Custom Cardboard Trays: Best Prices, Fast and Easy Ordering Process with Free Design Help and No Minimums

Get custom cardboard trays starting at just $0.15 per unit. Fast quotes, no die/plate setup fees, free shipping on US orders, and free expert structural design and print support are included with every run. Order as few as 10 units to sample or launch, or scale into bulk production runs for steep per-unit discounts. We ship finished cartons directly to you or to your 3PL (third-party logistics) warehouse.

Built for Cardboard Trays: Structure and Manufacturing Overview

Cardboard trays apply the same open-top, shallow-wall dieline logic as a corrugated shipping tray, but built from lighter SBS cardboard or folding boxboard rather than fluted corrugated material. Because these trays are typically used for in-store display or light retail organization rather than surviving stacked freight weight, the lighter substrate is a functional choice rather than a compromise — it reduces cost and improves print quality without sacrificing the tray's actual job. Corner-lock joints fold and interlock the same way as a corrugated tray, giving the structure enough rigidity to hold its shape once assembled. The smooth cardboard surface also reproduces full-color, high-resolution graphics more sharply than a corrugated surface typically allows, which matters for retail displays where visual presentation is the primary function.

Custom Cardboard Trays Start at Just $0.15 Per Unit

Pricing shifts with board caliper, panel count, print coverage, and order volume. Cardboard trays cost less than their corrugated counterparts, reflecting the lighter material used for display-only applications.

Average Price by Box Type

Box Type	Price Range (Per Unit)
Cardboard Boxes	$0.70 – $6.00

What Affects Price?

Unit pricing on cardboard trays is not a single flat rate — it moves with a handful of measurable production variables, and understanding them helps you land on the right cost-to-quality balance for your run.

• Box dimensions, panel count, and dieline complexity
• Substrate type (kraft, corrugated, chipboard, rigid board)
• Print complexity (spot color, full-bleed CMYK, foil layers)
• Order volume (larger production runs lower the per-unit cost)
• Finishing add-ons like lamination, embossing, or window patching

Discounts For Seniors, Veterans, and Frequent Customers

Discounts of up to 15% are available to seniors, veterans, and repeat Custom Box Center customers on production runs. Ask our sales team for details. Not sure which structural style or board caliper fits your product? Just ask, and our packaging engineers will help you choose the right configuration.

Ordering Custom Cardboard Trays Is Fast and Easy

1. Send your logo, sketch, or product idea
2. Receive your production dieline and a free print-ready proof
3. Approve the proof or request unlimited revisions
4. We print, die-cut, fold-and-glue, and deliver your cartons

Turnaround: Production runs average 8–10 business days. Rush orders ship in 4–6 business days, and sample runs are ready in 3–5 business days.

Free Design Support from Real Packaging Engineers

Our in-house structural and graphic design team works alongside every cardboard trays order, whether you're starting from a finished logo file or a rough sketch on a napkin. Support is included at no extra charge and covers:

• Custom dielines cut to your exact product spec
• Print-safe layout checks (bleeds, score lines, fold allowances)
• Unlimited proof revisions with no added design fees
• Resolution, color-mode (CMYK/PMS), and fit verification

Don't have print-ready artwork? No problem — send your logo or product photo and our prepress team will build a production-ready layout for your cardboard trays.

Start with Just 10 Custom Cardboard Trays

Low minimum order quantities let you sample, iterate, or launch without tying up capital in inventory. A frequent choice for retail and counter display applications where corrugated durability isn't required. Whether you're validating a concept with a small pilot batch or reordering at scale for an established SKU, the same dieline and production line carry you from a 10-unit sample through a 100,000-unit run without a structural redesign.

How to Lower Your Cost per Unit

A few adjustments to spec can meaningfully change your landed cost per cardboard tray without compromising the design intent:

• Match panel dimensions closely to your product to cut board waste
• Limit full-bleed or inside-panel printing where it isn't essential
• Choose kraft or recycled board for affordable, eco-friendly runs
• Order in 100+ unit production tiers to unlock lower per-unit pricing

Substrates and Finishing Options for Custom Cardboard Trays

Substrate selection is one of the most consequential decisions in the whole production process — it determines rigidity, print quality, cost, and recyclability all at once.

