BoxCrisp

Custom boxes

Custom Folding Cartons

  • From 100 boxes
  • $1.05 a box at volume
  • Free design
Slim printed paperboard cartons, the kind you see holding cosmetics, supplements and packaged goods on a shelf. They ship flat and fold up in seconds.

Build your box

An estimate, not a quote

$1.25to$1.67a box

About $313 to $417 for 250 boxes, before shipping.

Size
Exact size, if you have measured
in
Board
How many
  • From 100 boxes, free design, and a proof you sign off before anything prints.
  • 3 to 5 days on press once you approve the proof, then 1 to 7 days in transit.
  • No card needed to build a list. We price it properly and send it back, usually the same working day.

Why this box

When folding cartons are the right call

Buy a carton when the product sits on a shelf and travels inside something else. It is the cheapest way to look like a retail product and it is the construction a store buyer expects to see. It is not a shipper: put one in the post on its own and it arrives dented.

How it is made

What happens on press

A single sheet of paperboard, printed, coated, die cut, creased and glued along one seam. It ships flat and folds up in seconds at your end, which keeps the freight down and means a thousand of them take up a corner rather than a room.

Sizes

Will your product fit?

Three sizes that cover most orders. They are a starting point rather than a menu, because every box is cut to your own measurements, so if your product lands between two rows we make the one in between.

Common sizes for folding cartons, with the dimensions and what each one typically holds
SizeDimensions
Small2 x 2 x 4 inA supplement bottle, a serum, a lip product
Medium3 x 3 x 6 inA skincare tube or a candle jar
Large6 x 4 x 8 inA boxed set or a larger retail unit

All dimensions are the inside of the box, in length by width by depth order. How to measure a box properly.

Custom Folding Cartons, the three common sizes drawn to one scale. Small: 2 x 2 x 4 in; Medium: 3 x 3 x 6 in; Large: 6 x 4 x 8 in.
  • Small 2 x 2 x 4 in
  • Medium 3 x 3 x 6 in
  • Large 6 x 4 x 8 in
Drawn to scale, inside dimensions. Every box is cut to your own measurements, so these are a starting point.

Specification

What you can choose

Minimum order
100 boxes, on every size
Production
3 to 5 days from proof approval, plus transit
From
$1.05 a box at volume
Print
One colour, Full colour, Outside and in
Finish
Matte laminate, Gloss laminate, Soft touch, Foil stamp
Board color
White (coated), Kraft (natural), Black (dyed through)
Not on this format
Nothing. Every size, print, finish and board we sell is available
Design
Free artwork and a digital proof, on every order including reorders

Bulk and wholesale

What folding cartons cost in bulk

Every quantity we run, with the unit price at each. The discount is real and it is not endless, and the table says where it stops rather than implying that a bigger order is always the better deal.

Wholesale pricing

The same folding cartons at each quantity we run. Unit prices, so you can see where the bulk discount actually lands.

Unit price and run cost for a folding cartons at 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2500 boxes, with the percentage off the price at our 100 box minimum.
QuantityPer boxOff unit priceThe run
100minimum$1.98 to $2.64base priceabout $220
250$1.25 to $1.6737%about $348
50095¢ to $1.2652%about $525
1,00095¢ to $1.2652%about $1,050
2,50095¢ to $1.2652%about $2,625

Up to 52% off the unit price between 100 boxes and 2,500. It stops falling at around 500: setup spreads across a run and board, ink and freight do not, so past that point a bigger order costs proportionally more rather than less per box.

Ranges, not quotes, and before shipping and tax. Price your own size and finish for a closer number, or send it over and we come back with the real one.

What you get

What comes with folding cartons

  • Smooth paperboard that shows off fine detail
  • Ships flat so it barely takes up space
  • Tuck end, auto lock or seal end styles
  • Add windows, foil or a coating if you like

Not sure this is the right box?

On a first order, the format usually matters more than the supplier. Tell us what you ship and roughly how many go out a month, and we will say so if a cheaper format does the job.

By industry

Folding Cartons for your industry

The same box, set up for what you actually sell. Each page covers the sizes, finishes and quantities that industry tends to order.

We print folding cartons for these too. They are not the first format we would suggest for every one of them, and each page says which one we would.

Straight answers

Questions worth asking

If yours is not here, just ask. A real person reads every message and you will not get signed up to a mailing list for it.

What is the smallest order I can place for custom folding cartons?

You can order from 100 boxes, so you get a proper, professional run without having to buy thousands at once.

Do you sell folding cartons wholesale, or in bulk?

Every order here is a trade order. There is no separate wholesale account and no minimum you have to hit to get trade pricing: the unit price falls as the run grows, from 100 boxes upward, and the table on this page shows what it does at each quantity. Worth knowing before you round a run up: the discount is not endless. Setup spreads across a run and board, ink and freight do not, so past roughly a thousand boxes the per unit price flattens out and a bigger order costs proportionally more rather than less.

What do folding cartons cost?

They start at $1.05 a box at volume, and a small run lands higher because the setup costs the same whether we print a hundred or five thousand. The estimator on this page will get you within range for your own size and quantity, and a real quote comes back the same working day.

Do you help with the design?

Yes, and it's free. Send us your logo and brand, and we'll send back a print ready proof before anything gets made.

What artwork do you need from me?

A vector logo is ideal, so an AI, EPS or PDF file. If all you have is a PNG off your website, send it anyway and we'll tell you honestly whether it will print cleanly at that size. Redrawing a simple logo is part of the free design work, not an extra.

How long does it take?

Production on custom folding cartons runs 3 to 5 days once you approve the digital proof, then a few days in transit. If you have a launch date, tell us the date and we will say honestly whether it works.

Will the colour match my brand exactly?

Close, not identical. A screen makes colour with light and a press makes it with ink, so there is a tolerance on every print job in the industry, ours included. Give us a Pantone reference and we will hold to it as tightly as the process allows, and the free sample pack is the cheapest way to see how our print looks before you commit.

Will I get exactly the number I ordered?

Usually, and you should plan for up to 10 percent either way. Over and under runs are normal on printed packaging because setup sheets get used up dialling the press in. If you need a firm floor, tell us the number you cannot go below and we will run to that.

Do you ship across the US, and can I reorder later?

Nationwide, and we can quote Canada and international shipping too. We keep your artwork and dieline on file, so a reorder is one message and the same box turns up again at the same spec.

Do custom folding cartons arrive flat or assembled?

Flat, unless the format physically cannot be knocked down. That keeps your freight bill down, because flat board packs tight and you are not paying to ship air. Rigid and wrapped formats are the exception, and it is most of the reason they cost more to send.

Can I change the size after I have ordered?

Before you approve the proof, easily. After that it is a new dieline and a new press setup, which makes it a fresh run rather than an edit. That is exactly why we check the sizing before quoting, and why the dieline tool is free: print the flat layout at full size and fold it around the real product first.

You may also need

Other boxes we make

Fourteen printed formats in total, from a 60 cent pillow box up to a rigid box with a magnetic lid.

Compare all fourteen →
A drawing of a counter display with a printed riser behind a tray holding three productsIllustration

Custom Display Boxes

The box that sells from a shop counter.

$2.20 a displayfrom 100 boxesView

Let’s price your folding cartons.

Send the rough size and how many you need. We will come back with a price and a free design mockup, usually the same working day.

Rather just email? hello@boxcrisp.com