Custom Oil Filter Boxes
Custom oil filter boxes from 100 — cartons sized to the spin-on can or the cartridge element, strong enough for a pound of steel and filter media, with the part number, thread size and fitment where a parts counter reads them first.
A steel can, a rubber gasket and a part number
- Board
- 18–24 pt SBS or kraft boxboard; E flute for heavy-duty filters
- Builds
- Tuck carton, crash-lock base, divided multi-pack shipper
- Inside
- Base-plate pad; O-ring bag pocket for cartridge elements
Get a price for Oil Filter 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.
Spin-on or cartridge
| Spin-on filter | Steel can with base plate and gasket; square carton just over the can size |
|---|---|
| Cartridge element | Paper or synthetic element with O-rings; a lighter carton, sometimes a bag inside |
| Heavy-duty and diesel | Tall cans; E flute carton or a reinforced base |
| Multi-pack or fleet case | Six or twelve filters in a divided shipper |
Protecting the gasket and the threads
The gasket sits in a groove on the base plate and is the one part that fails if it is nicked or dirty. A board pad over the base plate, or a carton sized so the base does not rub the flaps, keeps it clean. Cartridge elements carry their O-rings loose in a small bag inside the carton, and that bag needs a place to sit where it will not fall out when the box is opened.
Say whether the filter ships with the gasket fitted or loose. It changes the inside of the carton.
Numbers on four faces
Oil filters are sold from racks where only the end of the box shows, and from bays where the front shows. Both have to carry the number. Our air filter boxes for engine and cabin filters follow the same panel logic for the other filter in a service.
- Part number large on the front and on both ends.
- Thread size, gasket diameter and height on a side panel.
- A cross-reference line for the common equivalent numbers, if you use one.
- Barcode on a matte patch with its quiet zone clear.
A range on a few carton sizes
An aftermarket filter range can run to hundreds of part numbers but only a handful of can sizes. We map the range onto as few carton sizes as the cans allow, keep one print layout, and change only the variable panel per part. A new number is then a text change, not a new die, and the color band per family stays consistent across the rack.
Board for a heavy, oily part
A filled spin-on filter can weigh close to a pound, and filters are often handled with oily hands. A clay-coated boxboard with a gloss or matte laminate wipes clean and resists the oil; kraft board suits a value range. Heavy-duty filters move to E flute so the base does not blow out when the carton is lifted by its top.
Oil Filter 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
- 18–24 pt SBS or kraft boxboard; E flute for heavy-duty filters
- Builds
- Tuck carton, crash-lock base, divided multi-pack shipper
- Inside
- Base-plate pad; O-ring bag pocket for cartridge elements
- Panels
- Part number front and both ends, thread and gasket size, barcode
- Finish
- Gloss or matte laminate for oil resistance
- System
- Range mapped to shared carton sizes and one print layout
- Minimum
- 100 cartons 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 oil filter 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: oil filter 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 Oil Filter 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 oil filter 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 does an oil filter need?
A square carton just over the can diameter and height. We size it from your filter drawing or a sample.
Can the box hold a heavy-duty filter?
Yes, in E flute or with a crash-lock base so a heavy can does not push through the bottom.
How do you protect the gasket?
A board pad over the base plate and a carton sized so the base does not rub the flaps.
Do you make boxes for cartridge filters?
Yes, lighter cartons with a pocket for the O-ring bag so it does not fall out on opening.
Where should the part number go?
Front and both ends. Filters are shelved end-out on racks and face-out in retail bays.
Can one box design cover many part numbers?
Yes. The carton and layout stay the same and only the variable panel changes.
Will the box resist oil?
A laminated boxboard wipes clean and resists oily handling better than an uncoated board.
Can you add a cross-reference panel?
Yes, a side panel listing equivalent numbers if your range uses one.
Do you make multi-pack shippers?
Yes, divided cases for six or twelve filters for fleets and workshops.
Are oil filter cartons delivered flat?
Yes, glued and flat; crash-lock bases pop square when the carton is opened.
What is the minimum order for oil filter boxes?
100 cartons per size. A range mapped onto a few can sizes can print many part numbers in one run.
What affects the lead time for filter cartons?
Mostly the number of carton sizes and variable panels in the range. We give a date with the quote.
Same range
