Custom Bagel Boxes
Custom bagel boxes for the half-dozen and the dozen, from 100 units. Deep enough to stack two layers, vented so a dozen warm bagels do not steam each other soft, and built with a handle because a dozen bagels is a heavier box than it looks.
A dozen bagels is a heavy, steaming stack
- Board
- 20–24 pt kraft or SBS; E-flute corrugated for the dozen
- Sizes
- 6, 12 two-layer, 12 flat catering, 24 case
- Base
- Auto-lock or 1-2-3 bottom for the load
Get a price for Bagel 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.
Six or twelve, one or two layers
A two-layer dozen needs a paper divider between the layers so the top row does not stick to the bottom, and a box wall stiff enough not to bow when the second layer goes in. The flat catering tray avoids both problems and takes more counter space.
| 6 | Single layer, 11 × 8 × 3.5 in — the weekend box |
|---|---|
| 12 | Two layers of six, 11 × 8 × 6.5 in, with a divider sheet |
| 12 flat | Single layer, 16 × 12 × 3.5 in — the catering tray |
| 24 | Two catering trays, strapped; or a corrugated case |
Steam from a dozen
A single warm bagel is fine in a closed box; twelve are not. The steam collects under the lid and drips back onto the top layer, which is why a dozen-box from a shop that bakes to order arrives with a damp top row. Lid vents solve it, and on a deep two-layer box we add a vent row low on the long wall as well so the bottom layer breathes. The same approach is behind our croissant boxes vented for warm pastry, scaled up for the volume.
Vents are the reason a bagel box should not be sealed for delivery. A tamper label over the lid tuck is enough; tape over the vents undoes them.
Weight, and the handle
Twelve bagels weigh about three pounds. A tuck-end base sags under that; an auto-lock or a 1-2-3 bottom holds it. A die-cut handle in the lid works up to a half dozen; for a dozen we put the handle through both lid flaps so the load goes into the walls, or move to a gable-top build with a carry handle formed from the top panels.
On a heavy two-layer box, a corrugated E-flute is worth its small premium over paperboard. It does not bow, it stacks, and it keeps the vents open under load.
Print, and the seed problem
- Bagels shed seeds. A kraft interior hides them; a white one shows every one.
- Kraft with a one-color print is the bagel-shop default and it suits the product.
- A window in the lid shows the variety mix, which is what a dozen is bought on.
- Print the variety list on the inside lid, with a tick box, so the counter can mark what went in.
Bagel 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
- 20–24 pt kraft or SBS; E-flute corrugated for the dozen
- Sizes
- 6, 12 two-layer, 12 flat catering, 24 case
- Base
- Auto-lock or 1-2-3 bottom for the load
- Vents
- Lid slots; low wall row on two-layer boxes
- Extras
- Through-flap or gable handle, divider sheet, lid window, tick-box list
- Minimum
- 100 boxes
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo in one to six colors, printed on the outer face only and before any lining goes on.
- Color
- Food-safe inks throughout. Kraft mutes color; a white board or liner is needed for anything photographic.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, and fit confirmed by filling a plain sample from your own kitchen or line.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, kept. Molded pulp needs a tool per shape, which is a longer lead and a larger one-off.
- Food contact
- Every board food-contact grade, with grease resistance built into the sheet and never a PFAS treatment.
- Sustainability
- Aqueous linings and unlined boards repulp with ordinary paper. PE-lined cups need cup collection, and we say which you have.
- 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 bagel boxes on
Food packaging is chosen for what the food does to it: grease, steam, heat and time. Every board here is food-contact grade, and none of them uses a PFAS treatment for grease resistance.
Food-grade virgin board
Bleached board made for direct food contact. Clean, bright, no recycled fiber and no mineral-oil risk from recovered paper.
14–24ptGrease-resistant board
Resistance built into the sheet rather than sprayed on. Holds fries, pastry and butter without darkening. PFAS-free.
16–24ptPE-lined cupstock
Board with a polyethylene film for hot and cold liquid. Microwave-safe for reheating; recycled only where cup collection exists.
