Cat food packaging is a weight and logistics job with a retail face on it. Before you think about artwork, settle how the product is formatted, how many units go in a case, and how those cases sit on a pallet. Order from cat food boxes once that is decided.
Start with the format
| Format | What the box is doing | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Dry kibble in a carton | Holding weight and keeping the product sealed and dry | Bottom failure and seam splitting under load |
| Dry kibble in a bag, boxed for retail | Presentation and stacking; the bag holds the product | Wasted cube if the carton is sized loosely around the bag |
| Wet food pouches, multipack | Holding a dozen or more flexible units in a rigid case | Pouches shifting, so the case slumps and faces badly |
| Wet food cans or trays, multipack | Carrying concentrated weight in a small footprint | Board grade too light for the stacking load |
Pallet maths comes before artwork
The standard US pallet is 48 x 40 in. Work out how many retail units go in a case, then check that the case footprint tiles onto that pallet without overhang. A case footprint of 24 x 20 in gives four per layer, 12 x 20 in gives eight, 12 x 10 in gives sixteen. Then count the layers against the height your retailer or your warehouse accepts. Getting this right early is worth more than any other decision on the box, because it decides your freight cost on every shipment for the life of the product.
Board grade and stacking
Cat food is dense. A case of wet food in a small footprint carries far more weight per square inch than a case of the same volume in dry kibble, and the board has to hold that load while stacked several layers high in a warehouse for weeks. Send us the filled case weight, the stack height and how long cases sit in storage, and the board recommendation follows from those. If cases are also the retail display, a shelf ready design with a perforated front changes both the structure and the board, since you are cutting away part of what carries the load.
Food contact, labelling and what to confirm
Whether a board or liner is suitable for direct contact with pet food is a materials and regulatory question specific to your product and your market, and it is one to confirm with your own regulator rather than to assume from a packaging page. Tell us at quote stage whether the food touches the board directly or sits inside a sealed bag or pouch, because that single fact changes the specification. Bring your required labelling, including feeding guidance and ingredient panels, so the panel layout is designed in from the start.
Minimum, price and lead time
The minimum is 100 boxes, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before printing are included, so a case cut to your exact pack count and pallet pattern is not more expensive to tool than a generic one. Production is quoted 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. Two plants, West Chicago and Guangzhou.
Send the unit size, the case count, the filled case weight and your pallet requirement with your quote request, then order from the cat food boxes page. For the board caliper arithmetic behind case sizing, see single wall box dimensions.
