Custom Boxes for Small Business, Sized to Your Products

What are the best boxes for a small business?

There is no single style with this name. It is a way of ordering: boxes sized to your own products, printed with your own brand, in quantities a small shop can handle.

Most orders fall into three groups. Retail cartons sit on a shelf, mailers ship straight to a customer, and lid and base boxes suit gifts. You pick the group, and we build it around your inside size.

Many owners begin with one box for a best seller. A second size often follows once bundles or bigger items start moving. Low minimums are quoted per job, so you order what your shop actually needs.

Which box style fits what I sell?

Start with how the box will travel. A paperboard carton is usually enough for shelf sales or a shopping bag. Anything that ships to a customer's door is safer in a corrugated mailer, and our custom mailer box options show how that style works.

The table below is a starting point. Our designers can suggest a different style once they see your product.

How do I measure my product for a box?

Measure the product itself, not the package it came in. Length is the longest side, width is the shorter side, and height runs from the base to the top. Write everything down in inches.

Add about 1/8 to 1/4 in of room on each side so the item slides in easily. If you plan to include tissue, an insert or a thank you card, leave extra space for them. Our guide to measuring a box walks through each step.

If several products share one box, measure the biggest one. A single well chosen size can often cover two or three items.

Which board should a small business pick?

Paperboard is one smooth sheet. It prints sharply and feels like a store-bought carton. It comes in white or kraft and suits items that will not tumble around inside a shipping carton.

Corrugated board has a fluted layer between two flat liners. E flute is about 1/16 in (1.5 mm) and stays slim. B flute is about 1/8 in (3 mm) and cushions heavier items on longer trips. C flute sits between them at about 5/32 in (4 mm).

Most small shops get by with E flute mailers and paperboard cartons. Double wall BC flute, about 1/4 in (7 mm), is for heavy or fragile goods.

Not sure which to choose? Our single wall versus double wall guide shows when the thicker board pays off.

How can I pack faster with a small team?

Since the boxes ship unfolded, keep them flat and dry until you need them. Fold a day's worth each morning and stack them near your packing table.

Settle on one inside size that fits most orders. Fewer sizes mean less shelf space and fewer mix-ups on busy days.

If items rattle, an insert or some crinkle paper shred for filling gaps holds them still. Keep a small reserve of each size so a Thanksgiving gifting rush does not catch you short.

Label each stack with its box size. A sticky note on the shelf is enough, and it helps when a part-time helper packs for you.

How many box sizes should I start with?

Two is a sensible start. One size takes single items, and a larger one takes bundles or gift sets.

Lay out your ten best sellers and sort them by size. Most will fit one of two boxes with a little padding.

A third size is easy to add later, because your artwork adapts to a new shape. For ideas on common dimensions, browse the standard cardboard box sizes list. Ordering lean leaves cash free until you see which products sell.

What do small business boxes cost?

Boxes start from $0.30 a box. The exact figure comes in your emailed quote. Size, board, colors and finish all move it up or down.

Shipping to any US address is free, and you can read how our shipping works for the details. If a box arrives misprinted, damaged or defective, send photos within 10 days and we will reprint or refund it.