Custom Gable Boxes

How the gable top forms a handle

One sheet folds into a box with a peaked top, and the handle is part of that top.

The two sloping roof panels rise to meet in the middle, and slots in each panel interlock to form the handle. The base is closed with locking tabs, and the side walls fold up from the same sheet. No glue is used in assembly.

It ships flat, and a trained packer can assemble one in a few seconds. The shape also means the box carries its own handle, so it replaces both a box and a bag.

• Roof panels interlock to form the handle
• Locking tabs close the base
• One sheet, flat before assembly

Board weight and what the handle carries

The handle puts the whole load on one narrow strip of board, so weight is the main limit.

When someone lifts a gable box, the weight pulls on the handle slots and the folds around them. Light items such as sweets or small gifts are fine on standard paperboard. Heavier contents need a stiffer board.

Coated board resists marks and moisture, kraft looks natural and is a little rougher, and SBS gives the cleanest print. Board that is too thick can crack along the roof folds, so stiffness has to be balanced against how easily the sheet folds.

• Light contents: standard paperboard
• Heavier contents: stiffer board
• Too thick can crack at the roof folds

Sizing for the carry

Narrow boxes carry better than wide ones, and contents must clear the roof.

A gable box hangs from its handle, so a wide box swings and tilts. The narrower the box, the steadier it hangs. Keep the fill height below the point where the roof panels start to slope, or the contents will press on the folds and the handle will not interlock properly.

Allow room for a tray or paper wrap inside if the contents are loose. Send us the measurements of the contents and roughly what they weigh, and we size the box so they clear the roof, then you check it on the dieline and digital proof.

Gable box or a bag and a box?

A gable box is one item. A bag and a box is two, with more to buy, store and print.

A paper bag carries things well, but the contents still need wrapping. Putting the food or gift in a plain box and the box in a bag means two pieces to buy, store and print.

A gable box combines the two, and the whole surface can carry the brand. The compromise is that it tilts and is not a good fit for items that must stay level. A tall bag holds more height than a gable box will.

Printing the peak and the panels

The roof folds take the most stress, so print and coating there have to cope with bending.

The box is printed flat, inside and out, so the interior can carry a colour or pattern as well. Large areas of dark solid ink show cracking along the roof creases. A lighter colour or a pattern hides it better.

A coating protects the outside from handling and moisture. Where food touches the board, tell us, and we use a food-safe stock and a coating suited to that use. Kraft changes the colour of any ink printed on it.

• Printed inside and out
• Dark solids can crack at the roof folds
• Coating protects from handling and moisture

Gable box or bakery box?

A gable box is the pick for dry, sturdy items carried a short way. A bakery box is the pick for iced cakes and anything that must stay level.

Heavy, wet or easily tilted contents are the limit of a handle made from folded paperboard. Anything heavy strains the handle and the roof folds, and liquids or very greasy food will weaken the board unless a barrier is added. Cakes with soft icing or foods stacked in layers slide when the box tilts in the hand, and a flat-lidded bakery box carries them level.

A gable box is also not a shipping carton. It is made to be handed over and carried a short distance, so for the post choose a mailer or a corrugated shipper.