Display box sizing works backwards from the space, not forwards from the product. Retail space is the fixed constraint: a counter is only so deep, a shelf is only so tall, and a floor position is only so wide. Start there, then work out how many facings of your product fit inside, then set the box.
Three display types, three different constraints
| Display type | What limits the size | What to confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| Counter display unit | Counter depth and the staff sight line over the top | How much counter the retailer will actually give you |
| Shelf ready tray | Shelf depth, shelf height and the planogram slot width | The retailer's shelf dimensions, in writing |
| Floor display | Footprint on the sales floor and the load the base carries | Total filled weight and how it will be shipped and moved |
| Pallet or half pallet display | The pallet footprint underneath it | The pallet size the retailer uses |
Working out the interior
- Measure one unit of product at its widest point, as it will actually be presented, upright or laid down.
- Decide the facings. Facings across the front times units deep gives you the pack out quantity, and that number should match a sensible case quantity for your fulfilment.
- Add clearance per column. Products need to be lifted out with one hand. A display packed to the exact millimetre is a display customers do not touch.
- Add dividers if the product tips. Dividers consume interior width, so add their thickness before you finalise the outside.
- Set the front wall height. High enough to retain the product, low enough that the front facing is visible.
Structure and strength
A display holds weight in an unhelpful way. The base carries the full load, the walls carry very little, and the header carries only itself but is the part everyone looks at. For heavier products, the base is normally corrugated even when the visible surfaces are a printed paperboard or a litho laminated face. For a floor display, the load path matters more than the graphics: confirm the total filled weight and how the display is shipped, because a display that arrives crushed sells nothing.
For the wider category and build options, see display boxes, and for counter units specifically, counter display boxes.
Getting a custom size made
Displays are almost never a stock size, which is why the free die matters here more than on most items: a size built precisely around your facings costs no extra in tooling. The minimum order is 100 units per size and artwork. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote. Included: the die, the printing plates, design support, US shipping, and a digital proof before anything prints.
Production runs at two plants, West Chicago in the United States and Guangzhou in China. Turnaround is stated per product across Rush (expedited production plus air freight), Standard (air) and Cost saver (sea) lanes, from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks.
Send your product measurements, the facing count you want and the retail space you are working to at the quote form, and the interior will be laid out before anything is cut.