Standard Substrates

• SBS cardboard (standard printed display tray stock)
• Folding boxboard (economical high-volume tray option)
• Coated cardboard (added print gloss for retail display use)

Optional Finishing

• Gloss or matte film lamination
• Foil stamping (gold, silver, holographic, rose gold)
• Spot UV coating and AQ (aqueous) coating
• Embossing / debossing for tactile branding

Production and Shipping

Every cardboard trays order moves through die-cutting, printing, and fold-and-glue assembly on the same production floor, which keeps lead times predictable regardless of order size:

• Standard production turnaround: 8–10 business days
• Rush production available: 4–6 business days
• Sample orders ship in 3–5 business days
• Domestic and international freight available
• Direct delivery to your doorstep, 3PL, or fulfillment center

Every Production File Is Reviewed by Our Prepress Team

We don't rely on automated checks alone for production-critical steps. Every file for your cardboard trays is manually reviewed by a prepress technician before plates or dies are cut, checking for:

• Proper dieline, score-line, and fold-panel alignment
• Correct bleed and safety-margin spacing before plates run
• Material-to-ink compatibility for the chosen substrate
• Fit testing against your product's exact dimensions

Where Cardboard Trays Are Used

Cardboard trays are used in retail counter displays, cosmetics and beauty product organization, bakery and confection presentation, and any application where products need to be organized and shown, not shipped under load. A cosmetics brand uses a cardboard tray to organize a multi-product display at a beauty counter. A bakery uses a lightweight cardboard tray for in-case pastry display. A retail brand uses cardboard trays as an internal organizer inside a larger shipping box, separating a small product assortment for a clean presentation once opened. Because these trays skip the corrugated fluting, they're also generally lower-cost and faster to produce than a comparable corrugated tray, making them a practical choice whenever the extra structural strength isn't needed.

Choosing the Right Cardboard Trays Configuration for Your Product

Most first-time buyers start with the same question: which substrate and style actually fit their product? For cardboard trays, the starting point is almost always Retail Counter Displays, Cosmetics Organization, and Bakery Presentation. From there, flat tray and corner-lock tray styles give you a structural range to choose from, while SBS cardboard and folding boxboard determine how the finished carton feels, prints, and holds up in transit. Our team typically walks new customers through a short structural consultation — reviewing product weight, fragility, and channel (retail, e-commerce, or gifting) — before recommending a configuration, so you're not guessing between options with no frame of reference.

Common Questions We Hear About Cardboard Trays

New customers ordering cardboard trays for the first time usually ask about sizing, pricing, and lead time before anything else. On sizing, cardboard trays are produced in available in all sizes, typically 6 to 20 inches, and our design team will confirm the exact dieline dimensions against your product sample before production starts. On pricing, expect a starting point near $0.15 per unit, moving up or down based on the factors outlined above. On lead time, standard production runs 8–10 business days, with the finished order arriving 15–18 business days after art approval once shipping is included. If your timeline is tighter than that, our rush production option compresses the manufacturing window to 4–6 business days.

What Happens If You Skip Custom Packaging?

Specifying corrugated board for a display-only application adds unnecessary cost and reduces print sharpness compared to a lighter cardboard tray built for the same purpose. Generic, off-the-shelf cartons can undermine unboxing perception, increase damage-related returns, and drive up freight costs through inefficient dimensional weight. Packaging is more than a container — it protects the product, reinforces the brand, and drives repeat orders. Our custom cardboard trays are engineered to ship smart, present well on shelf or on camera, and hold up through the full supply chain.

Sustainability and Material Compliance

Most substrates used across our cardboard trays — kraft, cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, and chipboard — are curbside-recyclable and sourced from FSC-eligible mills on request. Water-based, soy, and vegetable-based inks are available as a lower-impact alternative to solvent-based printing for brands reporting on packaging sustainability metrics. Foam and film components (window patching, cushioning inserts) are the main exception to full recyclability, so brands prioritizing a plastic-free supply chain typically specify molded pulp or all-fiber alternatives where the structure allows it. We can advise on the most sustainable configuration available for your specific product and volume.

Get Custom Cardboard Trays That Fit, Convert, and Ship Fast

Start with a quote, a sketch, or a sample request. No die/plate setup fees. No large minimums. Wall height and corner-lock strength are proofed against your intended display use before production. Just precision-engineered packaging, made simple.