Custom Sock Boxes
Custom sock boxes for a single pair, a gift set or a monthly subscription, from 100 units. A window that shows the pattern, a divider that keeps three pairs in order, and a mailer thin enough for a letter box — because socks are one of the few products that can be posted without a parcel.
Small, soft, sold on the pattern, and posted through a letter box
- Board
- 16–20 pt SBS or kraft; 22 pt for the letter-box mailer
- Formats
- Window carton, set of three with dividers, gift set with lid, letter-box mailer
- Window
- Non-cling film, cut to the pattern face; full-length on sets
Get a price for Sock 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.
One pair, three pairs, a subscription
Socks compress, so the box depth is a choice rather than a measurement. A folded pair sits at about 1.5 in loose and under an inch pressed; the letter-box mailer relies on that.
| Single pair | 4 × 3 × 1.5 in window carton, or a band-and-sleeve — the shelf format |
|---|---|
| Set of three | 9 × 4 × 1.5 in box with two dividers, window across all three |
| Gift set of six | Two rows of three, a lift-off lid, a divider grid |
| Subscription | 9 × 6 × 0.9 in letter-box mailer, one to two pairs flat |
The window is the sale
A sock is bought on the pattern, and the pattern is on the foot and the leg. A window that shows the top of the folded pair shows the cuff and nothing else, so we fold the pair with the pattern facing out and cut the window to that face. On a set of three the window runs the length of the box so all three patterns show side by side. The alternative to a box — a printed band around the folded pair — is the lower-cost shelf format and is on our sock sleeves that wrap a folded pair page.
A window film touches the sock. Use a film that does not cling to the knit, or the pair comes out with the window stuck to it.
Dividers, so three stays three
- Two paperboard dividers glued into the base, so each pair has a cell.
- A one-piece folded divider that drops in, cheaper and removable.
- A slotted platform that stands each pair on edge, showing the leg pattern.
- For six, a three-by-two grid, with the lid printed inside.
Through the letter box
One or two pairs flat in a box under an inch thick goes through a letter box, which means no failed delivery and the cheapest postage band. That is the whole business model of a sock subscription, and the box has to hold the thickness: a lid that locks flat, board stiff enough not to bow, and a size checked against the carrier's letter dimensions before the die is cut. We size it against the bands using the method in our note on parcel sizes and postage bands. A quarter inch over the limit turns a letter into a parcel on every box.
Sock 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
- 16–20 pt SBS or kraft; 22 pt for the letter-box mailer
- Formats
- Window carton, set of three with dividers, gift set with lid, letter-box mailer
- Window
- Non-cling film, cut to the pattern face; full-length on sets
- Dividers
- Glued, drop-in, or slotted platform
- Letter-box mailer
- Under 1 in thick, locking lid, checked against carrier letter bands
- 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 sock 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: sock 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 Sock 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 sock 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 for one pair?
About 4 × 3 × 1.5 in as a window carton. Socks compress, so the depth is a choice; a pressed pair sits under an inch.
Can the window show the pattern?
Yes, if the pair is folded pattern-out and the window is cut to that face. On a set the window runs the length of the box so all three show.
Will the window stick to the sock?
Not with a non-cling film. Standard window film can grab a knit, so we specify one that does not.
Can I do a set of three?
Yes, with dividers so each pair has a cell. It is where most of the value in socks is.
Does the mailer go through a letter box?
Yes, under an inch thick with one or two pairs flat. We check the size against the carrier letter bands before cutting the die.
Can the letter-box mailer be printed?
Yes, inside and out. A printed inside lid is the reveal for a subscription.
Kraft or white?
Either. Kraft with one color suits a natural or men's line; white with a window suits a patterned range where the sock is the color.
Does the box ship flat?
Yes, die-cut and folded flat. Glued dividers are set in at the factory; drop-in ones ship separately.
Is it recyclable?
Yes, as paperboard. The window film is the one part to leave out if that matters — a die-cut window with no film works for a set on a shelf.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes per size. Small cartons run many-up on a sheet.
How long does production take?
It depends on the format and the quantity. We give a date with the quote rather than a number before we have seen the spec.
Will you send a sample?
An unprinted box in your size, so you can fold your socks into it and, for a mailer, post it through your own letter box before print.
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