Litter pans are bulky, light and shaped to nest, which makes the packaging question mostly a logistics question. The carton or sleeve is rarely protecting the product from damage. It is holding a stack together, carrying the branding, and deciding how much air you pay to ship.
Start with the nested stack
Stack the pans exactly as they will ship and measure that stack. A nested pan adds only its rim and wall taper to the height of the one below, so ten nested pans are nowhere near ten pan heights. Measure the stack height at the count you sell, measure the widest rim, and add the lid or hood if the product has one. Then decide the pack format, because litter pan products are packed in two quite different ways.
| Format | When it is used | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Full enclosing carton | Protects, hides the product, maximum print area | Most board, most freight cube |
| Printed sleeve or belly band over the nest | Shows the product, minimum material | No protection, needs the product to be presentable |
| Open tray with a printed front | Shelf ready, quick to face up | Less stacking strength, dust exposure |
Shelf depth is the constraint most people forget
Retail gondola shelving is commonly built in the 16 to 22 in depth range. That is an industry-typical range rather than a rule, and your buyer will tell you the exact figure for their fixture. The practical point is that a pack that is deeper than the shelf will either hang over the edge or have to be turned, which usually ruins the facing you designed. Confirm the fixture depth before you finalise the footprint, not after the die is cut.
Pallet arithmetic
The standard North American pallet is 48 x 40 in. Any footprint that divides both numbers fills a layer completely.
| Pack footprint | Packs per layer on 48 x 40 in |
|---|---|
| 24 x 20 in | 4 |
| 16 x 20 in | 6 |
| 12 x 20 in | 8 |
| 24 x 10 in | 8 |
| 16 x 10 in | 12 |
| 12 x 10 in | 16 |
Overhang is worse than underhang for a tall pallet, because a case that hangs off the deck edge loses much of its compression strength. If you want to go deeper on the layer patterns themselves, see what is a pallet pattern.
Hand holes and board
A pack this size gets carried across a car park, so hand holes are part of the spec, not an afterthought. Keep them at least half an inch from any score, place them on the long walls, and set them below the load centre so the pack tips towards the carrier. If the pack is heavy for its size, a reinforced hand hole with a folded flap stops the board cutting into fingers. For board grade, a tall light pack usually needs stacking strength rather than puncture resistance, which is a different answer from a dense product. The distinction is covered on single wall vs double wall corrugated.
Ordering and lead time
Pet packaging starts at 100 units, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote, with the die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof included. Turnaround is stated per product across three lanes, rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days of production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Bulky low density packs are often better made at the West Chicago plant on freight economics alone, and it is worth asking about that when you send your numbers.
Send the nested stack measurements, the count per pack and your retail shelf depth, and we will size it around all three. Start at request a quote, or see the pet food boxes page for the related formats.
