Why pizza packages are square? Here is the reason

If you've ever wondered why a round pizza is delivered in a square package, it's time to know the true reason.

It is one of the most known and consumed foods in the world. Whether it's a true Neapolitan pizza or a frozen pizza, eating a pizza is always a good idea. When you want to watch a football match on TV, or have a dinner with your friends or when you do not want to cook… It is always the right time and the right motivation to order a pizza at home. But have you ever wondered why the takeaway pizza packages are square while the pizzas are round?

There are two reasons for the square shape of the pizza packages:

1. The main reason for putting a round pizza in a square package is that it is much simpler, cheaper and easier to make a square package rather than a round package. A square package is created with a single sheet of cardboard while to make a round package you need two sheets, one for the base and the other for the lid, with a greater expenditure of cardboard. Making round packages also means creating more waste in the cuts of cardboard than square packages, with the consequence of raising the costs of packaging and therefore of pizza. It is easier to store, transport and pack square packages, which keep an unaltered shape and can be quickly assembled to be reused later. A round package, in fact, due to the nature of its format, needs to be assembled in no less than four sections when folded; in addition, special machines are needed to shape the cardboard for packaging purposes. Finally, even for recycling, in the special containers the round packages take up more space because of the rounded corners that do not fit perfectly into the assembly.
2. The second reason we use square packages for pizzas, instead of round packages, is that pizza does not ever come out perfectly round (unless it is frozen). The square packages allow in this way to comfortably settle a pizza inside it even if it has an irregular shape. Beyond the shape, we also remember that the important thing for a pizza package is that it is made of recyclable and compostable material.

The future of pizza packaging is evolving, but there are some necessary essential requirements: the cardboard must not absorb excessive moisture, which is why it often has an undulating internal shape. It is also necessary to have a cardboard package with side holes that serve to let the steam go out, because when the pizza comes out of the oven it has a temperature close to that of boiling water (about 95C degrees) and, if the cardboard was completely airtight, the pizza would continue to cook. It is also necessary that cardboard packages are resistant, because moisture inside the box is inevitable and the pizzas remain there for several minutes. For hygiene and safety issues, there should also be no colors and varnishes inside the box. For example, you can already find on the market packages made of vegetable fibers. But at the moment square packages still prevail for the packaging of the pizzas because of economic and packaging convenience.