carton of milk / 'box' of milk (2025)

First of all, I know is called a carton of milk.(top-roofed shape)

And dictionary says can be called a juice box/drink box. (in British English, it’s also a carton.)

Then we have , this is called a brick carton. (Merriam Webster says so.)

Meanwhile, Americans call a box of corn flakes.

My question is: Can I also call the above 2nd and 3rd rectangle-shaped/cubic container “a box of milk” “a box of juice” because the “drink box holds juice or milk”?

Juice box is "a small carton with attached straw, containing a single portion of abeverage; also called drink box", it's not a name of drink for children, though the picture I chose is quite cute.
So you mean we can only say "a carton of mllk" whether it's in a top-roofed shape or rectangular shape. "A box of milk" is a totally wrong expression.?

Myridon said:

The second and third things are not really boxes even though they are currently rectangular in shape. If you detach the four corners, it turns into something more like an envelope. I don't generally refer to that packaging as a box. It has some technical names and trade names (like Tetra Pak) but I've never heard "brick carton". "Juice box" is name for a drink for children in that packaging. I've never heard anyone say "box of juice" for "juice box."

Click to expand...

The bottom line, Halbert, is that we call certain containers "cartons," and others something else, simply because that's the way we do it. That's just the idiomatic nature of English.

If you're looking for some sort of "rule" regarding containers, you're not going to find one.

As with the use of prepositions, you just have to learn each one.

Sorry.

(And, like Myridon, I've never heard of a "brick carton," either.)

halbert said:

it's not a name of drink for children, though the picture I chose is quite cute

Click to expand...

An adult man would not want to be seen drinking from a juice box. Part of the reason for their existence is that they are hard for children to spill. It's also a rather small portion.

This is a carton of eggs:
Accidentally, my Longman Contemporary indicates this also to be "a box of eggs"
Secondly, I suppose drink box/juice box of milk is quite often seen, to be part of a breakfast on the go, isn't it? see picture:
While grown-ups in western countries don't use these, it's a cultrual difference? %>_<%

More discussion more discussion~~~~

Myridon said:

An adult man would not want to be seen drinking from a juice box. Part of the reason for their existence is that they are hard for children to spill. It's also a rather small portion.

Click to expand...

This adult man could care less. I drink juice boxes. They are handy when you don't want to consume too much liquid and/or calories. We now have the cutest little 8 oz cans of soda now that I think are super-practical, and I'm not ashamed to drink those either!

For milk, for me, a carton has to be square, so to speak. I lived in Germany for quite some time, and there, the packaging was different, and I would have called it a box of milk (what I bought). A carton of milk also typically has a hifalutin way to open it (no cap, etc.)

I just want to throw out the term "Tetrapak" which is often used for liquids, but it is unrelated somehow to the OP's question.

What I used to buy in Germany was a "pre-version" of Tetrapak, maybe. I would have called it a box of milk.

This is a carton of eggs: eggs.jpg

Click to expand...

And we call that specially designed container an egg carton. (Some are made of cardboard and some of plastic.)

And, guys you who said you haven't heard of "brick carton" make me want to cry, frustrated me... %>_<%
Please click this link: http://visual.merriam-webster.com/food-kitchen/kitchen/packaging_4.php

Mrs JJJ said:

I'd never heard the term brick carton, either. Judging by the results of a Google search I did, I think it must be a technical term used in the packaging industry, rather than one in everyday use.

Click to expand...

It's not exactly a common term, is it? A Google search restricted to the exact phrase "brick carton" gives 228 hits, several of which are foreign language sites (ie, not in English) and most seem to relate to commercial food packaging. Even then, a few refer to a carton of cartons (of .22 ammunition) as a "brick carton", and some are .... brick (carton .... .

halbert said:

And, guys you who said you haven't heard of "brick carton" make me want to cry, frustrated me...

Click to expand...

You are well on your way to learning English.

I concur that I've never heard of a "brick carton" and seeing the words I could not guess what it looks like. If you use the term "brick carton" be prepared for most American readers to ask, "What's that?"

Andygc said:

...a few refer to a carton of cartons (of .22 ammunition) as a "brick carton"...

Click to expand...

