Custom Automotive Shipping Boxes
Custom automotive shipping boxes in rated single and double wall corrugated, sized to the part or the pack-out, from 100. Built for the weight, the oil and the loading dock rather than the shelf, with a dieline and a price the same working day.
Car parts are heavy, oily and awkward to ship
- Board
- Corrugated: 32–44 ECT single wall, 48–61 ECT double wall, triple wall for bulk
- Styles
- RSC, HSC with lid, full overlap, die-cut mailer, pallet box
- Fitments
- Partitions, end caps, layer pads, double-wall trays
Get a price for Automotive Shipping 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.
Rate the board to the load, not the size
Edge crush (ECT) is the number that predicts how a box stacks; burst (Mullen) predicts how it survives a puncture. For parts that sit in a warehouse stack, ECT is the one to specify, and the carrier weight limit printed on the box certificate has to cover the packed weight.
| Up to about 20 lb | 32 ECT single wall, C flute — sensors, filters, light kits |
|---|---|
| 20 to 40 lb | 44 ECT single wall or 48 ECT double wall — pumps, pads by the case |
| 40 to 65 lb | 48–61 ECT double wall, BC flute — rotors, hubs, bulk fasteners |
| Over 65 lb, or palletized | Triple wall or a pallet box — bulk components between plants |
Bulk components between plants and warehouses
Much automotive shipping is not a parcel at all: it is a case of 200 brackets or 500 clips moving from a supplier to an assembly line or a distribution center. Those cases are usually a plain regular slotted container in rated board, sized so a whole number of cases fills a pallet layer with no overhang, and marked on two adjacent sides so the label reads whichever way the case lands on the rack.
Design the case footprint from the pallet backward. A case that leaves a two-inch gap on a 48 × 40 pallet wastes space on every truck for the life of the part.
Metal parts rust in a sealed box
Bare machined steel shipped in a humid week can arrive with flash rust, especially if it was washed before packing. Corrugated alone holds moisture against the part. The usual answers are a VCI (volatile corrosion inhibitor) bag or paper inside the carton, a poly-lined box for parts that carry oil, or both.
Tell us if the part is coated, oiled or washed and packed damp. It decides the liner, and it decides whether a water-resistant coating on the board is worth adding.
Keeping a heavy part from moving
Loose dunnage lets a heavy part walk through a box. Fitted board holds it still, and it is faster at the packing bench because nothing has to be stuffed in by hand.
- Partitions for sets of like parts — injectors, coils, bearings — so they cannot knock together.
- Die-cut corrugated end caps that locate a rotor or a hub and keep it off the walls.
- Layer pads between tiers in a bulk case, so the top tier does not crush the bottom.
- A double-wall tray inside a single-wall outer when only the base takes the load.
Returns, cores and the second trip
Remanufactured parts ship with a core charge, and the customer is expected to send the old part back in the same box. That box needs a closure that survives being opened and taped again, a flap that does not tear at the score, and a return label panel printed where a new label will not cover the part number. A double-wall box with a printed return panel costs a little more and makes the core come back.
What we print, and where
Shipping boxes rarely need full color. A one- or two-color flexo print of the logo, the part family and handling marks is standard, with the part number and barcode left to a label so one printed box covers many SKUs. Retail-facing parts that ship straight to a driveway sometimes get a printed inside lid; it costs little and it is what the buyer sees first.
Automotive Shipping 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
- Board
- Corrugated: 32–44 ECT single wall, 48–61 ECT double wall, triple wall for bulk
- Styles
- RSC, HSC with lid, full overlap, die-cut mailer, pallet box
- Fitments
- Partitions, end caps, layer pads, double-wall trays
- Liners
- VCI bag or paper, poly liner, water-resistant coating
- 1–2 color flexo; label panel reserved; optional printed inside lid
- Marking
- Box certificate, weight limit, handling marks on two sides
- Minimum
- 100 boxes per size
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 automotive shipping 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.
280–350gsmMetalized 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: automotive shipping 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 Automotive Shipping 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 automotive shipping 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.
Which board strength do I need for car parts?
Size it to the packed weight. Around 32 ECT single wall to about 20 lb, 44 ECT or double wall to about 40 lb, heavier double wall above that. Send the weight and we specify the board.
Is ECT or Mullen better for automotive parts?
ECT for anything that is stacked in a warehouse; Mullen where puncture is the risk. Most parts distribution is stacked, so ECT is the usual rating.
Can you stop metal parts rusting in the box?
A VCI bag or VCI paper inside the carton protects bare steel. For oiled parts, a poly-lined box keeps the oil off the board.
Do you make boxes for shipping rotors and hubs?
Yes — double wall with die-cut end caps that locate the part and keep it off the walls. That stops a heavy disc cutting through a corner.
Can the box be sized to fill a pallet?
Yes. Give us the pallet size and the stack height and we size the case so a whole number fills each layer without overhang.
Do you print part numbers on the box?
We can, but most brands keep the part number on a label so one printed box covers many SKUs. We reserve a clean label panel on two sides.
Will the box survive a core return?
Specify double wall and a printed return panel. The flaps are scored to be taped a second time without tearing.
Can you add partitions for small parts?
Yes, corrugated or chipboard partitions sized to the part. Injectors, coils and bearings ship in cells so they cannot touch.
How are the shipping boxes and fitments delivered?
Boxes arrive flat in bundles, and die-cut end caps and partitions arrive flat too, so a full run takes little warehouse space until packing.
Is the box printed in full color?
Usually one or two colors in flexo, which suits a shipper. Full color is available where the box goes straight to a retail customer.
What is the minimum order for automotive shipping boxes?
100 boxes per size. Each board grade is quoted separately, so a light part and a heavy part can use different boards.
What sets the production time for shipping boxes?
Mostly the board grade and whether fitments need a sample drop test first. We give a date with the quote once we have the size and weight.
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