Custom Crockery Boxes
Custom crockery boxes from 100 — kraft or printed corrugated boxes with die-cut inserts that stand plates on edge, nest bowls and hold mugs apart, for a single piece or a full dinner set.
Ceramic only breaks where one piece touches another
- Board
- Corrugated E or B flute in kraft or white; double wall for sets that ship alone
- Inserts
- Die-cut corrugated or folding board; foam for fine porcelain
- Formats
- Single-piece box, mug box, layered dinner set box, window and sleeve options
Order online
Order crockery boxes
Starting from $2.50 per unit
Printed to your artwork or plain, sold in runs of 100 up to 5,000 units per product online. Freight to the US, UK, Canada and Australia is inside the price.
How an online order runs
- Add the units you needThen check out with your delivery address. Add other products to the same order on the way.
- A digital proof comes backLaid on the dieline, before anything prints. Change it as often as you need.
- Pay once you approve itPay by PayPal invoice or bank transfer after you approve your digital proof, or cash on delivery in the US and Canada.
- We make it and ship it deliveredYour delivery date is confirmed with the proof, against the spec and your fill date. Freight and customs are handled on the way to you.
Another size, board or finish, or more than 5,000 units? Send the spec for a price instead. Freight by market and our terms cover delivery and remakes.
Get a price for Crockery 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.
How each piece of a set is held
| Dinner and side plates | Stood on edge in slotted card, or stacked with a pad between each |
|---|---|
| Bowls | Nested upside down over a die-cut collar, or each in its own well |
| Mugs and cups | Individual cells with the handle turned the same way |
| Serving platters | A flat bed with a raised border so the rim never meets the wall |
| Mixed dinner set | Layered tray: plates below, bowls and mugs above on a second deck |
Kraft corrugated for weight, printed board for the shelf
A 16-piece stoneware set weighs as much as a small bag of cement, and the box has to lift by its handholds without the base bowing. That is an E or B flute corrugated job. The kraft boxes in the photos are exactly that: plain brown board, a printed logo, and an insert inside doing the real work.
A single boxed mug or a pair of bowls sold on a shelf can go lighter, in a printed folding carton with a card insert, the way a gift shop expects it to look.
Inserts cut from the same board
We cut the insert from corrugated or folding board rather than foam wherever the shape allows. It is stiffer around a plate rim, it recycles with the box, and it can be printed with the name of each piece. Foam is kept for fine porcelain that needs a soft bed. Our guide to inserts that hold a product in place goes through the options in more detail.
A window to show the glaze
- A die-cut window on the front panel lets a buyer see the glaze color without opening the box.
- A half-sleeve over a kraft box shows the stacked plates and carries the print.
- A printed photo of the laid table on the lid for sets sold in department stores.
- Piece counts and care instructions (dishwasher, microwave, oven) on a side panel.
Sending dinnerware by courier
A crockery box that ships to a home is dropped, thrown and stacked in a van. For direct-to-customer orders we size the retail box to slide inside a shipping outer with room for a cushion, or build the box itself in double-wall board with a tighter insert so it can ship on its own. Tell us which, because a box that only ever sits on a shelf can be lighter and cheaper. For cookware sold beside the plates, see our boxes for pans, pots and cookware sets.
Send the diameter and height of each piece and the number in the set. A sample set is the fastest way to a dieline that fits.
Crockery 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 E or B flute in kraft or white; double wall for sets that ship alone
- Inserts
- Die-cut corrugated or folding board; foam for fine porcelain
- Formats
- Single-piece box, mug box, layered dinner set box, window and sleeve options
- One-color logo on kraft to full-color print with lamination
- Handling
- Handholds on heavy sets; sized to fit a shipping outer if required
- 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 crockery 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: crockery 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 Crockery 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 crockery 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 do crockery boxes stop plates from breaking?
By keeping each plate apart. The insert stands plates on edge in slots or stacks them with a pad between each, so no rim knocks another.
Can one crockery box hold a full dinner set?
Yes. A layered insert holds plates on the base and bowls and mugs on a second deck above, all in one box.
What board is best for a heavy stoneware set?
E or B flute corrugated, with handholds. A full set is heavy and the base must not bow when the box is lifted.
Are the crockery box inserts foam or cardboard?
Usually cardboard, cut from the same corrugated or folding board. Foam is used for fine porcelain that needs a softer bed.
Can a crockery box ship by courier without an outer box?
Yes, if it is built in double-wall board with a tight insert. Otherwise we size it to fit inside a shipping outer with cushioning.
Can I show the glaze through the crockery box?
Yes. A die-cut window on the front panel or a half-sleeve over a kraft box shows the pieces without opening it.
Do you make boxes for a single mug or bowl?
Yes. Single-piece crockery boxes in printed folding board with a card insert, for gift shops and retail shelves.
What do I need to send for a crockery box quote?
The diameter and height of each piece, how many are in the set, and whether the box sells on a shelf or ships to a home.
Can care instructions be printed on crockery boxes?
Yes. Dishwasher, microwave and oven guidance and the piece count usually go on a side panel.
Can kraft crockery boxes be printed?
Yes. A one- or two-color logo on natural kraft is the common look; full-color print goes on white board.
Do you make crockery boxes for restaurants and hotel suppliers?
Yes. Plain or lightly printed boxes that hold a stack of plates or bowls by the dozen, with a pad between each piece.
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