Seal end is a closure style, not a product category. The top and bottom flaps are glued closed instead of tucked in, which is why the format is used for anything that should arrive sealed: food cartons, personal care, pharmacy style packs and single use products. This page explains when it is the right call. To order, use seal end boxes.
Seal end against the alternatives
| Closure | How it closes | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Seal end | End flaps glued | The pack should look untouched until the customer opens it |
| Straight tuck end | Both tucks fold in from the same side | Retail display where the customer re-closes the box |
| Reverse tuck end | Tucks fold from opposite sides | Cost sensitive runs, simplest dieline |
| Auto bottom | Glued base pops square, top tucks | Heavier contents, fast hand pack out |
The trade off is straightforward. Seal end gives you a clean unbroken face with no tuck slit interrupting the artwork, and it is harder to tamper with. It costs you re-closability and it adds a gluing step after filling.
How a seal end runs at pack out
Seal end cartons arrive flat, glued on the manufacturer's side seam. You square the carton, fill it, then glue or seal the ends. If you are hand packing, budget for that extra step per unit and think about whether your team has a reliable way to apply adhesive evenly. If you are running an automated cartoner, tell us the machine and we will build the dieline with the flap geometry and tolerances that line expects. Getting this wrong is expensive at scale, and it is easier to solve before the die is cut than after.
Board, size and the dieline
Give us the inside dimensions in length x width x depth, or the product and we will derive them. Board choice follows the loaded weight and how the boxes get stacked: a light single use product runs happily on a thin carton board, while anything heavy or top loaded needs more caliper or a corrugated build. The die and the plates are included in your order, so a custom size costs no more in tooling than a common one. Ask for the dieline as a file, keep it, and reuse it for every reorder and every artwork refresh.
Price drivers and how to order
In rough order of impact: quantity, board area, board grade, number of print colours, then any finish such as lamination or foil. Because setup is spread across the run, doubling the quantity never doubles the cost. iBox Factory quotes from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed in writing on your quote. Included: the die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints.
The minimum is 100 boxes. Turnaround is stated per product across three lanes: rush is expedited production plus air freight, standard is air, cost saver is sea. The floor is from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery, specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks, and rush carries a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job. Production runs at West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China.
Ready to buy: seal end boxes. Need help getting the internal dimensions right first: how to choose the right box size. Or send the spec straight through the quote form.
