Food trays fail in ways other packaging does not: they go soggy, they leak, they collapse when someone picks them up one handed, or they simply do not hold the portion the kitchen actually serves. This guide covers specifying one properly. The format is ordered at food tray packaging.
Size it against the real portion
Do not size a tray from a drawing. Take the portion your kitchen serves, at the temperature it is served, and put it in a candidate tray.
- Measure the footprint the food naturally occupies. Chips spread, a burrito does not, a piece of fish needs length rather than depth.
- Measure the height the food reaches when portioned generously rather than neatly, because that is the real world case.
- Decide whether the tray needs headroom for a lid, a wrap or a sauce container.
- Check that a staff member can pick the full tray up with one hand without it flexing. If it flexes, the walls are too tall for the board or the footprint is too wide.
- State the internal length x width x depth and say the word internal.
Grease, moisture and heat
These are three separate problems and they need naming separately on your spec.
| Problem | Shows up as | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Grease | Dark patches spreading through the board, print going translucent | A grease resistant treatment or liner appropriate to your food |
| Moisture and steam | Softening walls, a base that gives way, condensation on the lid | A moisture barrier, and venting if the food is served hot and covered |
| Heat | Coating softening, the tray losing rigidity | Tell us the serving temperature so the coating is matched to it |
On all three: confirm food contact suitability of any coating or liner with us on the quote for your specific food, its fat content and its temperature. We do not certify compliance on your behalf, and the right answer differs between a cold salad and hot fried food.
Structure options
A simple four corner tray folds from one blank and is the cheapest and most common. A pinch lock or foot lock tray gives more wall rigidity because the corners are mechanically locked. A tray with a display lid works for grab and go chilled cabinets. A tray and sleeve combination gives you a printed band around a plain tray, which is a cheap way to run several menu items off one tray size. If you serve multiple items in one tray, ask about a divided tray or a corrugated partition so the sauce does not reach the bread.
Print and branding on a food tray
Print on food packaging works differently because the surface is often coated for barrier reasons and the tray is seen at close range while being eaten from. Keep the artwork simple, put the brand where it survives being held, and remember that a grease resistant surface can change how ink sits. Kraft board reads natural and hides minor marking. Bleached white gives cleaner colour for photographic artwork. The digital proof before anything prints is where to check both.
Ordering, minimum and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 units. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, with board, coating, size and print reflected there. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof are included, so a tray cut to your exact portion costs no more to tool than a near standard one.
Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight, premium about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard by air, and cost saver by sea, from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. Production is at West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China.
Tell us the dish, the portion size and the serving temperature, and we will spec the tray and the coating at /quote/. Order at food tray packaging, and for handheld items see the sandwich box guide.