260–350gsmAqueous-lined cupstock
A water-based lining instead of PE. Repulpable in ordinary paper recycling in more places, and compostable; a slightly shorter hold time.
260–320gsmGreaseproof and glassine
Dense, calendered paper that resists fat through the fiber. Wraps, liners and interleaves; breathable, so pastry stays crisp.
30–55gsmFood-grade corrugated
E and B flute with a food-contact liner, vented where steam has to leave. Pizza, catering and anything hot and heavy.
E and B fluteMolded pulp and bagasse
Fiber pressed into a shape. Holds heat, resists grease with no lining, composts, and takes only an embossed or one-color mark.
Molded to shapeRecycled board
Post-consumer fiber. Used for outers, sleeves and anything that does not touch food directly — not for direct contact.
Non-contact onlyNot 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.
Food finishes are limited by what may touch food, and that is the point.
Food-safe inks
Printed on the outer face only. Every food pack we make uses them, laminated or not.
Uncoated kraft
No coating at all. Breathable, so pastry stays crisp, and it takes one or two colors.
Aqueous varnish
Scuff resistance without a plastic film, so the pack still repulps.
Molded emboss
A logo pressed into pulp or bagasse. No ink, nothing to rub off, and it survives grease.
Grease-resistant face
Not a finish you can see. It is in the sheet, it is PFAS-free, and it is why the print stays clean.
Matte lamination
Available on outers and sleeves that never touch food — a cake box lid, a carrier, a gift sleeve.
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 food packaging around a portion, hot: bagel boxes
Food is sized by serving, not by dimensions, and it is served hot, heaped and in a hurry. Send us the portion — or better, the box you use now with the food in it — and we size to how it is actually filled.
- Portion, heaped
- Fries, popcorn and salad are served above the rim. A box sized to a level fill looks mean and spills in a bag.
- Lid clearance
- Enough that a loaded burger or a topped cake does not touch the lid. This is the single most common complaint about a food box.
- Venting
- Hot food steams. Vents in the lid keep pastry and fries crisp; a sealed box is right only for cold food.
- Grease path
- Where the fat sits decides the board. Say if the food is fried, buttered or sauced, and whether it is held for minutes or an hour.
- Stacking in a bag
- Delivery boxes are stacked five high on a bike. The lid has to hold the box above it off the food below.
- Sample fill
- A plain box filled from your kitchen settles the size in one try, and we send one before the run.
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 Bagel 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 bagel 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.
What size box for a dozen bagels?
About 11 × 8 × 6.5 in as two layers of six with a divider, or a 16 × 12 in flat tray for catering. Bagel sizes vary, so send us yours and we confirm.
Will the bagels sweat in the box?
A dozen warm ones will in a sealed box. Lid vents, plus a low wall row on the two-layer box, let the steam out so the top row stays dry.
Is the box strong enough for the weight?
With an auto-lock base, yes — a dozen weighs about three pounds and a tuck base sags. For a two-layer box we recommend E-flute.
Can it have a handle?
Yes. A die-cut lid handle for a half dozen; a through-flap or gable handle for a dozen, so the load goes into the walls.
Do you supply the divider sheet?
Yes, a greaseproof or plain paper sheet between the layers so the top row does not stick to the bottom.
Kraft or white?
Kraft — it hides seeds and handling and is what bagel shops use. White shows every seed.
Can I have a window?
Yes, in the lid, so the variety mix shows. That is usually what a dozen is bought on.
Can the box be sealed for delivery?
Use a tamper label over the tuck rather than tape. Taping the lid covers the vents and the bagels sweat.
Does the box come flat?
Yes, die-cut and shipped flat. The auto-lock base pops into shape when the box is opened.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes per size. Boxes run several-up on a sheet, so short runs are practical.
How long does production take?
It depends on the board and the quantity. We give a date with the quote rather than a number before we have seen the spec.
Will you send a sample?
An unprinted box in your size, so you can load a warm dozen into it and carry it before print.
Same range
