Flip Top Boxes

The hinge that keeps the lid attached

A body with a lid hinged to its back panel, so the lid swings open and stays attached.

In paperboard, the whole box is one die-cut blank. The hinge is simply a crease in the board between the back panel and the lid, and the box ships flat and is glued or folded up at packing.

Rigid versions are built from thick board with a wrapped hinge, and take more labour to make. Either way, the lid is part of the box, which is the point: nothing is set down and lost.

• Paperboard: one blank, hinge is a scored crease
• Rigid: wrapped board, hinge is the wrap
• Lid cannot be mislaid

Tuck catch or magnet catch?

A tuck catch holds the lid with a paperboard tongue. A magnet holds it with a pull.

A tuck tongue is formed from the same board, so it adds no parts and suits paperboard boxes sold in volume. It wears with repeated opening, and the tongue gradually loses its grip.

A magnet gives a clean close that does not wear, but it needs board thick enough to hold it, which usually means a rigid box. It also adds cost, and should be kept away from products that are sensitive to magnets.

• Tuck: no extra parts, wears with use
• Magnet: holds firmly, needs rigid board, adds cost

Lid depth, thumb notch and contents

A flip top is opened over and over, so the lid and the opening need to suit the hand and the product.

A shallow lid shows more of the contents and is easy to flip. A deep lid protects more but can catch on the product as it opens. A thumb notch or a small gap on the front edge gives a finger somewhere to grip.

Size the interior around the product plus a little clearance for removal. Contents that sit loose, such as sweets or cards, need a snug fit so they do not spill when the lid opens. Send us the product's measurements and we size the interior and the thumb notch around it.

Flip top or tuck-end carton?

A tuck-end carton is cheaper and usually opened once. A flip top is made for products that are opened many times.

A tuck-end carton closes with flaps at both ends and tends to get torn or crumpled on the first opening. It suits single-use and sealed products, and costs less per unit.

A flip top opens and shuts without damage, so it suits supplements, refills and anything kept in the box. The hinge and lid add some board and assembly, and the box can be harder to seal for tamper evidence.

Surfaces that get opened a hundred times

Repeated opening works on the hinge crease, and a surface that cracks there will look worn within weeks.

Dark solid ink and heavy coating crack along a hinge crease as the board flexes, and the white board shows through. Lighter colours, a matt varnish or a flexible film coating hide the wear better, and the crease can be placed with that in mind.

The front edge and the lid corners take the handling, so scuff-resistant varnish pays off there. Inside print is unaffected by wear and makes a useful place for instructions or a message.

Flip top box on its own, or with a seal?

A flip top on its own is the pick for dry goods that are opened often. A flip top with a sealed inner pack or a seal sticker is the pick when the contents must stay fresh or show they have not been opened.

A flip top reseals loosely. The lid closes against board, not a gasket, so it does not keep air or moisture out. Goods that must stay dry or fresh need an inner pouch or liner, and loose powders and liquids need a sealed inner pack, with the flip top acting only as the outer shell.

It is also not child-resistant or tamper-evident by itself. A printed seal sticker across the lid shows the box has not been opened, and if your product must be child-resistant, tell us before we quote, because a flip top alone does not provide that.