The manufacturing process of brim forming in paperboard containers consists of taking a thin paperboard shell and forming a brim to provide additional stiffness to the structure. A paper cup is an example of such a structure manufactured at rates exceeding 300 units per minute. A realistic model for the manufacturing process is not available and the effects of process and material parameters are not well understood. In this study, a finite element model of this highly nonlinear problem is presented. The model takes into account the material orthotropy and nonlinear elastic-plastic behavior, die paperboard contact interaction during loading and unloading, and friction between the metal die and paperboard, die geometry, and environmental conditions. Model predictions of the forcedisplacement curve agree well with the experimentally observed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]