case
Grammatical cases and their meanings taken either as a topic in general or within a specific language.
Jane has been studying case in Caucasian languages.
Latin is a language that employs case.
Case
(medicine) An instance of a specific condition or set of symptoms.
There were another five cases reported overnight.
Case
(programming) A section of code representing one of the actions of a conditional switch.
Case
A box that contains or can contain a number of identical items of manufacture.
Case
A box, sheath, or covering generally.
A case for spectacles; the case of a watch
Case
A piece of luggage that can be used to transport an apparatus such as a sewing machine.
Case
An enclosing frame or casing.
A door case; a window case
Case
A suitcase.
Case
A piece of furniture, constructed partially of transparent glass or plastic, within which items can be displayed.
Case
The outer covering or framework of a piece of apparatus such as a computer.
Case
A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type, traditionally arranged in sets of two, the "upper case" (containing capitals, small capitals, accented) and "lower case" (small letters, figures, punctuation marks, quadrats, and spaces).
Case
The nature of a piece of alphabetic type, whether a “capital” (upper case) or “small” (lower case) letter.
Case
(poker slang) Four of a kind.
Case
(US) A unit of liquid measure used to measure sales in the beverage industry, equivalent to 192 fluid ounces.
Case
(mining) A small fissure which admits water into the workings.
Case
A thin layer of harder metal on the surface of an object whose deeper metal is allowed to remain soft.
Case
A cardboard box that holds (usually 24) beer bottles or cans.
Case
A counterfeit crown five-shilling coin.
Case
(obsolete) to propose hypothetical cases
Case
(transitive) To place (an item or items of manufacture) into a box, as in preparation for shipment.
Case
(transitive) To cover or protect with, or as if with, a case; to enclose.
Case
To survey (a building or other location) surreptitiously, as in preparation for a robbery.
Case
(poker slang) The last remaining card of a particular rank.
He drew the case eight!
Case
A box, sheath, or covering; as, a case for holding goods; a case for spectacles; the case of a watch; the case (capsule) of a cartridge; a case (cover) for a book.
Case
A box and its contents; the quantity contained in a box; as, a case of goods; a case of instruments.
Case
A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type.
Case
An inclosing frame; a casing; as, a door case; a window case.
Case
A small fissure which admits water to the workings.
Case
Chance; accident; hap; opportunity.
By aventure, or sort, or cas.
Case
That which befalls, comes, or happens; an event; an instance; a circumstance, or all the circumstances; condition; state of things; affair; as, a strange case; a case of injustice; the case of the Indian tribes.
In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge.
If the case of the man be so with his wife.
And when a lady's in the caseYou know all other things give place.
You think this madness but a common case.
I am in case to justle a constable,
Case
A patient under treatment; an instance of sickness or injury; as, ten cases of fever; also, the history of a disease or injury.
A proper remedy in hypochondriacal cases.
Case
The matters of fact or conditions involved in a suit, as distinguished from the questions of law; a suit or action at law; a cause.
Let us consider the reason of the case, for nothing is law that is not reason.
Not one case in the reports of our courts.
Case
One of the forms, or the inflections or changes of form, of a noun, pronoun, or adjective, which indicate its relation to other words, and in the aggregate constitute its declension; the relation which a noun or pronoun sustains to some other word.
Case is properly a falling off from the nominative or first state of word; the name for which, however, is now, by extension of its signification, applied also to the nominative.
Case
To cover or protect with, or as with, a case; to inclose.
The man who, cased in steel, had passed whole days and nights in the saddle.
Case
To strip the skin from; as, to case a box.
Case
To propose hypothetical cases.
Case
A comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy;
The family brought suit against the landlord
Case
An occurrence of something;
It was a case of bad judgment
Another instance occurred yesterday
But there is always the famous example of the Smiths
Case
A special set of circumstances;
In that event, the first possibility is excluded
It may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled
Case
A problem requiring investigation;
Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir
Case
The actual state of things;
That was not the case
Case
A statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument;
He stated his case clearly
Case
A portable container for carrying several objects;
The musicians left their instrument cases backstage
Case
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation;
The subjects for this investigation were selected randomly
The cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
Case
A person requiring professional services;
A typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor
Case
The quantity contained in a case
Case
A glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
Case
A specific state of mind that is temporary;
A case of the jitters
Case
Nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
Case
The housing or outer covering of something;
The clock has a walnut case
Case
A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities);
A real character
A strange character
A friendly eccentric
The capable type
A mental case
Case
An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part
Case
The enclosing frame around a door or window opening;
The casings had rotted away and had to be replaced
Case
Bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow;
The burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase
Case
Look over, usually with the intention to rob;
They men cased the housed
Case
Enclose in, or as if in, a case;
My feet were encased in mud
Case
A container for holding items.
He kept his tools in a metal case.
Case
An instance or occurrence of a particular situation.
The detective solved the mysterious case.
Common Curiosities
What is a case typically used for?
A case is typically used as a container for holding or transporting items, often providing extra protection.
Are cartons recyclable?
Most cartons, especially those made of paper or cardboard, are recyclable, but it's essential to check local recycling guidelines.
How is a case different from a carton in packaging?
In packaging, products might be packed into cartons first, then these cartons are grouped and placed into cases for bulk transport.
Is a suitcase considered a case?
Yes, a suitcase is a type of case designed specifically for carrying clothes and personal items.
Can cartons be sealed or resealed?
Some cartons come with a sealable feature, and others can be resealed using tape or clips.
Can a case be used for legal matters?
Yes, the word "case" can also refer to a legal matter or situation to be decided by a court.
Are cases always hard and rigid?
While cases are often robust, they can vary in rigidity based on their material and purpose.
What's a common material for making cases?
Common materials for cases include metal, wood, and plastic, depending on their purpose.
Is a carton always made of cardboard?
While cartons are often made of cardboard, they can also be made of other paper products.
What's the environmental impact of using cartons?
While cartons are often recyclable, their environmental impact depends on their disposal and recycling practices.
Are cartons only used for food products?
No, while cartons are popular for food products, they can package various items, including electronics or household goods.
Can the term "case" refer to an example or instance?
Yes, "case" can also refer to a particular instance or example of something.
Can cartons be used for liquids?
Yes, cartons are often used as containers for liquid products, like milk or juice.
Can cartons be used for storage?
Yes, cartons can be used for storage, especially for lightweight items.
How durable is a case compared to a carton?
Cases are generally more durable than cartons due to their sturdier construction and materials.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
