How to choose the right packaging material for a custom box

Every custom box is a material decision before it is a design decision. The board sets what the box can carry, how sharply it prints, what it feels like and what it costs — and the four boards that cover almost all custom packaging behave very differently. This guide explains each and gives a simple way to choose.

The four boards

SBS paperboard

Solid bleached sulphate: a bright white, clay-coated board made from bleached fibre. It prints accurately, folds cleanly and takes every finish. Specified by caliper — 14pt to 24pt — and used for the great majority of folding cartons: cosmetics, supplements, food, product boxes.

Kraft

Unbleached, uncoated, naturally brown. Strong for its weight, and chosen mainly for how it looks — craft, natural, sustainable. Print sits on it muted, so it suits one- and two-color artwork, white ink, foil and emboss. Used as board for cartons, as liner for mailers and as paper for wraps and bands.

Corrugated board

A fluted paper core glued between two liners. The flute — E, B or double wall — sets the strength; the liner sets the print. E-flute is the mailer and printed product-box standard; B-flute for heavier goods; double wall where the board is the protection. Printed by flexo, by laminating a litho-printed sheet on top, or digitally.

Rigid greyboard

Dense recycled chipboard, 1.5mm to 3mm, that is never printed directly. It is cut and glued into a rigid box and wrapped in a printed or specialty paper. The greyboard gives weight and a hard edge; the wrap gives the surface.

Side by side

A simple way to choose

• Is the product sold from a shelf and light? SBS carton.
• Is the brand natural, craft or eco-led? Kraft carton or kraft mailer.
• Does the product travel to the customer by courier? Corrugated mailer, E-flute.
• Is it heavy, fragile or premium? Rigid greyboard with an insert — or a heavy SBS carton with a locking base if volume is high.
• Does it need full-color print and structural strength? Litho-laminated corrugated.

Gauge and flute: the second decision

Within each board the thickness matters. For SBS, 16pt–18pt covers most retail cartons; 20pt–24pt carries jars, bottles and auto-lock bases. For corrugated, E-flute (about 1.5mm) prints crisply and handles retail-weight products; B-flute (about 3mm) cushions heavier ones. For greyboard, 2mm is standard and 3mm is for large or heavy boxes. Thicker is not better — it is heavier, costlier and sometimes harder to fold. Specify to the product's weight.

Coatings and finishes change the answer

Lamination, foil and spot UV sit on top of the board and can change its look entirely — a kraft box with gold foil, a soft-touch black carton, a metallic wrap on greyboard. Choose the board for structure and print quality first, then the finish for feel. Our finishes guide covers each one.