Custom Compostable Boxes
Custom compostable boxes built so the whole carton composts — uncoated board, water-based ink, starch glue, no film — sized to your product from 100. The spec states exactly what is in it, and the dieline and price come back the same working day.
Compostable is a list of ingredients, not a logo
- Board
- Uncoated or clay-coated boxboard 16–24pt; E and B flute; no laminate
- Builds
- Tuck, crash-lock, mailer, shipper, tray, sleeve; no rigid
- Ink
- Water- or vegetable-based; no metallic, no UV
Get a price for Compostable 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.
The five parts, and the choice for each
Each line is a decision we make on the spec, and the quote names them, so a claim on the box is a claim about that box.
| Board | Uncoated or clay-coated virgin or recycled fiber; no plastic laminate |
|---|---|
| Ink | Water-based or vegetable-based; no metallic or UV-cured |
| Adhesive | Starch or dextrin glue; no hot-melt |
| Window | None, or a cellulose film certified for compost |
| Finish | None, or a water-based varnish; no lamination, no foil |
Home compost or industrial compost
Plain board, water-based ink and starch glue break down in a garden heap in months. A cellulose window and some coatings need the heat of an industrial facility and do not compost at home. The two are different claims with different certifications, and a box sold as compostable in a market where there is no industrial collection is effectively recyclable-or-landfill. Our note on recyclable, compostable and recycled sets out what each word promises.
What you give up, honestly
For most brands that want the claim, the trade is worth it, and an uncoated board with a good design reads as deliberate rather than plain.
- No lamination, so the box scuffs sooner and is not wipe-clean.
- No foil, no metallic ink, no soft-touch — the finish is the board and the print.
- No plastic window; cellulose film is the only option and costs more.
- Print is slightly softer on uncoated board — colors read warmer and a little less saturated.
Builds that compost as well as they close
Tuck-end and crash-lock cartons in folding boxboard, mailers and shippers in E and B flute, trays and sleeves — every folding construction we make can be built to the compostable spec. Rigid boxes cannot: the wrap adhesive and the grayboard density do not meet the standard, and we say so rather than stretch the word.
A paper tape or a starch-glued seal keeps the shipped box compostable. A plastic tape on a compostable box undoes the claim on the doorstep.
Certification and what can be printed on the box
We build to the compostable stock specification and can supply the material certificates for the board, ink and glue on request. A certification mark on the box itself belongs to the certifying body and is applied under their scheme, not ours; we print it when you hold the license and never otherwise.
Compostable 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
- Uncoated or clay-coated boxboard 16–24pt; E and B flute; no laminate
- Builds
- Tuck, crash-lock, mailer, shipper, tray, sleeve; no rigid
- Ink
- Water- or vegetable-based; no metallic, no UV
- Adhesive
- Starch or dextrin
- Window
- None, or certified cellulose film
- Documentation
- Material certificates for board, ink and glue on request
- 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 compostable 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: compostable 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 Compostable 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 compostable 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 makes a box compostable?
Every part of it: the board, the ink, the glue, any window and any finish. We choose each on the spec and name them on the quote.
Is it home compostable?
Plain board with water-based ink and starch glue is. A cellulose window or certain coatings need an industrial facility. The quote says which grade the box meets.
Can I have a laminated finish?
No. Lamination is a plastic film and stops the box composting. A water-based varnish is the only finish available.
Can I have foil?
No. Foil and metallic inks are not compostable. A deboss gives a premium mark without either.
Can it have a window?
Only with a certified cellulose film, which is industrially compostable and costs more than PET. Without a window, the box composts at home.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Are rigid boxes compostable?
No. The dense grayboard and the wrap adhesive do not meet the standard, and we do not describe them that way.
Will the print look different?
Slightly. Uncoated board prints warmer and less saturated than a laminated coated board. We can send a printed sample of the stock.
Can I put a compostable logo on the box?
If you hold a license from the certifying body, yes. We supply material certificates for the stock; the mark itself belongs to the scheme.
Does the shipping tape matter?
Yes. Use paper tape or a starch-glued seal. A plastic tape on a compostable box breaks the claim.
Is compostable better than recyclable?
Not always. Where there is no compost collection, a recyclable box is more likely to be recovered. Our guide on the three terms explains the choice.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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