A "brick" of ammunition is common in the US as there are many people who purchase in bulk (this may be unique to the US). Among gun owners expressions like "ammo brick" or "a brick of .308" are not unusual.

The Ngrams in American English for Brick carton, juice box, milk carton, milk bottle show some interesting facts Milk bottles became common (in print) around 1900 and milk cartons came along in ~1940 so milk bottles started to fade. Juice boxes find their way into print around 1990 but there is not one single mention of "brick carton"! This explains why forum members are not familiar with it (and raises the question of why it is so named in the link other than the obvious "It is the size and shape of a brick"). In the British English plot we see that milk carton only shows up in the 1960s (presumably when UK dairies started to adopt the "new technology") but is still far less common than milk bottle. We need a UK resident to comment on the current balance between milk bottles (are they still delivered daily?) and cartons in the UK today. We can also probably conclude that juice box packaging was introduced simultaneously in the US and UK, given their appearance at the same time in both databases. However, this exercise illustrates the variation, both in time and space, of these simple examples of milk and juice. Other items with different packaging requirements will probably only add to the confusion when they use the same words

(Subject to the standard caveat of how Google designates American and British English books and the lag between invention and appearance in print)

(I love projects like this where Ngrams can provide both language and cultural insights)

JulianStuart said:

Juice boxes find their way into print around 1990 but there is not one single mention of "brick carton"! This explains why forum members are not familiar with it (and raises the question of why it is so named in the link other than the obvious "It is the size and shape of a brick").

Click to expand...

The OP cites Merriam-Webster and this is not the first time that M-W has wandered into linguistic wilderness, and thus raises the answer to that question.

jmichaelm said:

I concur that I've never heard of a "brick carton" and seeing the words I could not guess what it looks like. If you use the term "brick carton" be prepared for most American readers to ask, "What's that?"

Click to expand...

I would assume you meant a carton designed for holding bricks, just as an egg carton is a carton designed for holding eggs, and would wonder why anyone would want such a thing.

In your opinion Merriam-Webster quite often goes wild, I can not rely too much on its visual dictionary (I gave the link on #12)? Even if it is a proper noun shown in that dictionary, it may be a less less common word in your daily language, right?

sdgraham said:

The OP cites Merriam-Webster and this is not the first time that M-W has wandered into linguistic wilderness, and thus raises the answer to that question.

Click to expand...

You gave me a lot of useful background information, but I don't quite get your last sentence. Forget Brick carton, it's not my question here......
Generally speaking, a Tetrapak packaging can or can not be called a box of milk?

JulianStuart said:

Other items with different packaging requirements will probably only add to the confusion when they use the same words

Click to expand...

http://www.really-learn-english.com/a-box-of-milk-or-a-carton-of-milk.html
【a good answer telling the difference】

http://itotd.com/articles/220/milk-in-a-box/
【see paragraph one, the second line: a box of milk on the shelf】

http://www.examiner.com/article/milk-a-box-no-refrigerator-required

http://www.milkunleashed.com/where-to-buy/brands.html
Another new name to me: Shelf Safe Milk

halbert, it isn't "a good answer telling the difference" it's nonsense. Why do you believe that when all these English speakers here tell you that we don't talk about "boxes" of milk? It's a milk carton whether it contains pasteurised or UHT milk.

The second one is a description of a country boy going to a big city in the 1980s, who had never seen a milk carton before. It's not an example of normal usage. The third example is another "Gosh! There's milk in boxes on the shelf." article. Again, it's not everyday English.

Your fourth link has nothing to do with boxes and cartons.

Andygc said:

halbert, it isn't "a good answer telling the difference" it's nonsense. Why do you believe that when all these English speakers here tell you that we don't talk about "boxes" of milk? It's a milk carton whether it contains pasteurised or UHT milk.

The second one is a description of a country boy going to a big city in the 1980s, who had never seen a milk carton before. It's not an example of normal usage. The third example is another "Gosh! There's milk in boxes on the shelf." article. Again, it's not everyday English.

Your fourth link has nothing to do with boxes and cartons.

Click to expand...

Of course I believe you all and appreciate your kind help. On my side I will only use carton as I stated in my previous flour conclusion.