Yo yos are small, round and heavier than they look, and those three facts drive the whole packaging spec. The box is easy to size once you stop thinking about the yo yo as a disc and start thinking about it as a disc plus a string plus whatever stops it rolling.
Three measurements and a decision
- Diameter across the widest part of the rim, with the yo yo assembled and the string wound as it will ship.
- Width across both halves, measured at the widest point. If the axle, a cap or a bearing shield protrudes, include it.
- String allowance. Decide whether the spare string ships coiled in a flat pocket, taped to an insert, or in its own small bag. Measure that as a separate stack.
- The decision: does the yo yo sit flat like a coin, or stand on its rim like a wheel? Flat gives a shallow, wide box that suits a window front. On the rim gives a narrow, tall box with a smaller shelf footprint.
Add about 1 to 2 mm of clearance per side once the insert is accounted for, and give us the total as internal length x width x depth, marked internal.
Stopping the roll
A yo yo in a plain carton will find a corner and stay there, which sounds trivial until a customer shakes the box and hears it. Options, in rough order of cost:
| Method | What it does |
|---|---|
| Die cut paperboard cradle | Two shaped tabs grip the rim so the yo yo cannot roll or fall forward. Light and inexpensive |
| Corrugated partition | A cell per yo yo. Comes into its own for multipacks and collector sets |
| Moulded pulp or foam tray | A recess matching the profile. Highest perceived value, highest cost |
| Window box with a rear tray | Shows the colourway while holding the yo yo against the window |
Retail format: hanging, shelf or gift
Where the box lives changes its shape. A peg hung box needs a hang tab above the face panel, which adds around an inch to the blank height and needs board strong enough to survive repeated handling. A shelf box wants a deeper base and a stable footprint. A collector or gift box goes rigid, often with a fitted tray, and trades cost per unit for the opening experience. Decide this before the dieline, because a hang tab added later changes the panel layout and the artwork.
Ordering, minimum and lead time
Minimum order is 100 boxes. Pricing runs from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes and is confirmed on your written quote, with window film, inserts and finish accounted for there. The die, the plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints are included, so a custom internal size carries no tooling cost.
Turnaround comes in three lanes, quoted per product: rush combines expedited production with air freight and runs a premium of about 7 to 25% depending on the job, standard moves by air, and cost saver moves by sea. The floor is from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks. Production is at West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China.
Measure the diameter and the width, tell us how the string ships and whether the box hangs, and we will confirm the internal size and the insert on a written quote at /quote/. For the broader toy packaging formats, see toy boxes.
