A tuck box is the most common carton shape there is: a rectangular tube with a flap that tucks in at each end. Its dimensions look simple and behave in ways that surprise first-time buyers, because a lot of the material is in parts you never see on the finished box.
Reading the three numbers
Dimensions are given inside, in the order length, width, depth. On a standard tuck end carton, length is the tall front panel measurement, width is the front panel across, and depth is the shallow dimension from front to back that the tuck flap has to fold over. Face the box the way a customer would see it on a shelf and those three map onto height, across, and thickness.
The parts that are not in the dimensions
| Part | What it does | Effect on your order |
|---|---|---|
| Tuck flap | The panel that folds in and holds the end closed | Adds to the flat blank, and a deeper box needs a proportionally deeper flap |
| Dust flaps | The two small side flaps that fold in first | Keep contents from escaping at the corners, and they add width to the blank |
| Glue tab | The seam that joins the tube | Sits on one panel edge, so keep critical artwork away from it |
| Slit lock or friction lock | Optional cut that stops the flap popping open | Worth adding on anything that will be handled repeatedly |
Board caliper against panel size
The bigger the flat panel, the more it wants to bow. Caliper is thickness in thousandths of an inch, so 18pt board is 0.018 inches thick.
| Panel size | Usual caliper range |
|---|---|
| Small cartons, under a few inches per panel | 14pt to 16pt |
| Standard retail cartons | 16pt to 18pt |
| Large panels or heavier contents | 20pt to 24pt |
If you are unsure, what paperboard thickness to use works through the trade-offs with contents weight.
What happens when you change one number
- Increase depth and the tuck flap gets deeper, the dust flaps get bigger, and the blank grows on both axes. Depth is the expensive dimension.
- Increase length and you mostly add to one direction of the blank, which is the cheapest change.
- Increase width and the front panel grows, which may push you up a caliper to stop it bowing.
- Change any dimension after the die is drawn and it is a new die, which is why the free die matters most on a first run.
Sizing to your product
Measure the product at maximum on all three axes, then add clearance for how it gets loaded. A carton that is filled by hand needs more slack than one filled on a line. If the product is loose or irregular, an insert or a partition is what keeps it centred, rather than a tighter box. Style choices sit on tuck end boxes, and if the base has to carry real weight, look at auto bottom boxes instead.
Ordering
The minimum is 100 boxes. Bulk pricing starts at about $0.48 per unit and is confirmed on the written quote once size, caliper and print are set. The die and plates, design support, free US shipping and a digital proof before printing are included. Turnaround is quoted per product across three lanes: rush (expedited production plus air freight, at a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery, with specialty imported items up to about 12 weeks.
Send your three inside measurements and your quantity to /quote/, and ask for the flat dieline so you can see where the flaps and the glue seam land before artwork is finalised.
