SMELLBOOK REFERENCE · SB-0078
Cardboard
Permanent ID: smellbook: · updated 2026-10-06, revision 3
Character EDITORIAL
Cardboard smells dry, papery and woody, with a slightly dusty, brownish warmth.
Words: paper, dry, woody, dusty. Families: Temperature and texture, Wood, earth and stone, Animal, material and lived-in.
Evidence
Scientific evidence
- Odorants of cardboard (CLM-CARDBOARD-001). Michael Czerny & Andrea Buettner, Odor-Active Compounds in Cardboard, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009.
Molecules named in these claims: (E)-2-nonenal, guaiacol, vanillin, γ-nonalactone, δ-decalactone. A molecule listed here is named in a VERIFIED claim about this smell. It is not presented as the cause of the smell; each claim says what its source supports.
Cite
SmellBook. (2026). Cardboard (revision 3, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:cardboard. https://smellbook.com/smells/cardboard
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