Custom Regular Slotted Containers

Measuring Regular Slotted Containers Correctly

Box sizes are always quoted as internal length, width and depth, in that order. Length is the longer side of the opening, width the shorter, and depth runs from the opening to the base. Measure the product or the inner pack, then add a small allowance for void fill or protective wrap. A few millimetres on each side is enough for snug goods; allow more if you are using bubble wrap or paper cushioning.

One quirk of the RSC is worth knowing. Because the flaps are half the width of the box, a very wide and shallow carton leaves a long seam with short flaps that can bow under weight. If your product is flat, a folder-style box or a die-cut mailer may serve you better, and we are happy to say so when you send us your sizes.

Printing on a Working Carton

Most RSCs are printed in one or two flexo colours straight onto the kraft board, which keeps the cost low and gives a crisp, honest look. That suits a logo, a web address, handling symbols, a product code panel or a simple instruction such as which way up to store the box.

If the carton doubles as the customer's first impression, for example for a direct-to-consumer brand shipping larger items, we can print on a white liner for brighter colours, or apply a litho-laminated sheet for photographic artwork. Bear in mind that heavier print coverage adds time and cost to a box that is often thrown away within minutes of arriving, so we usually suggest putting your effort into one strong side panel rather than covering every face. p1 Litho-laminated artwork is compared with flexo in the guide to print and finish options.

Where Regular Slotted Containers Earn Their Keep

The RSC is the carton you reach for when you need lots of boxes that do the same job reliably. Wholesalers use them to send cases of goods to retailers. Online shops use them for anything that will not fit a mailer box. Manufacturers use them as outer shippers holding a dozen retail cartons, and removal and storage firms use them because they stack neatly in a van and a unit.

They also work well as an inner carton within a larger pallet load, where uniform sizes make it easier to build a stable stack and wrap it tight. If you are standardising your packing bench, a small family of RSC sizes that covers most of your orders can cut down on void fill and speed up packing noticeably. p1 Oversized loads move up to our large cardboard boxes for bulky goods.

Packing, Sealing and Stacking Tips

A well-made RSC can still fail if it is packed carelessly. Fill the carton so the contents cannot shift, because a half-empty box crushes far more easily than a full one when another carton is placed on top. Paper fill, air pillows or a simple corrugated pad on the base all help the walls do their work.

Seal the top and bottom seams with a single strip of good tape running along the centre join and a short way down each end panel. For heavier loads, an H-pattern of tape across the edges as well as the seam adds a lot of security. When building a pallet, line the cartons up so their corners sit on top of one another; the corners carry most of the weight, and an overhang or brick pattern that leaves corners unsupported is the most common cause of collapsed stacks.

If you store empty cartons for a while, keep them dry and off the floor. Corrugated board softens in damp conditions and loses stacking strength, which is easy to avoid with a shelf or a pallet under the bundles. p2 Edge protection for pallets is covered on our edge protectors page.

Give Internal Dimensions and the Packed Weight Together

An RSC is specified by two numbers that are nearly always sent apart: the inside size and the packed weight. Send them together, length by width by depth measured inside the box you need, and the weight of a full carton, and we can choose the flute and liner in one go. If you only have an old carton's outside size, send that and say so; we work back to the inside through the board thickness.

Say how high the cartons stack on a pallet and whether they go through a parcel network, which is harder on a box than a pallet delivery. Choose one strong side panel for the print rather than covering every face. The custom quote arrives by email within one working day with the board grade we recommend, and the minimum set per job.

The free proof shows the artwork on the flat carton so you can see where the logo lands against the flaps. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and the flat bundles reach UK mainland addresses by free tracked delivery. Warehouses that need a lift-off lid for picking add half slotted containers with a separate lid in the same board.