A 2025 study tested a building-material concept that uses compacted earth inside a cardboard tube—not cardboard mixed into a cement-like paste. The researchers reported compressive strengths of 3.912 to 8.320 MPa in laboratory specimens, but the results do not establish that the material is a ready-to-build replacement for cement or approved for construction.
What the material is—and what it is not
Called cardboard-confined rammed earth (CCRE), the composite consists of a compacted earth core held inside a cardboard tube. Water is added while preparing the soil; the study did not add cement or a chemical stabilizer to the core. The cardboard serves as confinement around the earth rather than as fibers mixed through a paste. The authors describe the concept in their 2025 paper, “Cardboard-confined rammed earth towards sustainable construction”.
That distinction matters: the study tested particular soil, tube and fabrication configurations. It does not show that any mixture of soil, water and recycled cardboard will achieve the same strength.
How the researchers made their specimens
The team used clayey gravel with trace sand sourced from quarries in Victoria, Australia. After processing and sieving the soil, they added water, mixed it and compacted it in five layers inside spiral-wound cardboard tubes. The cylindrical specimens were 200 mm high and had a 100 mm inner diameter; tube thicknesses ranged from 1 to 4 mm. A thin polyethylene film separated the soil and cardboard during fabrication to limit water erosion and damage to the tube.
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The study describes mechanical compaction and a custom metal frame. Its procedure is therefore not evidence that a simple hand-built DIY method will produce equivalent specimens or building components.
What the strength results show
After 28 days of desiccation, the tested CCRE specimens had reported compressive strengths ranging from 3.912 to 8.320 MPa. The authors recommend cardboard confinement at least 3 mm thick for optimal performance. For that configuration, they report 7.504 MPa; the cement-stabilized rammed-earth comparison cited in the paper had an average strength of 6.360 MPa.
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| Study result | Reported value | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| CCRE compressive strength | 3.912–8.320 MPa | Range across the tested configurations after 28 days of desiccation |
| Recommended confinement | At least 3 mm | Authors’ recommendation for optimal performance among the tested configurations |
| 3 mm CCRE result | 7.504 MPa | Reported strength for the recommended minimum thickness configuration |
| Cement-stabilized rammed-earth comparison | 6.360 MPa | Average cited by the authors as the comparison value |
The figures are specimen-level results under the study’s conditions, not a claim that CCRE products generally match or outperform cement-based materials in buildings. The study’s abstract says: “The results reveal that rammed earth core significantly enhances the structural performance of cardboard by more than tenfold, surpassing the strength of widely used cement-stabilized rammed earth.” That statement summarizes the authors’ tested specimens and their comparison; it is not a general equivalency claim for construction products.
What the paper says about sustainability and use
The authors report carbon-footprint and life-cycle-cost analyses and identify possible low-rise building applications. Those findings are the paper’s assessment of the proposed material and its assumptions. They do not by themselves establish performance over a building’s service life or show that CCRE is available as a commercial product.
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What remains unproven for construction
Compressive strength is only one part of deciding whether a material can be used safely and reliably. The study does not establish long-term outdoor durability, performance at building scale, or building-code approval in any jurisdiction. Those questions matter especially for a composite whose outer confinement is cardboard and whose fabrication method uses a protective film. The reported laboratory results are promising enough to motivate further investigation, but they are not construction specifications or proof of a universal cement replacement.
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