Two different products get called a palette box. This page is about the flat, hinged or magnet closed case that holds pressed powder pans, the kind sold as an eyeshadow or face palette. If you arrived here looking for a pallet box, the wooden shipping platform spelling, the sizing question is completely different and is covered on our page about how many boxes fit on a pallet.
Pans first, everything else second
The one genuinely standard number in this category is the pan. The round pressed powder pan used across the industry is 26 mm in diameter, which is why so many palettes and so many refill systems interchange. Square and rectangular pans vary far more, so if you are using those, take the dimension from your fill house rather than from any chart.
Lay the grid out on paper before you specify a box:
- Count the pans and pick the arrangement. Nine pans can be three by three or one row of nine, and those are two different palettes.
- Add the webbing between pans, the land the pans are seated in. A palette with no gap between pans is hard to fill and harder to press.
- Add the border at the edges, which is where the closure, the hinge and the printing live.
- Only now do you have an internal length and width.
Depth is a closure question
| Feature | Effect on depth | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pan depth plus base board | The baseline | Pan sits proud or flush depending on the tray |
| Mirror in the lid | The largest single addition on most palettes | Glass or acrylic, and the backing adds to it |
| Magnet closure | Adds on both the lid and base faces | Recessed magnets reduce it but complicate the tooling |
| Foam or flocked tray | Adds under the pans | Helps pans sit level for a clean shelf look |
| Lift tab or thumb notch | None to depth, but changes the die | Worth deciding before proof stage |
Construction and finish
Palette cases are usually rigid or heavy paperboard because they have to survive being opened and closed daily. That construction has a consequence for dimensions: the wrap goes on every visible face, so the external size grows on both the lid and the base. If the palette has to fit a fixed retail tray, a display or a subscription mailer, ask for the external figure explicitly instead of inferring it.
Print and finish decisions sit on top of that. Soft touch, foil and spot gloss are all common here. If you are weighing gloss against matte on the lid, our explainer on UV coating covers what each one actually does to a surface that gets handled every day.
Ordering, minimum and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 units, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. Rigid construction, mirrors, magnets and foil all move the number, which is why the price is quoted rather than posted. The die and plates are included, plus design support, US shipping and a digital proof before print, so the cavity can be cut to your pan grid rather than to a stock case.
Turnaround runs in three lanes: rush (expedited production with air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery. Rigid palettes with mirrors and magnets are assembly heavy and specialty imported work can run up to about 12 weeks, so treat that as the realistic planning window for a first run. Rush adds about 7 to 25% depending on the job. We produce in West Chicago and Guangzhou. For the cartons that go around the palette at retail, see custom eyeshadow boxes.
Send your pan count, pan size and whether you want a mirror and a magnet, and request a quote. A sketch of the grid on a sheet of paper is enough to start.
