Custom Food Packaging

Kraft Lunch Boxes

Made-to-order kraft Lunch Boxes in 12pt sbs paperboard, printed to your artwork and cut to your dimensions.

Minimum order: 100 units
Production: 3–5 business days
Construction: folding carton
Delivery: US, UK, Canada, Australia

Kraft Lunch Boxes shown as a finished custom-printed pack

No obligation

Price the material choice

Name, email, phone and what you are packing and the volumes you run. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.

What kraft lunch boxes have to cope with

Kraft Lunch Boxes hold a packed cold meal — sandwich, side and a piece of fruit — with compartments implied rather than moulded. That is the starting point for the specification, because a simple board divider is cheaper than a moulded tray and solves the mixing. Kraft with an internal coating keeps the appearance and the barrier.

In service they are used for conference catering and grab-and-go retail, packed hours before it is eaten.

Where kraft lunch boxes are actually used

Kraft Lunch Boxes are specified for conference catering and grab-and-go retail, packed hours before it is eaten. A simple board divider is cheaper than a moulded tray and solves the mixing. Kraft with an internal coating keeps the appearance and the barrier.

Conference catering and grab-and-go retail, packed hours before it is eaten
Shelf display in specialty retail
Subscription and gift sets
E-commerce inner packaging

The substrate for kraft lunch boxes

Kraft board with an internal coating: the natural look stays outside, the moisture resistance goes inside.

The options we would consider for this format are below; a simple board divider is cheaper than a moulded tray and solves the mixing. Kraft with an internal coating keeps the appearance and the barrier.

12pt SBS paperboard
14pt SBS paperboard
16pt SBS paperboard
18pt kraft board
recycled CCNB board

The environmental claim you can defend

Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims requiring three different kinds of evidence. Brands get into trouble by treating them as one.

Tell us which claim you intend to print on the pack and we will specify a material that supports it, or say plainly that it does not exist at your price point.

Printing kraft lunch boxes

One- or two-colour flexo suits the material. Full-coverage print defeats the reason kraft was chosen.

Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.

Finishing kraft lunch boxes

One- or two-colour flexo suits the material. Full-coverage print defeats the reason kraft was chosen.

Each finish below is a separate pass on the press or the finishing line, which is why they are quoted individually rather than bundled.

Gloss lamination
Matte lamination
Soft-touch lamination
Spot UV
Foil stamping
Embossing
Debossing
Aqueous coating

Sizing kraft lunch boxes

Around 8 × 6 × 2½ in, sized to hold a sandwich flat with room beside it.

Send the contents rather than a box size. Buyers choose kraft for the look and then ask for a moisture barrier, which is exactly what changes the look.

Holding kraft lunch boxes before service

Contents mix in transit because there is nothing dividing them, so the sandwich arrives with crisps embedded in it.

Paperboard also absorbs moisture from the air until it equalises with its surroundings. If stock sits more than about six weeks in unconditioned space, a moisture-resistant coating is worth its small premium.

Preparing artwork

Supply artwork on the dieline we send you, with 3 mm bleed past every trim edge and all text held 4 mm inside the fold lines.

Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.

How an order runs

The useful starting point is the product, not the pack. Give us its measurements and the quantity, and we work the folding carton outward from there.

You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.

What buyers get wrong with kraft lunch boxes

Buyers choose kraft for the look and then ask for a moisture barrier, which is exactly what changes the look.

The rest of these come up often enough across the format to be worth stating plainly.

Specifying board weight without saying how hot or greasy the contents are.
Forgetting that a pack carried at an angle in a courier bag behaves differently to one on a counter.
Choosing a vented lid for a dish that needs to stay hot, or a sealed one for a dish that needs to stay crisp.
Ordering a year of stock that then sits through a humid summer.

Testing the fit first

A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.

Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.

Reference

Kraft Lunch Boxes at a specification level

Product	Kraft Lunch Boxes
Category	Custom Food Packaging
Construction	Die-cut, creased and seam-glued
Board thickness	12pt – 18pt depending on product weight
Ships as	Flat-packed, glued one seam
Materials	12pt SBS paperboard, 14pt SBS paperboard, 16pt SBS paperboard, 18pt kraft board
Printing	Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography
Finishes	Gloss lamination, Matte lamination, Soft-touch lamination, Spot UV, Foil stamping
Minimum order	Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises.
Lead time	3 to 5 business days after artwork approval
Shipping	Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia

Materials

Why buyers specify this format

Sized to the contents

Around 8 × 6 × 2½ in, sized to hold a sandwich flat with room beside it.

The failure worth avoiding

Contents mix in transit because there is nothing dividing them, so the sandwich arrives with crisps embedded in it.

Where it is used

Specified for conference catering and grab-and-go retail, packed hours before it is eaten.

The detail that matters

A simple board divider is cheaper than a moulded tray and solves the mixing. Kraft with an internal coating keeps the appearance and the barrier.

This format sits in our custom food packaging range, alongside 33 other made-to-order formats.

Answers

Ordering kraft lunch boxes: the usual questions

Specification, minimums and lead times for kraft lunch boxes.

Are these food-contact compliant?

We specify food-contact compliant boards and inks where the pack touches food directly. Tell us whether contact is direct or through a liner for kraft lunch boxes, because it changes which stocks are available to you.

How do you stop grease showing through?

A grease-resistant coating or a greaseproof liner. Untreated board will always strike through eventually with hot, oily food — that is a property of the material rather than a quality fault, and it is inexpensive to design out.

Is recycled board weaker than virgin board?

Slightly, at the same caliper — recycled fibres are shorter, so the board is a little less stiff and takes on moisture a little faster. Stepping up one caliper generally restores the performance while keeping the recycled claim intact.

Can you certify the recycled content?

We can state the recycled content of the board and supply the mill documentation behind it. We do not issue certifications ourselves, and we would rather give you the underlying evidence than a claim you cannot substantiate.

Do kraft lunch boxes arrive flat or assembled?

Flat and glued along one seam, so they pop open on your packing line. That keeps freight cost down considerably compared with a pre-assembled structure.

Can I order kraft lunch boxes in a custom size?

Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the folding carton around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.

What happens after I approve the quote?

We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and folding cartons then take 3 to 5 business days.

Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?

Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. The board and coating are held together, so a reorder cannot quietly arrive on a stock with different grease resistance.

Do you offer recycled or recyclable options?

Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for folding cartons. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.

What file format should I send artwork in?

A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. If you are printing on an uncoated or kraft stock, approve a printed sample rather than a digital proof — the substrate pulls colour down noticeably.

What is the minimum order for kraft lunch boxes?

A flat 100 units on any format. Most folding cartons in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.

How long do kraft lunch boxes take to produce?

3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Folding carton runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.

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