What is a folding carton?

A folding carton is a lightweight paperboard box that is manufactured flat and then folded into its final box shape when filled. It's the most common type of packaging you'll see in retail — cereal boxes, cosmetics packaging, medicine boxes, and food packaging are almost always folding cartons.

Board types for folding cartons:

• Solid Bleached Sulphate (SBS) — premium white board, ideal for cosmetics and food


• Coated Unbleached Kraft (CUK) — natural brown back, commonly used for food and beverages


• Folding Boxboard (FBB) — multi-ply board, excellent printability and stiffness


• Recycled Board (WLC/GC) — lower cost, greyish back, used for general retail

Common folding carton styles:


• Tuck end (straight and reverse) — classic retail box


• Seal end — glued bottom for heavy items


• Gable top — cartons for liquids (milk cartons)


• Sleeve — wraps around a tray or product


• Auto-bottom — pops open automatically

Folding cartons ship flat and are assembled at your facility, saving significant storage space compared to pre-erected rigid boxes.