Custom Tap Boxes for Kitchen and Bathroom Taps

Inserts and Sizing Around the Spout

A die-cut corrugated insert is the workhorse of tap packaging. It cradles the body and spout in shaped slots so the tap cannot slide, while a separate pocket holds hoses, the fixing stud, washers and the instruction leaflet. For premium finishes, the tap is usually bagged in a soft poly sleeve first and then dropped into the insert, which prevents board fibres from marking the surface.

Some brands prefer a moulded pulp tray. It needs its own mould, so it suits large runs of a single model. For mixed ranges, card and corrugated inserts are more flexible because the dieline can be changed for each model quickly.

Lay the tap on its side and measure the full length from the end of the spout to the base, the height from the work surface to the top of the lever, and the width across the lever at its widest. Then add the coiled hoses and the fixing kit. If the tap has interchangeable spouts, a pull-out spray or a separate filter, tell us so the insert has a slot for each part.

We usually allow 10 to 15 mm of insert material around the heaviest points. That margin absorbs knocks without making the box much bigger, which keeps shipping and storage costs down.

What to Print on a Tap Box

Bathroom showrooms and plumbers merchants want to identify a product without opening the box. Print the model name, the finish and a clear product photograph on the front. Put the technical information on the side panels: pressure rating, connection sizes, hose length and which basin or sink types it suits. A barcode and a product code on the end panel make picking easier in the warehouse.

Finish names are worth repeating on two faces. A merchant looking at a stacked shelf will only see one end, and a clear label saying brushed brass or matte black stops the wrong finish being sent out. p1 Merchants that stock your irons as well will see the same panel layout on our steam iron boxes page.

Board, Print and Finishes

Heavy folding boxboard suits lighter basin taps and gives the sharpest photographic print. E-flute or B-flute corrugated board handles the weight of kitchen mixers and larger shower valves. Kraft corrugated with a one or two colour print gives a trade-focused look that many plumbing brands favour, while white corrugated shows full colour product photography well.

A matte lamination makes a premium tap box feel considered, and a spot UV highlight on the product image lifts it in a showroom. Foil stamping on the brand name is popular for designer ranges sold at higher prices.

Packing Lines, Warehouses and Returns

A tap box has a working life beyond the shelf. On the packing line, a crash-lock base that pops open in one movement saves real time compared with a tuck base that needs folding and taping. Inserts that drop in flat and fold up into shape are faster again. If your team packs several models, printing the model code on the insert itself helps stop a basin tap going into a bath filler box.

In the warehouse, boxes are stacked on racking and pulled by pickers who only see the end panel. A large, clear product code and a colour block for each finish make picking quicker and reduce wrong shipments. For online orders, many brands ship the retail tap box inside a plain outer carton, so the printed box arrives clean. Others choose a printed corrugated box that can travel on its own with just a shipping label, which removes an extra layer of packaging and a step from the dispatch process.

Returns are common in bathroom retail, often because a customer ordered the wrong finish. A box that can be opened and resealed without tearing lets a returned tap go back into stock rather than being written off.

Photograph the Tap Lying Flat With Its Hoses

Tap boxes are sized from the tap as it is packed, not as it stands on a basin. Lay it on a bench with the spout, lever and hoses in the position they will travel, and photograph it from above beside a ruler, then measure the overall length, width and height in that pose. Add the fixing kit, the instruction leaflet and any poly sleeve, because each needs a pocket in the insert. Send the weight too; a solid brass mixer changes the board grade.

Say whether the box goes to showrooms, to merchants on pallets or direct to installers by courier, because that decides folding board, corrugated or rigid. The custom quote arrives by email within one working day, from £0.25 a carton on larger runs, with the minimum set per job so a new finish can run short.

The free proof and dieline show the insert with the tap in position. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and the boxes reach UK mainland addresses by free tracked delivery. Brands that sell a matching shower kit usually add our heavier appliance boxes with inserts for the valve sets.