Custom Kraft Gable Boxes
A kraft gable box is about as simple as packaging gets: one flat blank, no glue at the closure, no separate handle, no coating. It carries a meal home, stands on a counter and recycles in one piece — and it is the cheapest branded carrier we make.
- Build
- Gable-top carton with integral die-cut handle; locking base
- Board
- Natural kraft, 250–350gsm; grease-resistant food-grade for unwrapped food
- Handle
- Rounded die-cut with a reinforced lip
Get a price for Kraft Gable 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.
Why kraft rather than white
Natural kraft is unbleached, so it costs less and it reads as the honest, unfussy choice — which for food and gifting is usually the right signal. It also hides grease marks and handling far better than white board.
What it does not do is reproduce color. A brand color printed on kraft comes out warmer and duller than the proof, and photographic images lose most of their contrast. Design in one or two flat colors and kraft is excellent; ask it to carry a full-color photograph and it will disappoint.
A white ink underbase makes a bright color possible on kraft, at the cost of an extra pass. It also removes most of the reason for choosing kraft.
The handle is part of the board
Because the handle cannot detach, a gable box carries more than a bag of comparable weight. What limits it is the board tearing at the cut, which a heavier grade and a rounded hole both delay.
| Die-cut handle | Integral, free, no joint to fail |
|---|---|
| Load limit | Set by board grade, not by the handle |
| Comfort | A rounded cut with a reinforced lip does not bite the hand |
| Failure mode | The board tears from the hole outward, not the handle detaching |
Food-grade, and what that means here
Uncoated kraft in direct contact with hot or greasy food will mark within minutes and the mark reaches the outside. For anything unwrapped, specify a grease-resistant food-grade stock rather than plain kraft.
For a box carrying wrapped or boxed items — a meal in cartons, a gift set, retail goods — plain kraft is fine and cheaper. The carrier and load reasoning is in our printed carrier notes.
It stands up, which a bag does not
- A gable box holds its shape open while it is filled, one-handed, at a counter.
- It stands on a passenger seat or a table without tipping its contents out.
- It stacks poorly, because the gable top is not flat — plan for that in a delivery bag.
- A bag beats it only on price and on how flat it packs.
Printed simply, because that suits it
One or two colors on natural kraft is the look this format has settled into, and it is not only a cost decision. A single-color mark on brown board reads as deliberate; a busy full-color print on the same board reads as a compromise.
The inside is worth a thought too. A gable box is carried open-topped or opened at a table, and the inner faces are visible in a way a closed carton's never are.
Kraft Gable 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
- Build
- Gable-top carton with integral die-cut handle; locking base
- Board
- Natural kraft, 250–350gsm; grease-resistant food-grade for unwrapped food
- Handle
- Rounded die-cut with a reinforced lip
- One or two colors flexo; white underbase available
- Supply
- Flat-packed, folds up in seconds
- 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 kraft gable 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: kraft gable 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 Kraft Gable 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 kraft gable 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.
Will my brand color print accurately on kraft?
No — it comes out warmer and duller. Design in flat colors, or add a white underbase and accept an extra pass.
How much will a gable box carry?
More than a bag of the same weight, because the handle cannot detach. The limit is the board tearing at the cut.
Do I need food-grade board?
For anything unwrapped, yes, and grease-resistant with it. For wrapped or boxed contents, plain kraft is fine.
Do they stack?
Poorly — the gable top is not flat. Plan for that if they go into a delivery bag.
What size handle hole is comfortable?
A rounded cut with a reinforced lip. Comfort and load capacity both improve with the reinforcement, not the size.
Can I print the inside of a kraft gable box?
Yes, and it is visible whenever the box is carried open-topped or opened at a table.
Will my brand color print accurately on kraft?
No — it comes out warmer and duller. Design in flat colors, or add a white underbase and accept an extra pass.
How much will a gable box carry?
More than a bag of the same weight, because the handle cannot detach. The limit is the board tearing at the cut.
Do I need food-grade board?
For anything unwrapped, yes, and grease-resistant with it. For wrapped or boxed contents, plain kraft is fine and cheaper.
Do they stack?
Poorly — the gable top is not flat. Plan for that if they go into a delivery bag.
Same range
