Lingerie sizing questions are really folding questions. The same set can occupy a flat, wide footprint or a compact, deep one depending on how it is folded, and the box has to match the fold your packing team will actually use every day, not the one used for the photoshoot.
Fix the fold before the box
Pick a fold and write it down as a packing instruction. A fold board makes it repeatable, which matters more than the specific dimensions: an inconsistent fold means some boxes close and some do not. Once the fold is fixed, build one complete pack by hand, exactly as it will ship, including tissue, the care card, any sticker and the ribbon. Measure that assembled pack. That is your internal size, before clearance.
| What changes the internal size | Effect on footprint | Effect on depth |
|---|---|---|
| Tighter fold on a board | Smaller and consistent | Taller stack |
| Adding a second piece to the set | Usually none | Adds the folded thickness of that piece |
| Tissue wrap | Adds a small amount on each side | Adds the wrapped layers |
| Padded cups or moulded shapes | Sets a minimum footprint that cannot be folded away | Adds the moulded height, which does not compress |
| Ribbon tied around the pack | Slight | Adds the knot height, often the tallest point |
Moulded cups are the trap. Everything else in a lingerie pack compresses a little, so a box that is a few millimetres tight still closes. A moulded cup does not compress, and a box built too shallow will crease it permanently.
Mailer or rigid
If the box is the shipper, it needs to survive a courier network: corrugated mailer construction, a tuck or a crash lock base, and enough depth that the contents are not pressed against the lid. If the box is the presentation piece and travels inside a shipping carton, a two piece rigid box or a lidded folding carton gives a cleaner unboxing and takes foil and embossing well. Many brands run both, a printed inner box inside a plain shipper, and that means two internal sizes: the inner box, and the shipper sized to the outside of the inner box plus cushioning.
State internal, always
Give every dimension as internal, in length x width x depth order, and say it is internal on the quote. Rigid board is thick: a wrapped rigid box can measure a quarter of an inch larger on the outside than its cavity, which is enough to break a shipper that was sized from the wrong number. We confirm internal against external on the dieline before the die is cut, and the digital proof shows both.
Ordering
The minimum is 100 boxes, with pricing 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 are included, so an internal size built around your fold costs no more to tool than a near standard size. Turnaround is quoted per job 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.
Send the measured pack dimensions and a photograph of the folded set to the quote form and we will come back with an internal size, a board and the lane options. Related: apparel box dimensions and custom apparel boxes.
