Custom Air Filter Boxes
Air filters are among the most commoditised parts in the trade: a pleated block in a box, sitting on a rack beside twenty near-identical boxes from other suppliers. Everything about this pack is about being found and being trusted.
- Build
- Corrugated carton; shelf-ready perforated tops available
- Board
- E flute for panel filters, B flute for round and conical
- Marking
- Part number on face and both ends, barcode on a clear unvarnished patch
Get a price for Air Filter Boxes
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Found before it is chosen
A parts desk is matching a number, not comparing brands. If your part number is smaller than your logo, or missing from the end panel, the box gets passed over for one where the number is legible.
Put it on the face and on both short ends, larger than anything else, on a light unvarnished patch with the barcode beside it. That single decision does more for sell-through here than any amount of design.
List the vehicle applications on a side panel too. It is what a walk-in customer reads and what a desk uses to confirm the match.
The filter is light and the box is large
A panel filter weighs a few hundred grams in a box the size of a hardback. That means board strength is about stacking, not about carrying — these sit six or eight high on a rack for months.
E flute is usually enough for a panel filter and prints well. Round and conical filters are taller and less stable in a stack, and are better in B flute.
Pleats crush, and a crushed filter is scrap
A crushed pleat is not always visible through the box, and it is discovered at fitting. Clearance across the pleat face costs a few millimeters of board and prevents the whole class of complaint.
| Panel filter | Flat; protect the pleat faces from anything pressing in |
|---|---|
| Round filter | Rigid ends, crushable middle; support the ends |
| Conical filter | Awkward to stack; often needs its own cradle |
| Cabin filter | Thin and flexible; folds in transit unless supported flat |
Oil-treated filters need a barrier
- Performance and reusable filters are shipped pre-oiled and will mark plain board.
- A poly bag around the filter keeps the carton clean and is usually already in the process.
- A coated inner face does the same job if no bag is used.
- The mark reaching the outer face reads as damage even when the filter is perfect.
Shelf-ready, because they live on a rack
Filters move from a pallet to a rack once and stay there for months. A carton with a perforated top that opens into its own shelf tray saves a parts desk unpacking every box and keeps the numbers facing forward.
The tear has to work on a full carton rather than an empty one, which is the detail most shelf-ready designs get wrong — the requirements are set out in our automotive packaging notes.
Air Filter Boxes — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Build
- Corrugated carton; shelf-ready perforated tops available
- Board
- E flute for panel filters, B flute for round and conical
- Marking
- Part number on face and both ends, barcode on a clear unvarnished patch
- Applications
- Vehicle application list on a side panel
- Inner
- Poly bag or coated inner face on oiled filters
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. One side or both, with spot colors where a match has to hold.
- Color
- CMYK as standard. Uncoated and kraft stocks print lighter and warmer; a spot color is the only exact match.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, creasing plus or minus 0.5 mm, confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, made once and kept. Foil and emboss dies per artwork, also kept.
- Food contact
- Food-grade board and inks where the carton touches food, with the interior left plain.
- Sustainability
- Mono-material board wherever the product allows; recycled-content and FSC stocks; no claim printed the pack does not earn.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build air filter boxes on
A folding carton is one sheet of board, so the board is the product. These are the stocks we run for cartons, what each is good at, and where it lets you down.
Natural kraft
Unbleached folding board. Warm, hides marks, costs least. Mutes color — one or two flat colors print well, photographs do not.
250–350gsm sleeves; 14–24pt cartonsWhite SBS
Solid bleached sulfate: bright, coated, the retail carton standard. Takes accurate color and every finish. Shows scuffs sooner than kraft.
14–24ptWhite lined chipboard
A recycled gray core under a white printing face. Cheaper than SBS and slightly duller; the back of the sheet stays gray.
16–24ptKraft-look coated
A kraft face over a coated inner. The natural look with a barrier behind it — the answer where oil, grease or moisture would mark plain kraft.
14–20ptRecycled-content board
Post-consumer fiber with a gray-brown cast. Right for outers and inner components; poor for bright whites and photography.
16–22ptMicro-flute E and F
A fine corrugated layer where a carton needs structure it cannot get from board — a large panel, a heavy product, a box that ships alone.
E 1.5 mm; F 0.8 mmUncoated and textured
No clay coat, or a linen or laid grain. Print reads softer and warmer; a deboss goes deeper. Photographs do not sit well on it.
280–350gsmMetallised and pearlescent
A metallic or pearl face for a shelf that needs to catch light. Costly, and it fights a photograph — a mark or a pattern suits it better.
16–20ptNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Every finish here is a decision about light on a shelf, not about luxury.
Matte lamination
Reads considered, hides marks, takes a ballpoint.
Gloss lamination
Lifts color; glares under shop lighting.
Soft-touch
Velvet in the hand; shows fingerprints in a bag.
Hot foil
Real metal leaf — the most reliable premium signal.
Emboss / deboss
Shape with no ink; works in the dark.
Spot UV
Gloss shapes on a matte field.
Uncoated kraft
Warm, natural, mutes color.
Textured stock
Texture in the paper; cannot scuff off.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a folding carton so the die comes out right: air filter boxes
Measure the product, not the box it is in now. A carton is built around what has to fit inside it, assembled — cap on, lid fitted, folded if it folds — at its widest point in each direction. Send those three numbers and say which is which.
- Length x width x height
- Internal, always. External dimensions include the board and are what the carrier measures, not what the product needs.
- Clearance
- 2–3 mm a side for a snug fit; more where an insert or void fill goes in. A carton cut exactly to the product is slow to pack and transmits every knock.
- Board thickness
- Heavier board takes internal space from the product. It matters most on small boxes, where four walls of 24pt is a real share of the cavity.
- Varies between batches?
- Glass, textiles, molded parts and cured soap all do. Measure several and build to the largest.
- Cutting tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm on folding board. Confirmed on a plain sample before the run.
- Units
- Metric or imperial, as long as you say which. Mixing them in one spec is where mistakes happen.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Air Filter Boxes in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about air filter boxes? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
How large should the part number be?
Larger than your logo, on the face and both end panels. A number that cannot be read from a meter away costs you the sale.
What board weight do I need?
E flute for panel filters is usually enough — the load is stacking, not weight. Round and conical do better in B flute.
Why are filters arriving crushed?
Something pressing on the pleat face. A few millimeters of clearance across that face prevents it.
Do oiled filters need special packaging?
A poly bag or a coated inner face. Oil reaching the outside of the carton reads as damage even when the filter is fine.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes, shelf-ready if you want them.
Should I list vehicle applications on the box?
Yes, on a side panel. It is what a walk-in customer reads and what a parts desk uses to confirm the match.
How large should the part number be?
Larger than your logo, on the face and both end panels. A number that cannot be read from a meter away costs you the sale.
What board weight do I need?
E flute for panel filters is usually enough — the load is stacking, not weight. Round and conical do better in B flute.
Why are filters arriving crushed?
Something pressing on the pleat face. A few millimeters of clearance across that face prevents it.
Do oiled filters need special packaging?
A poly bag or a coated inner face. Oil reaching the outside of the carton reads as damage even when the filter is fine.
Same range
