Custom Pencil Boxes & Pencil Packaging
Pencils sell in two completely different worlds. There is the back to school aisle, where a twelve pack has to catch a child's eye and cost almost nothing to produce. Then there is the artist and stationery market, where a set of graded drawing pencils sits in a case that people keep for years. Same product, opposite briefs. We produce a lot of pencil packaging at ZEE Packaging and the first question is always which market you are in.
Two Markets, Two Approaches
Getting this wrong is the most expensive mistake in the category.
- Volume school lines live or die on cost per unit
- Artist and premium sets justify rigid board and real finishing
- A child buying with a parent responds to colour and character
- An artist reads grade markings, lead type and brand heritage
- School packs move in autumn, gift sets move in winter
- Tell us the channel and we spec the pencil box around it
We would rather talk you through the trade off than quote the same structure for both.
Long And Thin Is Awkward
The shape creates problems that a square product never has.
- A long narrow carton flexes in the middle unless the board is right
- Points break if pencils slide lengthways inside the box
- A tray or divider keeps rows separate and stops rattling
- Sharpened pencils need tip protection, unsharpened do not
- Twelve pencils weigh more than the footprint suggests
- Give us the pencil length and the count and we work the dieline from there
Most damage we get shown is broken tips from a loose fit in a carton that was cut slightly oversized.
- Slim tuck end carton the everyday twelve pack pencil box
- Window carton shows the barrel colour and finish
- Slide out tray with a sleeve a nicer reveal for artist sets
- Rigid hinged case premium and collector pencil packaging
- Tin sleeve printed board around a metal tin
- Blister card with a backer peg display pencil packaging
Sizes We Print Regular
Every pencil box is built to your product, though these run often:
- 7.5" x 2" x 0.5" for a twelve pack
- 7.5" x 3" x 0.75" for a twenty four pack
- 8" x 4" x 1" for a thirty six colour set
- 8" x 2.5" x 1" for a graded drawing set
- 9" x 6" x 1.5" for a full artist case
- 12" x 9" x 6" for a bulk classroom carton
Measure an unsharpened pencil at full length, since that is the longest it will ever be in the box.
Board And Print
- SBS C1S for vivid colour, which matters enormously in the school aisle
- 16pt to 18pt on a standard twelve pack
- 20pt to 24pt on larger sets where weight builds up
- Rigid greyboard 36pt for hinged artist cases
- Kraft board for a natural or heritage stationery position
- Corrugated E flute for classroom and bulk pencil packaging
Colour reproduction is worth spending on for coloured pencil sets. The pack has to show the range accurately or buyers feel misled when they open it.
What The Panel Should Show
- Count and colour range for coloured sets
- Grade markings for graphite, from 9H through to 9B
- Lead type, graphite, charcoal, watercolour or oil based
- Whether pencils arrive pre sharpened
- Age suitability and safety marking for school lines
- Barcode with a proper quiet zone
Our prepress team check the panel against the dieline so nothing gets trimmed at the edge.
Kinder Material Choices
- Recycled board with no lamination
- FSC certified stock, certificate available on request
- Soy based ink through the whole run
- Paperboard tray instead of a plastic vacuum insert
- Compostable window film in place of PET
- A rigid case sturdy enough that the artist keeps using it
How An Order Runs With Us
- 100 unit minimum, so a small stationery brand can start properly
- Free 3D mockup and flat proof before anything prints
- Free dieline drawn by our own designer
- Physical sample on request to check the tray fit
- Urgent turnaround at 5 to 8 business days
- Free shipping worldwide with nothing hidden
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a pencil box go for?
Rough estimate is $0.12 to $0.35 per unit for a slim twelve pack carton, $0.35 to $0.95 for a larger set with a tray and $2.20 to $5.00 for a rigid artist case at moderate quantity. Volume moves it a lot. Shipping is included in our price. This is estimate only, so ask our team for a exact quote.
How do we stop the tips breaking?
A snug internal fit plus a tray that keeps rows separate. Breakage comes from pencils sliding lengthways, so eliminating that movement solves it.
Do we need a window?
For coloured pencils it helps a great deal, since the colour range is the purchase decision. For graphite sets a printed grade chart usually works better.
Which board for a thirty six colour set?
24pt with a paperboard tray, or rigid if it is a premium line. A long carton in thin board bows in the middle once loaded.
Can you print an accurate colour chart?
We can, and it needs proofing on the actual stock. Printed swatches never match pigment exactly, so we get as close as press allows and flag any variance.
Do you supply the tray as well?
We do, die cut paperboard cut to your pencil diameter and count so nothing rattles inside.
Can you do a hinged rigid case?
Yes, in greyboard with a printed or wrapped finish. That is the format artists tend to keep long after the pencils are gone.
