There is no standard swimwear box size, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. A bikini folded in three, a one piece folded in four and a rash guard rolled all pack to different stacks, and the fabric weight changes the depth more than the garment size does. The fix is a fold test, and it takes ten minutes.
Run the fold test first
- Take the largest size in the range, in the heaviest fabric you sell.
- Fold it exactly the way your packing team will fold it, every time, and write that fold down as an instruction.
- Put the folded garment on a flat surface and press it with the flat of your hand, the way a lid would.
- Measure the stack: length, width and the compressed depth.
- Repeat with a second garment of the same size. If the two stacks differ by much, the fold instruction is not tight enough yet.
That compressed depth is the one people get wrong. Fabric relaxes in the box, so a depth measured loose gives a box that bulges at the lid, and a depth measured under heavy pressure gives a box the packer has to fight. Press it as firmly as a closing lid would, not harder.
What else is going in there
| Item | What it adds | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Poly bag or wrap | Very little width, some slip | A bagged garment slides, so a tight footprint holds the fold better |
| Tissue | A small amount of depth | Two sheets under and over is the usual presentation allowance |
| Hang tag and size sticker | Local thickness at one corner | Tuck the tag under the fold or it prints a ridge into the lid |
| Care card or insert card | Almost no depth, full footprint | Size the card to the internal length and width, not the other way round |
| Second piece in a set | Roughly doubles the stack depth | Sets need their own box size, not the single piece box with a squeeze |
Mailer or two piece
Once you have the stack, the shape follows the channel. A die cut mailer that folds around the stack ships direct to consumer without an outer carton, takes print on the inside face, and packs flat until it is used. A two piece box with a lift-off lid is the retail and gifting choice, and it needs an outer shipper if it goes in the post. A third option for thin, single garment orders is a padded or rigid mailer, which is a different sizing exercise covered on how to size a padded mailer.
Whichever you pick, quote the internal dimension in length x width x depth order, and say the word internal. A swimwear stack that fits a 9 x 7 x 2 in cavity will not fit a box whose external size is 9 x 7 x 2 in, and that is the single most common reason a first production run packs badly.
Minimum, price and lead time
The minimum is 100 boxes, 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 before printing are included, which is why cutting the box to your actual fold costs no more to tool than settling for a near standard shape. Production is quoted per product across 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. Work is produced at two plants, West Chicago and Guangzhou.
Do the fold test, send the three numbers and a photo of the folded garment with your quote request, and tell us whether the box ships alone or inside a carton. To order rather than specify, custom swimwear boxes is the product page.
