There is no standard foundation box. Foundation ships in squared glass, round glass, airless pumps, dropper bottles and squeeze tubes, and each of those makes a different carton. What is standard is the method: measure the finished filled bottle with its closure on, find the true widest point, then let the insert set the depth.
Measure the bottle, not the fill volume
A fill volume tells you nothing about a carton. Two bottles holding the same amount can differ by an inch in height depending on wall thickness and shoulder shape. Work from the physical bottle:
- Height. Measure from the base to the top of the closure as it will ship. A pump that does not lock down sets your height, not the bottle shoulder.
- Width and depth. On a round bottle this is the diameter at the fattest point. On a squared bottle it is the diagonal across the corners, which is always larger than the face you instinctively measure.
- The label. An applied label adds a small amount and can create a high spot if it wraps a seam. Measure a labelled bottle.
Where the depth really comes from
Glass in a plain rectangular cavity moves, and movement in transit chips necks and scuffs labels. Most foundation cartons therefore carry something inside: a folded corrugated platform, a die-cut paperboard insert, a foam cradle or a moulded tray. That component sets the internal depth and often the internal width too.
| Insert type | Effect on internal dimensions |
|---|---|
| Die-cut paperboard collar | Adds minimal depth, mostly locks the bottle laterally |
| Folded corrugated platform | Adds one or more board calipers under the bottle, so measure the loaded height |
| Foam or moulded tray | Sets the cavity outright, measure the tray and quote from that, not from the bottle |
Shade ranges and one die across a family
Foundation almost always ships as a shade range, which is a real advantage here. If every shade uses the same bottle, one cutting die covers the whole family and only the print changes. The die and the plates are included, so the sensible move is to spec the cavity precisely for that one bottle and vary the artwork across shades. If two bottle formats exist in the same line, measure both and expect two dielines.
Ordering
Minimum order is 100 boxes. Price starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, because beauty cartons carry finishing choices, foil, spot gloss, soft touch lamination, embossing, that move the number well away from the plain board baseline. Design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included. On a shade range, ask to proof the darkest and the lightest artwork rather than one in the middle.
Production runs from West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China in three lanes: rush is expedited production plus air freight at a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job, standard moves by air, cost saver moves by sea. The floor is from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery, and specialty imported finishes can run up to about 12 weeks.
The full material and finish options are on the foundation box specification sheet, and custom foundation boxes is the place to order. Send your measured bottle height, widest dimension and insert preference through the quote form and ask for the carton with and without an insert so you can see what the protection actually costs.
