Custom Coffee Pod Boxes
Custom coffee pod boxes sized to your capsule — Nespresso-style, K-Cup or compostable — from 100 units. Ten in a sleeve, forty in a display carton with a tear-open front, or a variety box with a divider per blend, each built so the pods do not rattle and the front panel does the selling.
Small, round, sold in tens, and stacked in a cupboard
- Board
- 16–20 pt SBS or kraft; E-flute corrugated for the case
- Formats
- Capsule, K-Cup, compostable pod; built to your pod dimensions
- Counts
- 10, 20, 24, 40, 50, 80
Get a price for Coffee Pod 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.
Sized to the pod, in rows
Pod formats differ: a Nespresso-style capsule is a 37 mm cone, a K-Cup is a 50 mm cup, a compostable pod is often a little larger and softer. The box is built as rows of a set count, with the internal width a fraction over the pod diameter times the row length, so the pods sit shoulder to shoulder and cannot turn over. A box designed for one format holds another with a rattle or not at all.
| 10 pods | Single row sleeve, 15 × 1.5 × 1.5 in for capsules; the retail sleeve |
|---|---|
| 20–24 | Two rows in a tuck carton, or two sleeves in an outer |
| 40–50 | Display carton, 4–5 rows, tear-open front that becomes a dispenser |
| 80 | Corrugated case with an inner tray; the subscription and club size |
The tear-open front
The carton that lives in the cupboard is opened once and then reached into forty times. A perforated front panel that tears out to leave a low lip turns the box into a dispenser, and it is the feature customers thank you for. The perforation has to tear cleanly the first time and hold in transit — the same tension we set on our easy-tear boxes with a clean opening strip, tuned here to a lighter board.
Keep the blend name and the intensity number on the panel that stays, not the one that tears off. Once the front is gone the side is what the customer reads.
Telling five boxes apart
- A color per blend, carried on the end panel — the panel that shows when boxes stand in a row.
- An intensity or roast scale printed large enough to read across a kitchen.
- The pod count on the front, because customers compare on it.
- A window is not needed; the pods all look the same and the window weakens the dispenser front.
The variety box, and the subscription case
A variety box holds two to five blends in one carton, and needs a divider or a set of inner sleeves so the blends do not mix; the inner sleeve is the same ten-pod sleeve, unprinted or one color. A subscription case is a corrugated mailer with a tray, sized to carrier bands and built to ship alone — the version of that we make for beans is on our e-commerce coffee boxes for direct shipping page, and the pod case follows the same rules with a divider instead of a bag.
Coffee Pod 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
- 16–20 pt SBS or kraft; E-flute corrugated for the case
- Formats
- Capsule, K-Cup, compostable pod; built to your pod dimensions
- Counts
- 10, 20, 24, 40, 50, 80
- Styles
- Sleeve, tuck carton, display carton with tear-open front, variety box, mailer case
- Blend color on the end panel, intensity scale, count on the front
- 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 coffee pod 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: coffee pod 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 Coffee Pod 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 coffee pod 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 pod formats do you size for?
Nespresso-style capsules, K-Cups and compostable pods, each to its own dimensions. Send us one pod and we build the rows around it.
Will the pods rattle?
Not in a box built to the pod. The rows are sized a fraction over the pod diameter so they sit shoulder to shoulder and cannot turn over.
Can the box work as a dispenser?
Yes, with a perforated front that tears out to leave a lip. It is the feature customers notice most on a cupboard carton.
Does the perforation open in shipping?
No. It is set to tear cleanly on the first pull and hold in transit, on the same tension we use for tear-strip cartons.
Can I do a variety box?
Yes, with a divider or inner sleeves per blend, so the blends stay separate. Two to five blends in one carton is common.
Do I need a window?
No. Pods all look the same, and a window weakens the dispenser front. Spend the money on the end-panel color instead.
Can the box ship on its own?
The corrugated case can, with an inner tray. It is sized to carrier bands for subscriptions.
Is the board recyclable?
Yes, the carton and the case are plain paperboard and corrugated with no liner, because the pods are sealed individually.
Can I print the intensity scale?
Yes, and we recommend printing it large. It is what customers read from across the room.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes per size. Sleeves and cartons run many-up on a sheet, so short runs are practical.
How long does production take?
It depends on the style 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?
A white carton in your size, so you can load your pods and test the tear-open front before print.
Same range
