Cardboard is a great material for making prototypes. As a material, it is relatively cheap, easy to find, strong and lightweight. In fabrication it can be cut, sanded, bent, fastened and glued. Multiple layers of cardboard can be built up to make a panel a desired thickness.

Tab and slot cardboard construction techniques allow a design to assemble and disassemble without glue. This can be helpful when a design might be changed or when the final design may also use slot and tab construction such as in laser cutting.

Cardboard can be made into gusset supports to strengthen corners where two planes join. Gussets are triangular supports similar to a shelf bracket and are used on bridges, buildings, and on the internal structure of video game controllers.

With a small amount of practice you can make detailed an intricate test pieces with cardboard. There is a balance between spending too much time on a cardboard prototype and spending too little time. We want to work quickly and efficiently, but if everything in the cardboard model is sloppy and not held together well, it will not give you any insight into your concept or ideas.