The style of a box decides how it opens, how much weight it holds and how it looks on a shelf. Picking the right one first saves a lot of back and forth later. Here are the styles we make most often.
Tuck end boxes are the standard retail carton and the cheapest to make. Snap lock boxes and auto lock bottom boxes have a bottom that locks in place, so they carry heavier products without tape.
Sleeve boxes slide over a tray and feel more special when opened. Pair them with tray packaging for a two-part box. A thumb cut notch makes the tray easy to push out.
Gable boxes have a built-in handle and suit food and gifts. Twist top boxes and star shaped boxes are fun choices for favors and holiday gifts. Five panel hanger boxes hang on a retail peg.
Not sure which style to choose? Light products usually go in tuck end boxes, heavy ones in snap lock or auto lock bottom boxes, and premium gifts in sleeve and tray or rigid boxes. Shipping direct? See mailer boxes. You can also browse boxes by product or for beauty, and use our box measuring guide to size it.
Look underneath first. If what you’re boxing is light, say a serum bottle or a deck of cards, plain tuck end boxes do the job fine, one flap tucked in at the top and one at the bottom and that’s the whole thing. Heavier jars push those flaps open over time though. For those we’d go with snap lock bottom boxes (fold the 1-2-3 tabs and you’re done) or, when your team packs hundreds a day, auto lock bottom boxes, which we glue on our side so they pop square in one move. Saves a lot of wrist work.
On a peg wall, a box needs something to hang from. Five panel hanger boxes have an extra flap at the top with a hole punched through it, so the carton hangs straight instead of tipping forward off the hook. Counter sales are their own thing. Open tray packaging works for cans or a row of bakery items, and if you slide a printed sleeve over that tray you’ve basically got sleeve boxes. Cut a little half-moon notch into the sleeve and it becomes one of our thumb cut boxes. Tiny change. People notice it, though.
A few styles are mostly about the moment someone picks the box up. Gable boxes carry like a small shopping bag thanks to the handle built into the top, so they show up at bakeries and kids’ parties a lot. Twist top boxes close with a pinwheel of flaps and no glue at all. And star shaped boxes are what people order in November for holiday favors (they take a little longer to fold by hand, fair warning).
Honestly, a screen is a bad place to pick a box style. Ask us for a physical sample before the bulk run, open it and shut it a few times on your own counter with your own product inside, and most of the time you’ll just know.
A tuck end paperboard box is usually the most economical.
Snap lock and auto lock bottom boxes lock at the base and carry more weight.
A small half-moon notch that lets you push open a tray or lid with your thumb.
Yes, many brands order different styles with one matching design.
