Custom Kraft Drawer Boxes

Getting the Tray Size Right

Measure the product, or the product plus any wrapping, and add 2 to 3 mm to the length and width for the tray's internal size. The depth should match the tallest item plus a little clearance. For soap, a typical bar measures around 90 x 60 x 25 mm, so a tray of about 95 x 65 x 30 mm works well. For jewellery on a card, the card size sets the tray.

The sleeve is then made just large enough for the tray to slide easily without falling out. We include a little friction so the tray does not drop out if the box is held upside down. For larger or heavier items, a thicker board or a tray with double walls keeps the box from bowing.

If you want to fit several products in one drawer, such as a soap set, tell us how they should sit and we can add a card divider.

Kraft Board and How It Takes Print

Kraft board is unbleached, with a natural brown colour and visible fibres. It has an honest, crafted look that suits handmade and small-batch products. Paired with a simple one-colour logo, it gives a polished but understated finish that many artisan sellers prefer to glossy white packaging.

Kraft also hides small marks from handling, which matters for drawer boxes because the sleeve is touched every time the box is opened. Boxes that sit on a market table all day, being picked up and put down by browsers, still look tidy at closing time. The board is also stiff enough to hold crisp edges at small sizes, so even a tiny ring drawer keeps a neat, square profile rather than looking flimsy.

Kraft board absorbs ink more than white board, so colours print slightly darker and less vivid. Strong, dark colours such as black, navy, forest green and burgundy work best. White ink is a popular choice for a crisp logo on brown, and a gold or copper foil glows against the natural fibres.

Simple designs suit kraft. A centred logo on the sleeve, a line of text around the edge, or a small pattern repeated across the board all look good. Full-colour photographs are less suited to kraft; if you need them, a white board with a kraft-effect print is an alternative.

Printing inside the tray, perhaps in a bright brand colour, creates a pleasing contrast with the brown exterior. The board and ink options page shows white ink and foil on kraft side by side.

Ribbon Pulls and Other Details

A ribbon pull is a short loop of ribbon fixed to the end of the tray. It makes the drawer easy to open and adds a decorative touch. Ribbons come in a range of colours and materials, including cotton, satin and grosgrain, and can be matched to your brand.

A thumb notch, cut into the end of the sleeve, is a simpler alternative. It lets the customer push the tray out with a finger and costs less than a ribbon. Some sellers also add a belly band or a sticker seal around the sleeve to hold the drawer closed and carry product information.

Inside the tray, shredded paper, a card insert or a tissue wrap keeps the product in place and adds to the presentation. A sleeve ordered on its own for an existing tray is covered on our printed packaging sleeves page.

Using Drawer Boxes on a Stall or Shelf

Drawer boxes stack neatly, which makes them practical for display. A pyramid of kraft drawers on a market table or a row along a shop shelf looks orderly, and leaving one drawer half open shows passers-by what is inside without unpacking anything. Some sellers keep a sample drawer permanently open so customers can see and smell the product.

Labelling each box clearly helps when you sell several variants. A small printed sticker on the end of the sleeve, showing the scent, colour or size, lets customers find what they want without opening every drawer, and it saves you printing a separate sleeve for each variant. If you sell gift sets, a printed belly band in a contrasting colour marks them out from single items on the same shelf.

For online sales, the same drawer box makes a pleasing unboxing. Wrap it in tissue inside a small mailer, and the customer gets the slide-out reveal at home.

Decide Ribbon or Thumb Notch Before the Dieline

The pull is set into the structure, so choose it first: a ribbon loop glued to the tray end for gifts, a thumb notch cut into the sleeve for everyday stock, which costs less. Then measure the product with its wrapping and add 2 to 3 mm to length and width; a 90 x 60 x 25 mm soap bar wants a 95 x 65 x 30 mm tray. Say if several items share one drawer so a card divider is drawn in. Keep the artwork to dark inks or white, as kraft swallows pale colours.

Send the product measurements, the pull style, any logo and the quantity, and a custom quote comes back by email within one working day, with one-colour drawers from £0.25 and low minimums per job. The free proof shows the sleeve flat and the tray. Production takes 4–7 working days after approval and tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses is free, taking 2–3 working days. Damaged or misprinted boxes reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Makers who want the same slide-out reveal in white or printed board move to our tray and sleeve boxes in other boards.