The top flaps fold in and twist round into a little pinwheel, no glue, no ribbon. We print them full color for party favors, tea lights, sweets and small gifts, and they arrive flat so they don’t eat your shelf space.
Your time is very important to us so we have kept it short.
Some boxes open. Twist top boxes perform a little. You fold the top flaps in round a center point and they lock into a pinwheel, or a star, and a gentle twist undoes it. People fiddle with it. That’s kind of the point, and it’s why gift shops and event planners order custom twist top boxes from us, plus candle makers and sweet brands who like a box guests play with before they’ve even peeked inside.
They’re also practical. There’s no glue on the top, no tape, no ribbon to tie. The box ships flat, folds up in a few seconds and stays shut on its own, which is handy when you’re packing two hundred wedding favors the night before.
Underneath it’s just a square tube, or a hexagon, sometimes roundish. Every panel up top ends in an angled flap and you fold them in one after another, all the same way round, until they overlap into a spiral that’s sort of under tension and holds itself. Opening it? Tug the middle. Sounds fiddly, we know, but by box number four you’ll be fast.
The board weight matters a lot. Too thin and the twist won’t hold, it just springs open in the bag. Too thick and the flaps crack at the fold. Most of the twist top boxes we make use a medium cardstock or SBS paperboard, which bends cleanly and keeps its tension through a few opens and closes.
Small, light things work best. Think truffles, macarons, a votive or tea light candle, bath bombs, jewelry, small soaps, a few cookies or a party favor bag. The twist closure isn’t built to hold heavy glass (a big jar candle would push the top open), so for anything over half a pound we’d steer you to a box with a lid instead, like our rigid gift boxes.
Need the item to sit still? A small card insert under the product stops it from rattling or tipping into the closure. For candles, the insert also keeps the wick from getting squashed by the folded top.
Here’s what’s fun about this style. The top becomes a pattern when it’s closed, so a color that alternates panel to panel turns into a spiral. Plenty of brands use that, printing stripes or segments that only line up once it’s twisted shut. Our team works that out on the dieline for free, and the digital proof shows you what it looks like twisted shut.
Finishes? Pretty much anything goes, matte or gloss lamination, soft-touch, spot UV, gold or silver foil. One catch with foil, it cracks if it sits right on a fold, so we keep it to the flat bits. Kraft is a nice option for rustic weddings and handmade products. Browse other folding structures in our box styles section.
Favor sizes around 2 to 3 inches square are the most common, with taller versions for candles and gift sets. Our gift box sizes guide helps if you’re working out dimensions. Minimums are low, often around 50 boxes depending on the style, and price per box drops as quantity grows.
You’ll get a digital proof first, and a physical sample on request. Standard production is 10 to 12 business days after proof approval, with free ground shipping in the USA. Tell us what goes inside and we’ll suggest a size.
Not on top. We glue the side seam at the factory, it comes to you flat, and all you do is fold the base and twist.
A votive or tea light, sure. A big jar candle though? It’ll shove the twist open, we’d put that in a lidded or rigid box.
Inside an outer carton, it holds well. Loose in a mail bag it can open under pressure, so we suggest a shipper for anything going by post.
Building a full product line? Take a look at custom star shaped boxes, five panel hanger boxes, custom gable boxes and custom sleeve boxes. Everything in this range is listed under by style.
