Pizza box sizing is one of the few areas of packaging with a genuine industry convention: the box is named for the pizza, and the box is square. Where operators go wrong is depth, board and venting, all of which decide whether the pizza that leaves your kitchen is still good when the lid opens.
Common sizes
| Pizza | Common box size | Typical depth |
|---|---|---|
| 8 in personal | 8 x 8 in | 1.5 in |
| 10 in small | 10 x 10 in | 1.5 in |
| 12 in medium | 12 x 12 in | 1.75 in |
| 14 in large | 14 x 14 in | 1.75 in |
| 16 in extra large | 16 x 16 in | 2 in |
| 18 in party | 18 x 18 in | 2 in |
These are the sizes most kitchens work from. They are conventions rather than a legal standard, so if you are switching supplier, measure the box you use now instead of assuming a 14 is a 14 everywhere.
Depth is where deep dish gets ruined
A standard depth of 1.5 to 2 inches assumes a thin or hand tossed base. A deep dish, a stuffed crust or anything with a high edge needs 2.5 to 3 inches, otherwise the lid rests on the cheese, sticks to it, and pulls the top off the pizza when it is opened. If you serve both styles, it is usually cheaper to run two depths at the same footprint than to run one deep box for everything, because the deeper box uses more board on every order.
Board, flute and stacking
Pizza boxes are corrugated for a reason: they get stacked, sometimes five or six high in a delivery bag, and single sheet board would collapse. B flute is the workhorse here and gives good flat crush resistance. E flute is thinner with a smoother surface, which prints better and suits a brand led box where stacks stay short. If your drivers stack tall, or if the boxes will be carried in a heated bag with weight on top, stay with B.
Venting, steam and the soggy base
A hot pizza gives off steam continuously. In a fully sealed box that steam condenses on the lid and drops onto the crust, which is the entire mechanism behind a soggy base. Small vent holes in the side walls let it escape. Do not overdo it: too much venting drops the temperature faster, so most operators end up with a small number of vents rather than none or many. Corrugated helps here as well, since the flute itself carries some moisture away from the surface.
Printing on a pizza box
Kraft brown is the default and it is the most forgiving with grease. One or two color print on kraft is inexpensive and reads well. A white top liner gives a much brighter print but shows every mark. Keep artwork away from the score lines where the lid folds, since that fold gets worked hard on every box.
Custom sizes, minimums and lead time
Anything outside the table above is a custom die, and the die is included. The minimum is 100 boxes, so a new size can be tested without a large commitment. At bulk volumes the price starts from about $0.48 per unit, confirmed on your written quote. Expect from about 7 business days of standard production and 2 to 5 days for delivery, with the rush and cost saver lanes priced against your job.
Order a size
Send the pie diameter, the depth you need and your quantity to the quote form. For the full format guide see pizza boxes, and for volume programs see wholesale pizza boxes.
