A bike box is sized by two things: the wheel and the amount of disassembly you are willing to ask for. Everything else follows. Start with the wheel, because it is the one component with a genuinely standardised dimension.
Wheel diameters are standard, tyres are not
Wheel sizes are defined by bead seat diameter under the ETRTO system, which is why a tyre marked 622 fits a 700c rim. These are the published figures.
| Common name | ETRTO bead seat diameter | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 26 in | 559 mm | Older mountain bikes and many folding designs |
| 27.5 in or 650b | 584 mm | Mountain and gravel |
| 29 in and 700c | 622 mm | Road, gravel and most modern mountain |
Those are rim figures. The tyre sits outside the bead seat, so overall wheel diameter is larger and a wide knobbly tyre adds far more than a narrow road tyre. Measure the built wheel with the tyre inflated, because that is what goes in the box.
Disassembly decides the other two dimensions
Each step you ask the packer to take removes something from the box.
- Front wheel removed and laid alongside the frame. This is the single biggest saving and turns the box from bike-shaped to rectangular.
- Handlebars turned or removed. Bars are usually the widest part of an assembled bike, so this sets the box depth.
- Pedals removed. Pedals stick out exactly where the box wall wants to be and they will puncture it in transit.
- Seatpost dropped or removed. This reduces height and stops the post pressing on the lid.
- Derailleur removed or protected. Not a dimension saving, but the most commonly damaged part if you skip it.
Write down which of these your instructions will require, then measure the bike in exactly that state. A box sized for a fully stripped bike and an instruction sheet that does not mention pedals is a returns problem.
Clearance where it matters
Bikes do not need even clearance all round. They need generous clearance at a few specific points: the rear derailleur, the fork ends, the chainrings and the end of the handlebars. Those are the parts that punch through board. Everywhere else the frame is smooth tubing and a snug fit is fine, and in fact preferable, because a bike that can move inside the box will damage itself.
Board, and the size of the thing
A bike box is large, and large boxes flex. Double wall board is the usual answer for the weight and the panel size, and internal corner pads or a fork block stop the load bearing on one point. Check the finished external dimensions against your carrier's oversize thresholds before you commit, because a bike box sits close to those limits by nature. The girth arithmetic on kite box dimensions is the same calculation applied to a different long box.
Ordering
Minimum order is 100 boxes. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, with the die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof included. Lanes are rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery. We make these at West Chicago and at Guangzhou.
Tell us the largest frame size you ship, the wheel size and which parts your instructions tell the packer to remove, and send it through the quote form. If you would rather approach it as a decision than a measurement, what size bike box do I need takes the same problem from the buyer's side.
