Custom Boxboard Boxes & Boxboard Packaging
Boxboard is the material most people have held a thousand times without ever knowing the name. Cereal cartons, medicine boxes, toothpaste sleeves, most of what sits on a supermarket shelf is boxboard. It ships flat, prints beautifully and costs less than almost anything else, which is why it dominates retail. We print a lot of boxboard packaging at ZEE Packaging and this is what is worth understanding about it.
What Boxboard Actually Is
The term covers a family of paperboard grades rather than one single material.
- SBS, solid bleached sulphate, the brightest surface for print
- CCNB, clay coated news back, recycled content with a grey underside
- Kraft board, unbleached and natural looking
- Folding boxboard, a multi ply grade with good stiffness for weight
- Caliper measured in points, 12pt through 28pt covers most boxboard box work
- GSM roughly 230 to 650 across that range
We help clients pick the grade rather than defaulting to the most expensive one.
Choosing The Right Caliper
Board weight is where most boxboard packaging goes wrong.
- 12pt to 14pt for very light retail, sachets and tea cartons
- 16pt to 18pt for the majority of standard boxboard boxes
- 20pt to 24pt where the product carries real weight
- 28pt when you want a near rigid feel without rigid cost
- Too thin and the panels bow, too thick and it will not crease clean
- Send the filled weight, not just the dimensions, and we advise properly
- Reverse tuck end cheapest and fastest boxboard box
- Straight tuck end cleaner front panel for retail
- Seal end carton glued, used across food and pharma
- Auto lock bottom carries weight, quick to assemble
- Snap lock bottom cheap, assembled by hand
- Sleeve, window and gable formats specialist boxboard packaging
Sizes We Print Regular
Every boxboard box is built to your product, though these run often:
- 2" x 2" x 4" for a cosmetic tube
- 3" x 2" x 5" for pharma and blister
- 4" x 4" x 6" for a jar or candle
- 6" x 4" x 8" for food and cereal style
- 8" x 6" x 2" for a flat item
- 10" x 7" x 3" for a multipack boxboard packaging carton
Print And Finish
- Offset litho for volume, digital for short runs
- CMYK plus spot Pantone, six colour capability
- Matte, gloss and soft touch lamination
- Aqueous coating where you want full recyclability
- Spot UV, foil stamping, emboss and deboss
- Window patching with PET or compostable film
Our prepress team checks every file against the dieline so nothing gets trimmed at the edge.
Material Choices That Waste Less
- Recycled content CCNB where a grey back does not matter
- FSC certified stock, certificate on request
- Soy based ink through the run
- Aqueous coating instead of plastic lamination
- Uncoated grades that go straight in curbside
- Right sized boxboard box so you ship less air
Why Brands Work With Us
- 100 unit minimum, so you can trial before committing
- Free 3D mockup and flat proof every order
- Free dieline drawn by our own designer
- Urgent turnaround at 5 to 8 business days
- Free shipping worldwide, nothing hidden
- Bulk capability right up to half a million units
Frequently Asked Questions
Boxboard or corrugated?
Boxboard for retail presentation, corrugated for shipping protection. Many brands use boxboard inside a corrugated shipper.
Which grade for a glass jar?
20pt or above with a cradle. Below that the base panel bows under the weight fairly quickly.
Why does my crease look cracked?
Usually board too thick for the score depth, or heavy ink on the fold. We adjust the score and proof it first.
What does a boxboard box cost?
Rough estimate is $0.15 to $0.55 per unit for a standard folding carton, $0.35 to $0.95 with finishing and $0.60 to $1.60 on larger formats at moderate quantity. Volume moves this a lot. Shipping is included in our price. This is estimate only, so ask our team for a exact quote.
Is CCNB noticeably cheaper?
A little, and it carries recycled content. The grey inner face puts some brands off, so it depends on your product.
Can it be fully recyclable?
Yes with aqueous coating, no film and no foil. It then goes straight in a household paper stream.
What is the thinnest you would run?
12pt, and only for very light products. Anything with weight needs 16pt as a floor.
