Custom Chinese Takeout Boxes

How a takeout pail folds from one sheet

The classic takeout box is one folded sheet with tapered sides, four top flaps that interlock, and a handle.

The blank is folded rather than glued at the corners. Each corner is pleated inwards, which leaves no open seam at the base and lets the pail hold sauce better than a glued carton would.

At the top, four flaps fold down in turn and the last one tucks under to lock. A wire handle is threaded through holes in two opposite walls, while other versions use a paper handle or none at all.

• Pleated corners, no open base seam
• Four flaps fold and lock
• Wire, paper or no handle

Board and lining

Coated paperboard with a liquid- and grease-resistant lining is the usual stock, and the lining is worth confirming.

Smooth SBS gives a clean white surface and takes the tight pleats without cracking. The inner lining is what stops sauce and oil from soaking through the folds, and different linings suit different foods, so tell us what goes in the pail and we match the lining to it.

Kraft-faced versions give a natural look on the outside with the same lining inside. Without any lining, a pail is only suited to dry foods or non-food use such as favours and gifts.

Sizing by volume

Takeout pails are usually sized by volume, from half pint to quart, rather than by length and width.

Common sizes are around 8, 16, 26 and 32 US fluid ounces, with 8, 16 and 32 often called half pint, pint and quart. Rice and sides tend to go in the smaller pails and noodles or mains in the larger ones.

The sides taper, so open pails nest inside each other for storage at the counter. Fill below the fold line of the flaps, or they will not close and lock properly.

• About 8, 16, 26 and 32 fl oz
• Tapered sides let empty pails nest
• Fill below the flap fold line

Paper pail or plastic tub?

A pail folds open into a dish and suits saucy noodles and rice. A sealed tub suits thin soups.

A paper pail can be unfolded at the table into a shallow tray, and it keeps the pack mostly paper. Its closure is folded flaps, not a seal, so it is not the right pot for broth.

A gable box looks similar with its handle and pitched top, but it is a glued carton built for dry goods and gifts. The pail's pleated corners are what make it fit for food with sauce.

Print on a tapered pail

Tapered walls and pleated corners limit where artwork sits cleanly.

Each wall is a separate panel, and the pleats break any image that runs around a corner. Logos and short text centred on the flat walls reproduce best, and one or two colours is common for food use.

Pails used as favour or gift boxes often carry full-colour print across every panel. For food, print stays on the outside and the lined inside is left plain.

Wire handle or handle-free pail?

A wire handle is the right pick for the classic carry-out look. A paper-handle or handle-free pail is the right pick when customers are likely to reheat in the box.

A wire handle has to come off before a pail goes into a microwave, and customers often reheat in the box, so this is worth thinking about for delivery. We make paper-handle and handle-free versions, and a handle-free pail travels in a paper bag with the rest of the order.

Whichever handle is chosen, very thin liquids work their way into the pleats over time, and hot, steamy food held for a long while softens the board. Soups and long catering holds need a sealed container.