Glass is unforgiving, so bottle boxes are sized more tightly than most packaging. Too loose and the bottle swings and breaks. Too tight and the packer cannot get it in without chipping the shoulder. The workable range is narrow, which is why the measurements have to be real ones taken off your actual bottle.
What to measure
- Body diameter at the widest point, which on a Bordeaux shape is near the base and on a Burgundy shape is higher up.
- Full height with the closure fitted, including a cork capsule, a screw cap or a swing top.
- Neck diameter, if the box has an insert that locates the bottle by the neck.
- Base diameter separately if the bottle has a punt or a flared foot.
Stated volume is not a size. Two 750 ml wines can differ by an inch in height and half an inch in diameter, and a spirits bottle in the same volume can be square. As a general reference, a standard 750 ml wine bottle sits around 3 to 3.5 inches across and roughly 11.5 to 12.5 inches tall, which puts a snug single bottle interior near 4 x 4 x 13 inches. Use that to sanity check your own measurement, not to replace it.
Layouts and what they cost in space
| Layout | Interior arrangement | Space note |
|---|---|---|
| Single bottle | One cavity, often with a base pad | Cheapest to ship, easiest to make snug |
| Two bottle side by side | One divider between the cavities | Add one partition thickness to the width |
| Three bottle | Two dividers in a row | Long and narrow, which is awkward for some couriers |
| Six bottle, two by three | A partition grid | Weight becomes the constraint, so board strength matters more than print |
| Twelve bottle case | Full partition grid | This is a shipper, not a gift box, and should be specified as one |
Every divider eats interior width. On a six bottle grid the dividers can account for a visible fraction of the footprint, so calculate the outside from the cavity count and the partition thickness rather than multiplying the single bottle box. Partition options are covered on partition boxes.
Neck and shoulder clearance
The failure point on bottle packaging is almost always the shoulder and the neck, because that is where the glass is thinnest and where it hits the divider during a drop. If the box is going to be shipped rather than carried, the insert should hold the bottle at the body and keep the neck clear of any hard edge. A separate top pad is cheap and prevents a lot of breakage.
Gift box or shipper
Decide which one you are building before you draw anything. A gift presentation box is designed to be seen and usually travels inside an outer carton. A shipper is designed to take courier handling on its own and needs corrugated board, a stronger partition and enough depth to keep the closure away from the lid. Trying to make one box do both usually produces a box that does neither well. Wine specific reference sizes are on wine box dimensions, and if you are packaging a neck hanger rather than a full box, see bottle neck box dimensions.
Ordering
The minimum is 100 boxes. Bulk pricing starts at about $0.48 per unit and is confirmed on your written quote once size, board and insert are fixed. The die and plates, design support, free US shipping and a digital proof before printing are included. Turnaround is stated per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery, with specialty imported items up to about 12 weeks.
Send your four bottle measurements, the bottle count per box and whether the box ships alone to /quote/, and ask for the insert drawn on the proof.
