Order at custom knife boxes. This page covers the specification, and it starts with safety because on this product the safety decision determines every dimension after it.
The blade has to be contained
A loose blade inside a carton will work its way into the board, and a package that a handler can cut themselves on is a package that gets rejected. So decide the containment method first:
- Edge guard or sheath. The simplest answer. The knife arrives already protected, and you size the cavity to the guarded knife.
- Recessed die-cut insert. Holds the knife by the handle and the spine so the edge touches nothing. Adds depth but looks deliberate.
- Moulded or foam tray. Best presentation and best containment, highest cost, usual on chef sets and gifting.
- Blister or card with a formed cavity. Common in retail hanging displays, needs its own tooling.
Then measure
Measure the knife with its guard or sheath in place. Take the full length including the tip, the widest point of the handle, and the thickness at the bolster, which is usually the thickest part rather than the blade. Add clearance so the tip never rests against the end wall, because that is exactly where a blade will punch through during handling.
Board and structure
| Format | Structure note | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Folding carton with an insert | Lightest, needs the insert to do the containment work | Single knives at retail price points |
| Corrugated mailer with a tray | Handles transit on its own | Direct to consumer sales |
| Rigid box with a fitted tray | Premium, heavy, needs lid clearance over the base | Chef sets, gifting, collectors |
| Long slim carton for a set roll | Length is the constraint, not volume | Rolled knife sets and cases |
Weight matters here too. Knives are dense, and a heavy product in a light carton with a weak base will fail at the bottom. If you are packing a set, weigh the full set and specify the structure for that weight rather than for the box size.
Check your channel's rules
Carriers, marketplaces and some retailers publish their own requirements for shipping sharp items, covering containment, labelling and sometimes restrictions by destination. Those rules change, and they differ by channel. Read the current published rules for the channels you sell through before you commit to a die. We will build to the specification you supply; the specification needs to come from your channel's current requirements.
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 the insert, the board and the finishing all move it, and on knives the insert is often the largest single element. The cutting die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included. Production runs from West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China, in three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight, a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery, with specialty imported rigid builds running up to about 12 weeks.
Before a full run, how to test packaging before a big run is worth following closely on this product, because a transit trial is the only honest way to learn whether a blade stays put. Send your guarded knife dimensions, your set weight and your sales channel through the quote form, then order at custom knife boxes.
