Custom Round Top Boxes
Custom round top boxes from 100 — a cylinder base with a lift-off round lid, made with a straight or scalloped lid edge, wrapped in printed paper and sized as single boxes or nested sets.
A cylinder with a lid you lift straight up
- Board
- Cardboard tube wall 1.5–2 mm with a printed paper wrap; kraft wall with a label for the budget build
- Construction
- Two-piece: round base and lift-off lid; straight or scalloped lid edge
- Full color wrap on base and lid; foil, embossing or a window on the lid top
Order online
Order round top boxes
Starting from $1.50 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 Round Top 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 the lid is meant to feel
The lid is cut a fraction wider than the base so it drops on under its own weight and stops on a shoulder or on the base rim. Too loose and it rattles and falls off when the box is picked up by the lid; too tight and the customer pulls the base out of the wrap trying to open it. We set the gap to the wall thickness and the wrap, then check it on a sample before the run.
A deeper lid, a third of the box height or more, reads as more expensive and holds better when the box is carried. A shallow lid suits stacking and shows more of the base wrap.
Straight edge or scalloped edge
The scalloped edge is cut on the lid band before it is wrapped, so the wrap follows the curve and no raw board shows.
| Straight lid edge | Clean, modern; the usual choice for candles and cosmetics |
|---|---|
| Scalloped lid edge | A wavy die-cut rim; reads as a hat box or a gift box |
| Lid with a window | Round clear panel in the top to show a candle surface or a soap |
| Lid with a ribbon | Ribbon threaded through the base or tied round the lid seam |
Nested sets, from the smallest to the largest
Round top boxes are often sold in sets of three or five that stack inside each other for shipping and stand in a tower on a shelf. Each size in a set is made a few millimeters smaller than the one around it, so the set nests without jamming. A set can share one printed design or take a different color per size, which is how pastel tower sets are made.
For a nested set, send the size of the smallest item and the outside size you want for the largest box. We work out the steps in between.
What usually goes in one
For jar candles in a straight-sided carton instead, see our candle boxes for jars and tins.
- Container candles: the jar sits on a card ring so it cannot slide against the wall.
- Bath salts, body butter and loose powder in a jar or a pouch.
- Tea, chocolate truffles and cookies, with a food-safe liner where the food is unwrapped.
- Flowers and preserved roses, in a deep base with a foam or card insert.
- Small accessories and gifts: scarves, hair ties, jewelry, keepsakes.
The wrap is the whole design
Base and lid are each covered in a printed paper wrap, folded over the top edge and tucked under the bottom. Because the surface is a single unbroken curve, a pattern or an illustration can run right round the box with no seam on show except one fine overlap at the back. Matte, gloss and soft-touch papers all wrap well; foil and embossing are done on the lid top, where the eye goes first.
A plain kraft wall with a printed label is the low-cost option and still looks deliberate. Our round kraft boxes with natural walls cover that build in more depth.
Sizes we are asked for most
Diameter first, height second. Any size can be made to order; these are only where most projects start. Our wider range of folding and specialty boxes has the square and shaped styles.
| 3 x 3 in | Single candle, lip balm set, small jewelry |
|---|---|
| 4 x 4 in | Standard jar candle, body butter, tea tin |
| 6 x 5 in | Gift sets, bath salts, a dozen truffles |
| 8 x 6 in and up | Flower boxes, hat-box style gifts, the largest box of a nested set |
Round Top 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
- Cardboard tube wall 1.5–2 mm with a printed paper wrap; kraft wall with a label for the budget build
- Construction
- Two-piece: round base and lift-off lid; straight or scalloped lid edge
- Full color wrap on base and lid; foil, embossing or a window on the lid top
- Extras
- Card ring or foam insert, ribbon, food-safe liner, nested sets of 3 or 5
- Sizes
- Made to order by diameter and height; nested sets stepped to fit
- 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 round top 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: round top 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 Round Top 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 round top 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 is a round top box?
A round box made of two parts: a cylinder base and a round lid that lifts straight off. There are no flaps or corners.
Why does the lid of a round top box sometimes fall off or stick?
The gap between lid and base is wrong. We size the lid to the wall thickness and the wrap and check the fit on a sample before the run.
Can a round top box have a scalloped lid?
Yes. The wavy edge is die-cut on the lid band before wrapping, so the printed paper follows the curve.
Can round top boxes be made as a nested set?
Yes. Sets of three or five are stepped so each box fits inside the next for shipping and stacks as a tower on display.
Are round top boxes suitable for jar candles?
Yes. A card ring holds the jar in the middle of the base so it does not knock against the wall in transit.
Can a round top box hold food?
Yes, with a food-safe liner where the food is unwrapped, such as truffles or cookies. Wrapped food goes straight in.
How is a round top box printed?
The base and the lid each get a printed paper wrap, so a design can run all the way round the box with one fine overlap at the back.
Can I add a window to a round top box lid?
Yes. A round clear panel in the lid shows a candle surface, a soap or the top of a flower arrangement.
What size round top box do I need for a 4 inch candle?
Measure the jar diameter and height and add a few millimeters each way for the insert. A 4 x 4 in box is the usual start for a standard jar.
Is there a cheaper round top box?
A kraft wall with a printed label on the lid costs less than a full printed wrap and still looks finished.
Can round top boxes be tied with ribbon?
Yes. Ribbon can be threaded through the base so the lid ties down, or wrapped round the seam as a band.
Same range
