Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
General-purpose corrugated cardboard boxes for shipping, moving and bulk storage, built from single- or double-wall board depending on how much weight and stacking the load needs to handle. The standard regular slotted container (RSC) style folds flat for storage before assembly, and the exterior takes flexographic printing directly on the board for shipping labels, handling icons or basic branding. Choose flute size and wall count based on product weight and how many boxes will sit stacked in a pallet or warehouse.
Cardboard packaging in this sense means corrugated shipping boxes. The fluted, three-layer board used for moving, warehousing and product shipment, as distinct from the thinner single-ply paperboard used for retail cartons. Corrugated board gets its strength from a fluted inner layer glued between two flat liner sheets, and that flute size determines how much crush resistance and cushioning the box offers. B-flute and E-flute are common for smaller product shipments where wall thickness needs to stay low, while C-flute and A-flute handle heavier or bulkier loads where cushioning matters more than a compact wall.
Single-wall board, with one fluted layer, covers most standard shipping needs, while double-wall board (two fluted layers separated by a middle liner) goes into boxes that need to survive palletized stacking, long-distance freight, or repeated handling through a distribution chain. The edge crush test (ECT) rating on corrugated board is the real measure of stacking strength, and it's worth checking that rating against how many boxes will actually sit stacked on top of each other in a warehouse or truck, since an underrated box will crush under its own pallet load long before it reaches the bottom.
Most cardboard shipping boxes use the regular slotted container (RSC) style. A single sheet scored and glued into a box that folds flat until it's needed, then closes with four flaps meeting at the top and bottom. That flat-pack format matters for anyone storing box stock ahead of a shipping run, since a pallet of flattened RSC boxes takes a fraction of the space that assembled boxes would. Printing on corrugated is typically done directly on the board via flexography, which works well for shipping labels, handling icons (fragile, this-side-up) and basic branding, though it won't hold fine detail the way litho-laminated stock does on a retail box.
Before ordering, it helps to settle on the actual product dimensions and weight, since box size, flute type and wall count all follow from that rather than from a general preference for "sturdy." Oversizing a box wastes material and shipping cost and lets the product shift in transit; undersizing it risks crushing under stack weight. For anything shipping internationally or through multiple handling points, double-wall board and a documented ECT rating are worth the extra cost over a single-wall box that looks adequate on the shelf.
The board is chosen against weight, not appearance. How much the box has to carry and how much abuse it takes on the way. Folding boxboard coated on one side takes the best print and suits anything retail-facing. Corrugated adds a fluted middle layer that absorbs impact, which is what makes it a shipping material. Rigid chipboard does not fold at all; it is cut, wrapped and assembled into a box that feels like an object rather than a carton.
How do I know which board I need? Tell us the weight of the contents and whether it ships alone or inside another carton. Those two facts eliminate most of the list immediately.
Most cartons run offset litho, which holds fine detail and small type far better than printing directly onto board. Corrugated is usually litho-laminated for the same reason. The graphics are printed on a thin sheet and bonded to the fluted board, rather than printed onto a ribbed surface that shows through. Where a brand color must match across every reorder, it runs as a Pantone spot rather than being approximated from process inks.
Should I print the inside? Only if the box is opened in front of the customer. On a shipper it is money spent where nobody looks.
A coating does two jobs on packaging: it protects the print from scuffing through the supply chain, and it sets the tactile impression when someone picks the box up. Gloss lamination maximizes color and wipes clean. Matte reads more restrained and hides handling marks. Soft-touch is a matte film with a velvety surface that changes how expensive a box feels more than any other single decision at this stage.
Is lamination necessary? On anything that travels, yes. Unlaminated board scuffs white at every corner and edge, and that is the first thing a customer sees.
A carton starts as a flat blank cut by a steel-rule die, with fold lines scored rather than merely creased so the board bends along a controlled path instead of cracking its coating. The glue is applied to the side seam and the box is delivered flat, folded on that one seam. Everything about how the finished box behaves (whether it locks square, whether the lid sits flush) is decided by the accuracy of the die and the score positions.
Why does my box arrive flat? It ships flat and folds up at your end. A fraction of the freight cost and storage space of a pre-assembled box, which is why almost all cartons are supplied this way.
The standard shipping carton: flaps cut on all four sides that fold in and meet at the center, closed with tape. Single-wall board covers most loads; double-wall adds a second fluted layer for heavier contents or for boxes that will be stacked several high in storage. It is built for protection and freight efficiency rather than for presentation.
