Lip balm cartons are among the smallest packaging you can order, and small packaging is unforgiving: there is nowhere to hide a bowed panel, a misaligned crease or an underweight board. This spec sheet covers what to get right. To order the format, see custom lip balm boxes.
Measuring a tube
- Diameter at the widest point with the cap fitted. On most tubes the cap or the seam where the cap meets the barrel is wider than the barrel itself. Rotate the tube while measuring, since moulded tubes are rarely perfectly round.
- Height from the base to the crown of the cap, including any domed top.
- Label: measure a labelled tube. A wrap label with an overlap seam adds a fraction of a millimetre, and on a carton this small that fraction matters.
Add about 1 to 2 mm of clearance so the tube drops in on a filling line rather than being pushed, and state internal length x width x depth with the word internal attached.
Caliper, because the panel is tiny
A small carton has short panels, which means there is very little board resisting a squeeze. This is the single most common complaint about lip balm packaging: it looks fine flat and feels cheap once filled. Specify board on the heavier side of what you would use for a larger carton, and remember that a heavier caliper also adds material to each wall, which is another reason to give internal rather than external dimensions.
Pack formats and how they interact
| Format | Structure | Sets which dimension |
|---|---|---|
| Single carton | Small tuck end, sometimes with a hang tab | The tube alone |
| Multipack of three to six | Carton with a partition, or a sleeve around a tray | Tube diameter multiplied by the count, plus divider thickness |
| Counter display | Tray or stepped display with cells | Unit carton footprint multiplied by rows and columns |
| Gift set with other products | Rigid box or tray and sleeve with a fitted insert | The largest item in the set, with the balm placed in a recess |
Work from the outside in on this category. If a counter display holding thirty-six units is your main channel, design the unit carton so that thirty-six of them lay out cleanly in the display footprint your retailer will accept.
Hanging, shelf or display
A hang tab adds around an inch above the face panel and needs board strong enough at the tab to survive being pushed along a peg repeatedly. A shelf carton wants a stable base and a flat front. A display unit does not need the individual carton to stand at all, which frees you to use a shallower, wider carton. Decide this before the dieline, since a hang tab added later changes the panel layout and the artwork.
Print and finish on a small surface
There is very little room, so hierarchy matters more than decoration: brand, flavour or variant, and any function claim, in that order. Keep type sizes legible rather than filling space. Foil stamping and spot gloss work well precisely because the whole carton is seen within a hand's width, and neither affects your internal dimensions. Check everything on the digital proof, because small type and fine reversed detail are where small cartons go wrong.
Ordering, minimum and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 boxes per configuration. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, with caliper, finishing and any partition reflected there. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included, so a carton cut to your exact tube 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. The floor is from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. We produce in West Chicago, US, and Guangzhou, China.
Send the capped tube diameter and height and tell us your pack counts, and we will spec the carton and the display together at /quote/. Order at custom lip balm boxes, and for the display side, read the display packaging buying guide.
