Custom Ice Cream Boxes

Board and Coatings That Handle the Cold

We use white folding boxboard with a moisture-resistant coating, which holds up to freezing and thawing without going limp. For products that sit directly against the board, such as an unwrapped block, an inner barrier coating stops the ice cream sticking and keeps fat from soaking in. Food-contact grade board is available on request, and we will talk you through which coating suits your fill.

Gloss lamination or a gloss varnish on the outside adds another layer of protection against condensation and makes colours look rich under freezer lights. A matt finish is possible, though it marks a little more easily with handling, so it suits brands that value a crafted look over high-traffic durability.

Coatings affect how glue sticks to the carton, so if you seal cartons with hot melt on your line, tell us. We leave glue areas uncoated so the bond holds even at freezer temperatures.

Sizing Ice Cream Boxes Around Your Product

For blocks, measure the frozen block or the mould it sets in, and add a small allowance for any wrap. For multipacks, measure one wrapped lolly or bar and decide how many go in each box and how they are arranged. For cones, measure the cone height, the diameter at the rim and the height of the topping, then decide whether cones stand upright or lie on their side in a tray.

Remember that ice cream expands slightly as it freezes and that wrappers vary. A few millimetres of clearance makes packing on the line quicker and stops corners bursting. If you also supply supermarkets or wholesalers, ask them for any carton size limits for their cabinets before you settle on dimensions. Our guide to measuring a product for a box covers wrapped and stacked items.

Designing for the Freezer Aisle

Most freezer cabinets are crowded with big brands in strong colours, so a smaller maker needs a clear point of difference. That might be a flavour illustration rather than a photo, a single bold colour per flavour, or a simple heritage look that tells shoppers the ice cream comes from a family dairy. Whatever you choose, make the flavour name the second thing people read after the brand.

Plan the panels with the cabinet in mind. In a chest freezer the top panel is seen first; in an upright freezer it is the front. Many brands repeat the brand and flavour on both, then use the back for ingredients, allergens, nutrition and storage instructions.

Illustrations often work better than photographs on ice cream cartons. Photos of ice cream can look melted or greasy under freezer lighting, while a crisp illustration of the fruit or flavour stays bright and appetising. Many artisan brands use illustration for exactly this reason. Inks and coatings that stay bright under freezer lighting are compared in the print and finish options guide.

• Top and front: brand and flavour, large and bold
• One colour per flavour for a tidy range
• Back: ingredients, allergens, nutrition and storage
• End flap: plain area for batch and best-before

Who Orders Ice Cream Cartons

Farm dairies making ice cream from their own milk, artisan gelato makers moving into retail, ice cream parlours selling take-home packs, vegan and dairy-free brands, and makers of lollies and frozen desserts all order from this range. Farm shops and delis that stock local ice cream sometimes order own-label cartons too, filled by a nearby producer.

Seaside and tourist parlours often sell take-home multipacks at the counter, and a printed box makes a much better souvenir of the visit than a plain carrier bag. Parlours that sell cones to take away use the ice cream cone holders for counters.

Measure a Frozen Product, Not the Mould

Ice cream products are sized frozen, and a lolly in its wrapper or a block in its film is larger than the mould it came from. Measure the wrapped, frozen item, count the units per pack and note how they are stacked, flat or on edge, because a multipack of six bars on edge needs a different carton from six laid flat. Tell us if the carton is filled on a line or by hand in a cold room, since a crash-lock base that a gloved hand can work matters more than any print decision.

Send the product type, the sizes, the units per pack and any artwork, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day, with minimums low and set per job so a small dairy can run one flavour first. The free proof shows every panel and any insert. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and cartons are delivered flat by free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses in 2 to 3 working days; cartons that arrive misprinted or damaged are reprinted or refunded if reported within 10 days. Scoop sales at the counter use the printed ice cream cups for scoops.