Custom Kraft Shoe Boxes

Structures for Everyday and Premium Footwear

A two-piece lid and base in corrugated kraft is the standard, robust choice. It stacks well in a stockroom and stands up to repeated opening while customers try shoes on. For handled boxes, a one-piece hinged lid with a front tuck works well because the lid cannot be separated from the base while the box is being carried.

A drawer-style kraft box with a handle on the sleeve end slides open to reveal the shoes, which gives premium footwear a little ceremony. For slippers, sandals and espadrilles, a lighter folding box with a window lets customers see the shoe without opening anything.

Rigid kraft-wrapped boxes are available for luxury boots and handmade shoes, giving a solid feel with the same natural colour.

Measuring Shoes for a Good Fit

Shoe boxes are usually made in two or three sizes to cover a full size range. Take your largest shoe in each size band, stuffed and wrapped as it will be packed, and measure the length heel to toe, the width across both shoes placed side by side, and the height at the tallest point. Add around 10 mm to length and width and 5 mm to height.

Boots need extra thought. Ankle boots fit a deeper standard box, but knee-high boots need a long, slim box and often a card insert to support the shaft so it does not crease. Heels and wedges benefit from a slightly longer box so the heel does not press into the end wall. Sandals and flats can use shallower boxes, saving board and storage space.

Before you settle on sizes, pack a full day of real orders in sample boxes. You will quickly see whether a band is too tight for chunky soles or wastes space on narrow fits. It is also worth checking that the boxes still fit your shelving: a few millimetres too deep can mean boxes no longer slide in end-first, which slows staff down when a customer asks for a different size. Our guide to measuring products for a box covers size bands in more detail.

Printing on Brown Board

Kraft looks best with confident, simple print. A single colour logo in black, white or a deep brand shade on the lid, with the brand name repeated on the end panel, is often all a shoe box needs. Two-colour designs add a size and style panel or a fine pattern.

Remember that the end panel is what staff and customers see on shelves, so print the brand there and leave space for a size and colour label. A stamp or sticker area means one print run covers every size. Inside the lid, a short message about caring for leather or the story of the workshop gives the box a personal note.

A rubber stamp kept behind the counter is a charming alternative to printed sizes for smaller workshops, and it suits the handmade feel of kraft. Socks and tights at the till use the same stamp approach on hosiery boxes in kraft.

Tissue, Bags and Care Cards

Small additions complete the presentation. Printed or plain tissue wrapped around each shoe stops them rubbing together. Cotton dust bags give leather shoes a second layer of protection and are often reused for travel. A care card explaining how to clean and protect the material helps shoes last and reduces complaints.

If you sell online as well as in a shop, a handled kraft box can travel inside a plain shipping carton, so the customer still receives the carry box intact. Shoe trees or paper stuffing keep shapes crisp in transit.

Measure Your Chunkiest Sole in Each Size Band

The trap is sizing from a slim loafer when the range also has a chunky trainer. Take the biggest shoe in each band, stuffed and wrapped as it will be packed, measure length, the width of the pair side by side and the height, and add about 10 mm to length and width and 5 mm to height. Tell us the heaviest pair you sell, because that sets the handle and whether the holes need eyelets.

Choose end handles for narrow carrying or lid handles to keep heels flat. Send the bands, handle type, quantities and logo, and a custom quote comes back by email within one working day, with low minimums quoted per job. The free proof shows the box flat with the print and handle holes marked. Production takes 4–7 working days after approval and tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses is free, taking 2–3 working days; handles arrive fitted, so allow storage space. Misprinted or damaged boxes reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Trainers sold alongside often go in the deeper trainer boxes with a drop front.