Custom Cigar Boxes & Cigar Packaging
Cigars carry a lot of tradition with them, and buyers in this category notice packaging more than almost anyone. The band, the seal, the weight of the lid, it all gets read as a signal about what is inside. We print a fair bit of cigar packaging at ZEE Packaging, and while we work in paperboard rather than cedar, there is plenty you can do to make a cigar box feel every bit as considered.
Paperboard, Not Wood
Worth saying upfront so expectations are clear. We build paperboard and rigid board cigar packaging, not Spanish cedar humidors. What we do produce covers most of what brands actually need day to day.
- Rigid cigar box with wrapped lid and base
- Slide and shell sleeve for singles
- Folding carton for retail multipack
- Corrugated shipper for freight and ecommerce cigar packaging
- Presentation cigar box for gift and sampler set
Plenty of clients pair a cedar liner or a cedar sheet with our board, and that gives you the aroma without the cost of a full wooden cigar box.
Sizes That Come Up Most
Every cigar box is built to your product, but these run regular for us:
- 7" x 2" x 1" for a single robusto or toro sleeve
- 8" x 4" x 1.5" for a five count cigar box
- 9" x 6" x 2" for a ten count
- 10" x 7" x 2.5" for a twenty count cigar packaging format
- 6" x 5" x 2" for a sampler with mixed vitola
- 12" x 8" x 3" for a full gift set with cutter
Send us the ring gauge and length, plus how many sticks per box, and we build the dieline off that.
Board Selection
- Rigid greyboard 36pt or 48pt with printed wrap, the premium cigar box
- SBS C1S for smooth printed retail cigar packaging
- Kraft board for a rustic, small batch look
- Corrugated E flute when the cigar box travels alone
- Cardstock 18pt to 24pt for sleeve and folding carton
Weight matters here more than people think. A light cigar box reads cheap in the hand no matter how good the print is, so we usually push toward rigid for anything premium.
Finishing That Fits The Category
- Soft touch lamination, our most requested finish for cigar packaging
- Gold and copper foil stamping, this category loves it
- Emboss the crest or brand mark, very traditional and it looks great
- Spot UV over a matte base for contrast
- Metallic and textured stock for a leather or wood grain effect
- Printed inner lid, the first thing someone sees when they lift it
Compliance On The Panel
Tobacco packaging is regulated so panel space gets tight fast.
- Required health warning at the mandated size and position
- Country of origin and manufacturer detail
- Stick count and vitola name
- Barcode with proper quiet zone
- Batch or lot code area
Our prepress team checks all of this against the dieline before press, so nothing gets trimmed or covered by a fold.
Greener Choices
- Recycled kraft cigar box with no lamination
- FSC certified board, certificate on request
- Soy based ink
- Paperboard divider instead of plastic tray
- Right sized cigar packaging so you ship less air
How We Work
- 100 unit minimum on any cigar box design
- Free 3D mockup and flat proof
- Free dieline from our own designer
- 5 to 8 business day urgent turnaround
- Free shipping worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you make wooden humidors?
No, we work in paperboard and rigid board. Many clients add a cedar sheet or liner inside our cigar box to get the aroma at a fraction of the cost.
Will paperboard hold humidity?
Not on its own, board is not a humidor. For retail shelf it is fine, and for longer hold we suggest a humidity pack inside the cigar packaging.
Can you build a divider for a sampler?
Yes. We die cut paperboard dividers so each stick sits in its own channel and nothing rolls around in transit.
Can you do a magnetic lid?
We can on rigid. It adds a nice close action, though it does add to the unit cost so we usually reserve it for gift lines.
How much is a cigar box?
Rough estimate is $0.60 to $1.50 per unit for folding cartons and sleeves, $1.30 to $3.00 for corrugated and $2.80 to $7.00 for rigid at moderate quantity. Foil, emboss and dividers push it up. Shipping is included in our price. This is estimate only, so ask our team for a exact quote.
How is the health warning handled?
You supply the exact wording and required dimensions for your market, and our team places it correctly on the dieline before we print.
Can you emboss on kraft?
Yes and it looks excellent. Emboss or deboss on uncoated kraft is one of the cheapest ways to lift a cigar box.
