Custom Pencil Hang Tab Boxes
Custom pencil hang tab boxes sized to your pencil length and count — 2, 6, 12 or 24 — with the tab cut for the store's peg, from 100. The dieline and price come back the same working day.
Long, thin, and hanging by a tab the width of a thumb
- Board
- 16pt for 2–6; 18pt for 12; 20pt or tray-and-sleeve for 24
- Builds
- Tuck end with tab, open sleeve, tray and sleeve, slotted insert
- Sizing
- Set from pencil length, shape and count; 3–4 mm length allowance
Get a price for Pencil Hang Tab 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.
Count and length set the box, nothing else does
Length is the pencil plus 3–4 mm. Round and hexagonal pencils pack differently, and a sharpened pencil needs room at the tip or the point breaks in the box. Send one pencil and the count, and we set the rest.
| 2 pencils | Internal 16 × 8 mm; a sleeve or a slim tuck |
|---|---|
| 6 pencils | 46 × 8 mm single row, or 24 × 16 mm two rows |
| 12 pencils | 48 × 16 mm two rows; the standard retail box |
| 24 pencils | 96 × 16 mm or 48 × 32 mm; tray and sleeve recommended |
A tab on a narrow box wants a narrow box that will not twist
On a 48 mm wide carton the tab is nearly the width of the box, which is good for hanging straight. On a 16 mm sleeve for two pencils there is barely room for a hole, and the box twists on the hook. For very slim packs we hang from a wider header panel — a flag above the box — or use a tray-and-sleeve where the sleeve carries the tab and the tray carries the weight.
Tuck, sleeve, or tray-and-sleeve
- Tuck end carton with hang tab — one piece, machine-glued, the standard for 6 and 12.
- Open-ended sleeve — cheapest, holds a bundle of pencils tightly; no top or bottom.
- Tray and sleeve — a tray holds the pencils in rows, a printed sleeve with a tab slides over; best for 24 and for premium sets.
Art and premium sets often add a die-cut insert that holds each pencil in its own slot. It is a second piece and worth it above about $10 retail.
Board and the tip-to-tail crush
A long narrow box is crushed lengthwise in a case or a bag. 18pt board holds a 12-count box well; 16pt is enough for 6; a 24-count box on 16pt bends. Where the box is the product — colored pencil sets sold as a gift — we build a rigid tray with a sleeve, which our stationery packaging range covers alongside pen boxes and notebook sleeves.
Print that reads on a peg wall
A wall of pencil boxes is a wall of narrow verticals, and the one that sells is the one whose front panel reads at arm's length. A strong color, the count in large type and the grade or type of pencil. Windows work well: a row of colored tips showing through a die-cut is the classic pencil pack for a reason.
Pencil Hang Tab 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
- 16pt for 2–6; 18pt for 12; 20pt or tray-and-sleeve for 24
- Builds
- Tuck end with tab, open sleeve, tray and sleeve, slotted insert
- Sizing
- Set from pencil length, shape and count; 3–4 mm length allowance
- Hang tab
- Euro-slot or round, integral or header flag on slim packs
- Full color; die-cut tip window optional
- Supply
- Flat, glued; trays supplied flat and folded at the bench
- 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 pencil hang tab 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: pencil hang tab 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 Pencil Hang Tab 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 pencil hang tab 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 many pencils can a hang tab box hold?
From 2 to 24 in a single carton. Above 24 the box is wide and heavy enough that a tray and sleeve is the sensible build.
Do I need to send you a pencil?
It is the easiest way. Pencil length and diameter vary by brand and by whether they are pre-sharpened, and a sample removes the guessing.
Will a 2-pencil box hang straight?
Not from a hole in a 16 mm sleeve. For very slim packs we use a wider header flag above the box so the tab has room and the box does not twist.
Can there be a window to show the tips?
Yes. A die-cut window across the top of the front panel showing the colored tips is the most common feature on a pencil box.
What board thickness do you use?
16pt for small counts, 18pt for a 12-count, 20pt or a tray for 24. The box is crushed lengthwise in transit, so the count sets the board.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Can each pencil sit in its own slot?
Yes, with a die-cut insert. It is a second piece and suits art and premium sets rather than school packs.
Does the box ship flat?
Yes, glued and flat. Tuck cartons pop open and load from the end; trays fold at your bench.
Can the same box work for pens or brushes?
Yes. The build is the same; only the internal size changes. Brushes usually need the tray build to protect the bristles.
Do you match a retailer's hook?
Yes. A Euro-slot fits nearly all, and if the store specifies something else we cut to it.
Can I have a plain sample?
Yes, at the finished size. Fill it with your pencils and hang it — that shows whether the tab and the board are right.
Do you send a dieline?
With the quote, before anything is cut.
Same range