Single or double wall? Weight and stacking decide it. If the boxes will be stacked more than a few high in a warehouse, double wall pays for itself in crush resistance.
Ask for samples of any board on this list before committing to a run. Stiffness and surface are impossible to judge on screen.
A bonded film that carries the box through the supply chain without scuffing white at the corners. Gloss holds color saturation; matte reads more restrained and hides handling marks across a long shelf life.
A matte film with a velvety surface that changes how expensive a box feels more than any other single decision. It marks more readily than gloss, so it suits a box that is opened once rather than handled daily.
Metallic foil pressed into the board under heat. On packaging it works hardest on a logo or a single rule rather than across large areas. A small foil element against an uncoated or matte ground reads as considered.
A raised gloss varnish on selected elements, or the board physically pressed into relief. Both add a tactile layer that survives being seen only once, which on packaging is often the only moment that matters.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Box | From | Construction | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Packaging Box | $185 | Dieline drawn to your product | Nothing standard fits what you make |
| Tuck Box | $210 | Folding carton, tuck end | The default retail carton |
| Mailer Box | $220 | Self-locking roll end, E-flute | It ships direct and gets opened on camera |
| Retail Box | $225 | Carton built around shelf hierarchy | It competes for attention on a shelf |
| Corrugated Boxes | $385 | Litho-laminated corrugated | Retail print quality plus impact resistance |
| Cardboard Packaging | $378 | Slotted shipping carton | Shipping, moving and bulk storage |
| Kraft Box | $210 | Uncoated kraft, low coverage | The material should read as unfussy |
| Bux Board Box | $235 | Solid recycled board, folded | Rigid protection without corrugated cost |
| Gift Boxes | $185 | Lid and base, or collapsible rigid | It is opened as part of the occasion |
| Magnetic Box | $325 | Rigid, hinged lid, concealed magnets | The closure itself has to feel expensive |
| Linen Card Box | $320 | Linen-embossed wrap over rigid | Formal, textured, type-led packaging |
| Apparel Box | $280 | Shallow lid over a wide base | Folded clothing and accessories |
| Watch Box | $305 | Rigid shell, strap pillow | The interior matters more than the outside |
| Cosmetic Packaging | $210 | Fitted tray or sleeve per SKU | A range of small, awkward product shapes |
| Bottle Packaging | $870 | Die-cut inserts, 1-4 bottles | Glass must never touch glass |
| Cake Packaging | $424 | Locked flat base, tall clearance | The base has to carry weight, level |
| Gable Box | $185 | Peaked seam with die-cut handle | Someone carries it away by hand |
| Pyramid Box | $275 | Square base folding to a point | It should not read as packaging |
| Toy Box | $235 | Window patch, reinforced corners | The product has to be visible on shelf |
| Software Boxes | $320 | Shallow carton, fitted interior | Media and printed matter, held apart |
Weight and stacking decide it. Single wall covers most loads; double wall adds a second fluted layer for heavy contents or boxes stacked several high in storage, where crush resistance rather than impact is the failure mode.
Yes, typically one or two colors printed directly. Full-color retail graphics on a shipper means litho lamination, which is a different product and a different price.
A wide one, but the efficient sizes are those that fit the board and the pallet well. Send the dimensions you need and we will say whether a small adjustment would save disproportionately on material.
Yes, flat and nested. Assembly is folding the flaps and taping, which is why this construction dominates anywhere boxes are made up on site as they are needed.
Pricing for cardboard boxes starts at $378 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of cardboard boxes prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: a flat proof showing artwork against the dieline, plus a folded mockup so you can see the panel that actually faces the customer. Nothing is tooled until you approve it, because a steel-rule die is the one thing in this process that cannot be revised cheaply. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Print-ready artwork with bleed and a safe margin, supplied as a PDF, AI or EPS. Photographic elements should be supplied at the resolution the finished size needs, not the resolution that looks sharp on screen. If your file is not print-ready, say so when you order. We would rather fix it before the proof than after the run.
Yes. Slotted shipping construction is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on cardboard boxes it is worth asking for one, because the difference between folding boxboard (c1s) and kraft board is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on folding boxboard (c1s), but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are lamination, soft-touch, foil stamping. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: cardboard boxes are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. If nothing about the artwork or the specification has changed, there is nothing to re-approve. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
