Fill volume tells you nothing about the carton. A 5 ml doe foot tube, a 5 ml squeeze tube and a 5 ml roller all have different heights, different diameters and different cap profiles. Size the box from the finished, capped, labelled component, with the label on, because a wraparound label adds real thickness on a small diameter.
The measurements to take
- Overall height with the cap seated fully. Push the cap down the way a filling line would, not the way a careful hand does.
- Widest diameter or across the flats, including the label and any collar at the shoulder.
- Base footprint if the tube is square or oval, measured corner to corner.
- Clearance. A snug carton holds the component still, which looks better and protects it. Too snug and the line cannot load it at speed, so tell us whether packing is by hand or machine.
Single unit, multipack or set
| Pack | What sets the internal size | Typical construction |
|---|---|---|
| Single tube | Capped height and widest diameter | Straight or reverse tuck end carton |
| Two or three tube set | Tubes side by side plus a divider caliper | Tuck carton with a board fitment |
| Gift or PR set | The full component layout on a tray | Rigid box with a die cut foam or board insert |
| Counter display | Finished carton size times the facings | Display tray sized from the carton, specified after it |
Why small cartons need the dieline early
A carton small enough to hold a gloss tube is close to the practical limits of folding and gluing. The glue flap needs width to bond. The dust flaps need depth to keep the tuck from collapsing inward. The tuck itself needs a slit and a friction lock that will survive being opened once at retail. None of that is visible in a flat artwork file, which is why a lot of cosmetic launches lose a week to a rejected proof. Ask for the dieline first, lay the artwork into it, and the proof usually passes on the first pass.
Board, finish and shelf
Folding carton board in the common 14 to 24 point range is the usual choice. Heavier board stands up better on a shelf but adds caliper inside, which matters when the internal dimension is measured in millimetres. For finish, soft touch lamination hides fingerprints on a dark carton, gloss lifts colour, and foil stamping on a small panel needs clean, reasonably heavy line work to register well. Since the plates and the cutting die are included, the cost question on finish is the finishing pass itself, not the tooling.
Minimum, price and lead time
The minimum is 100 boxes. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. Turnaround is quoted per product in three lanes: rush, which is expedited production plus air freight at a premium of roughly 7 to 25 percent depending on the job, standard on air, and cost saver on sea, from about 7 business days in production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Production runs from West Chicago in the United States and Guangzhou in China.
To order, see custom lip gloss boxes, and if the gloss is part of a wider range, the makeup box buying guide covers specifying a set. Send the capped tube dimensions with a quote request and we will return a dieline and a lead time.
