Custom Burger Sleeves for Handheld Burgers

Sizing Custom Burger Sleeves to Your Buns

Measure the assembled burger, not the bun alone. A brioche bun with a double patty, cheese and pickles might be 120 mm wide and 90 mm tall, while a single smash burger in a potato roll may be 100 mm wide and 60 mm tall. The pocket width needs to fit the widest point plus a little give, and the height should cover roughly half to two thirds of the burger so it holds firmly without hiding the top.

If you serve sliders and full-size burgers, two sleeve sizes in the same design keep the look consistent. Sliders in an oversized sleeve slide about and look lost.

The easiest way to get the size right is to build your best-selling burger, slide it into a sleeve from another supplier or a paper bag cut to size, and see how it feels in the hand. Note where the paper is tight and where it gapes, then send us the measurements of the burger itself. We do the arithmetic for the pocket. Our guide on how to measure an assembled burger shows where to take the width.

Paper, Grease Resistance and Grip

Burgers are wet and oily, so the paper has to cope. A greaseproof or grease-resistant paper keeps oil and sauce from soaking through to the outside print and to the customer's hand. Heavier paper or light card gives the sleeve more structure, which helps with tall stacked burgers. Lighter paper folds round the burger more closely and costs less.

Kraft paper gives a rustic look and suits barbecue, smokehouse and farm-style brands. White paper prints brighter colours and works for bold, graphic street food brands. Food-contact grade papers are available on request for the inner face.

Weather is another factor for outdoor traders. On a damp day, light paper softens faster, especially if customers hold their burger for a while before eating. A slightly heavier grease-resistant paper keeps its shape better outdoors and is worth the small extra cost if most of your trade is at markets and outdoor events. For very saucy burgers, an inner layer of greaseproof paper for the inner layer keeps the printed outer clean.

Print That Shows Up in Photos

A burger in a branded sleeve is one of the most photographed things at any food market. Put your name or logo near the top edge of the sleeve, where it will appear in a close-up shot, and keep it large and simple. A repeat pattern of your logo around the sleeve ensures it shows whichever way it is turned. One or two colours on kraft are cheap and effective; full colour opens up illustration and brighter colours.

Your social handle is worth adding in small text on the side. People who enjoy the burger will often look for it to tag you.

If you trade at several events with different branding, for example a main brand and a separate chicken concept, you can print two designs in one order. Sharing the same sleeve size across both keeps the price per sleeve lower than two separate orders. The same artwork transfers to takeaway boxes carrying the same logo for delivery orders.

Who Uses Burger Sleeves

Our burger sleeves go to street food traders, food trucks, festival caterers, burger pop-ups and supper clubs, pubs serving burgers in the garden, quick-service restaurants, sports ground kiosks and mobile caterers working private events. They are also popular with restaurants that serve burgers on boards and want something to hold the burger together without a plate.

Event caterers sometimes order a short run of sleeves printed with a client's name or event logo, which turns a simple burger station into a branded part of the day.

Pubs with a burger menu often use sleeves for garden service, where plates and cutlery have a habit of going missing. A printed sleeve lets the burger go out on a board or tray and keeps the pub's name in every photo taken on a sunny afternoon. Mini versions of the same design suit slider burger boxes for sharing platters.

Measure a Built Burger at the Pass, Not an Empty Bun

Sleeve sizing goes wrong when it is based on the bun alone. Build a burger as it leaves the pass, with patties, toppings and sauce, then measure its width at the widest point and its full height. The sleeve should cover roughly the lower two thirds so the top of the bun shows in photos. If sliders are on the menu, measure one of those too, because a slider in a full-size sleeve slides about. Choose kraft for a grill-house look or white for bright colour, and ask for a perforated tear line if customers eat standing up; many vans pair the sleeve with printed burger wrapping paper in the same design.

Send the measurements, sleeve style, paper and logo, and a custom quote arrives by email within one working day. The free proof shows the flat sleeve with fold and glue lines and your artwork in place. Sleeves are made in 4 to 7 working days after approval and arrive flat in cartons by tracked courier. Misprinted or damaged sleeves reported within 10 days with a photo are reprinted or refunded.