Seed packets are sold in three quite different boxes: a retail counter display that holds a row of varieties upright, a gift or subscription box that holds a curated set flat, and a shipper that protects the lot in the post. Each is sized from the same starting measurement, a single filled packet.
Measure a filled packet of your thickest variety
Seed packet stock and fill both vary. An empty printed packet may be well under a millimetre thick, while the same packet filled with squash or bean seed can be a quarter of an inch or more. Measure filled, and measure the thickest variety you sell, because that is the one that will not fit the box you sized on lettuce seed.
Row maths for a display or a set
Take T as the thickness of a filled packet and n as the packet count:
- Internal length = (T x n) + about 10% of that figure as browsing slack, plus the thickness of any dividers.
- Internal width = packet width plus about 1/8 in.
- Internal height = packet height plus about 1/8 in for a closed box, or packet height minus the amount you want standing proud for a front opening display.
The 10% slack is what makes a display work in a shop. A row packed to exactly the calculated length is impossible to browse, packets get bent at the top edge, and the damaged ones never sell.
Three box shapes, three jobs
| Box | What it does | Sizing note |
|---|---|---|
| Counter display | Holds packets upright, front face angled for browsing | Front panel cut down so packet tops show, back panel full height |
| Gift or subscription box | Holds a flat set with a card and a guide | Depth is the stacked packets plus the printed guide |
| Shipper | Protects packets in the post | Sized to the outside of the inner box plus cushioning, flat enough to avoid a dimensional charge |
For seasonal displays, check the fixture. Common retail gondola shelves are made in depths around 16, 18 and 22 in, so a display footprint that fits inside the shallowest depth you will be placed in travels between accounts without a redesign. Confirm the exact fixture depth with the buyer rather than assuming.
Material, moisture and print
Seed is moisture sensitive, and cartons do not stop moisture on their own. Keep the packets themselves as the moisture barrier and treat the box as presentation and protection. Kraft board suits the category visually and prints well in one or two colours. White cardstock gives accurate photographic colour for varietal images. Corrugated stock is the choice for a shipper or a heavier display that has to stand on its own.
Ordering
The minimum is 100 boxes, with pricing from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes confirmed on your written quote. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof are included, so a display cut to your packet size costs no more to tool than a near standard one. Turnaround is quoted per job in three lanes, rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery. Seasonal ranges are worth booking early, since a cost saver sea lane is the cheapest way to buy a spring display if the order is placed in good time.
Send a filled packet measurement and the packet count per box to the quote form. Related: envelope box dimensions and custom packaging for farmers markets.
