Kraft board and paper — natural, uncoated packaging stock
Kraft: natural board that reads honest and prints muted.
Unbleached, uncoated board and paper with a natural brown surface. Kraft is chosen for how it looks — craft, natural, sustainable — and it prints best in one or two colors. Used for cartons, mailers, wraps and bands.
- Caliper
- 18pt – 24pt board
- Surface
- Uncoated, natural brown
- Best for
- Craft, natural, food
What kraft is
Unbleached fibre, uncoated surface, natural color.
Kraft is paper or board made from unbleached wood pulp, left its natural brown and usually uncoated. It is strong for its weight and it carries a set of associations — handmade, natural, recyclable — that many brands want on the shelf. The trade-off is print: color sits on kraft muted and warm rather than bright, so it suits single-color and two-color artwork, black or white ink, and finishes like foil and emboss that do not depend on color accuracy.
Kraft comes as board for cartons and rigid-box wraps, as corrugated liner for mailers and as paper for wraps and bands. A white-top kraft — a thin white layer on a kraft base — gives brighter print while keeping the natural reverse and edge.
- Kraft board18pt – 24pt
- Kraft linerCorrugated mailers
- Kraft paper80 – 120gsm wraps
Materials & finishing
How kraft prints and finishes.
Design for kraft, not against it: dark inks, white ink, foil and emboss all work with the color rather than fighting it.
Materials & finishes- Natural kraftUncoatedSingle- and two-color print.
- White-top kraftCoated topBrighter print, kraft reverse.
- White inkUnderlay or spotLifts artwork on brown board.
- Kraft linerCorrugatedFlexo print on mailers.
Finishing
- Single-color print
- Two-color print
- White ink
- Foil stamping
- Embossing & debossing
- Uncoated natural finish
- Aqueous coating
What kraft is used for
Where the natural look is the point.
Mailer boxes
Kraft liner E-flute with single-color print.
Soap & bath
Bands, sleeves and wraps.
Food & bakery
Takeaway trays, bakery boxes, coffee cartons.
Candles
Craft and eco ranges in kraft cartons.
Rigid box wraps
Kraft paper as a rigid box wrap.
Tissue and bands
Kraft paper extras inside a box.
Compare
Natural kraft or white-top kraft?
| Natural kraft | White-top kraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Brown, uncoated | White coated face, brown reverse |
| Muted; 1–2 colors best | Near-SBS color on the face | |
| Look | Fully natural | Natural edge and inside, bright front |
| Use | Craft, food, eco | Brands wanting color and a kraft feel |
Start a quote
Three answers is all it takes to open a job.
Structure, board and finishing come next — with our team, on the full quote form.
No account needed. Artwork and reference images can be attached on the next step.
Kraft questions
Before you ask.
Anything not covered here, put it in the notes on your quote and we will answer it directly.
Ask on your quoteCan you print full color on kraft?
Yes, but colors sit muted and warm. For bright artwork we recommend white-top kraft or a white ink underlay; for a natural look, single- or two-color print.
Is kraft stronger than SBS?
Kraft fibre is strong for its weight, which is why it is used as corrugated liner. For cartons the difference is small; caliper matters more.
Is kraft packaging recyclable?
Uncoated kraft is widely recyclable. Laminations and foils can affect local recyclability, which we advise on when specifying.
Can kraft be foil stamped?
Yes. Foil on kraft — gold, copper, black — is one of the strongest single-finish looks in packaging.
Related packaging
Packaging made from kraft.
Start here
Send us your dimensions. We’ll send back a box.
Or talk to a packaging specialist: (209) 444-0744