Custom Tuck End Auto Bottom Boxes
Custom tuck end auto bottom boxes — a tuck flap on top and a crash-lock base that snaps square as the box opens — for jars, bottles and heavy products, sized and printed from 100. Dieline and price the same working day.
The base locks itself, so the box is ready the moment it is opened
- Board
- 18–24pt folding boxboard, coated or kraft
- Builds
- Tuck top with crash-lock (auto) bottom; 1-2-3 bottom alternative
- Load
- Carries jars, bottles and packs over 300 g
Get a price for Tuck End Auto Bottom 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 the base matters
A tuck-bottom carton holds a light product; put a 300 g jar in it and the bottom tuck pushes open on the shelf or in a bag. The crash-lock base is four interlocking panels glued at the factory, and it carries weight because the panels bear on each other rather than on a tuck. It also cuts filling time — the box opens ready — which on a line is the larger saving.
Products that need it
| Jars and pots | Cosmetics, candles, food — anything with a glass base |
|---|---|
| Bottles | Oils, serums, spirits miniatures, supplements |
| Electronics | A device with a charger; a filled box that is stood on a shelf |
| Multi-item packs | Anything where the total weight passes 300 g |
Auto bottom against the alternatives
For a filling line or a heavy product, auto bottom. For a heavy product filled by hand in small numbers, 1-2-3 bottom is the cheaper board. Our straight tuck end boxes for light products are the tuck-bottom version.
- Tuck bottom — cheapest, light products only; folds by hand.
- Auto (crash-lock) bottom — locks as it opens; carries weight; costs a little more board and glue.
- 1-2-3 (snap-lock) bottom — folds by hand in three moves; carries weight; no extra glue; slower to set up.
Board and the glue
18–24pt folding boxboard, coated or kraft, with the base glued in two places at the factory. The box ships flat and pops open square; the base cannot be shipped unglued. A friction or slit tuck on top, a tamper perforation if wanted, and a window or an insert cut on the same die.
The auto bottom needs the box to be squeezed open firmly the first time so the base snaps. On a line it is done by the erector; by hand it is a habit learned in a minute.
Print and the shelf
A crash-lock carton stands square with the weight in it, which is what a shelf wants. Full color, laminated, foil and spot UV on the front; the base is plain or carries the barcode and the regulatory text. Inside print is a second pass.
Tuck End Auto Bottom 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
- 18–24pt folding boxboard, coated or kraft
- Builds
- Tuck top with crash-lock (auto) bottom; 1-2-3 bottom alternative
- Load
- Carries jars, bottles and packs over 300 g
- Assembly
- Base locks as the box is squeezed open; no tape
- Full color; foil, spot UV, window; inside print
- Supply
- Glued flat; pops open square
- 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 tuck end auto bottom 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: tuck end auto bottom 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 Tuck End Auto Bottom 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 tuck end auto bottom 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 an auto bottom box?
A carton whose base is glued so it folds flat and locks square as the box is opened. It carries weight and needs no folding or tape at the bottom.
When do I need one instead of a tuck bottom?
When the product weighs more than about 300 g, or when the box is filled on a line and setup time matters.
Will the base open under weight?
No. The panels bear on each other rather than on a tuck, which is what makes it carry a jar or a bottle.
What is a 1-2-3 bottom?
A base that folds by hand in three moves and locks without glue. It carries weight but is slower to set up than an auto bottom.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes.
Does it ship flat?
Yes, with the base glued, and it pops open square.
Can I have a window?
Yes, on the front or a side, cut on the same die.
Can the top tuck be tamper-evident?
Yes, with a perforation on the tuck flap.
Does it cost more than a tuck box?
A little, for the extra board and glue in the base. On a line the setup saving usually outweighs it.
What board do you use?
18–24pt boxboard, coated for full color or kraft for one or two colors.
Can the base be printed?
Yes, usually with the barcode and the regulatory text.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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