Custom Rigid Shirt Boxes

Sizing a Box Around a Folded Shirt

Fold a shirt the way you normally present it, with the collar buttoned and sleeves tucked behind, then measure the folded width, length and height including any collar insert. Add 5 to 8 mm on width and length so the shirt drops in without dragging, and allow enough depth for tissue and the collar to sit without touching the lid.

Most dress shirts fold to around 230 to 270 mm wide and 300 to 330 mm long. Heavier fabrics, such as flannel or oxford cloth, need extra depth compared with a fine poplin. If you sell a shirt and tie together, a slightly longer box with a separate tie compartment avoids pressing the knot into the shirt front.

Boxes for two or three shirts are usually deeper rather than wider, so the stack is supported on all sides. Our method for measuring a folded shirt covers the collar stand and the board.

Wrapping Papers and Finishes

Because rigid boxes are wrapped, the outside is a sheet of paper rather than printed board. That opens up textured papers such as linen-effect, felt-marked or smooth matt stocks, in plain colours that carry a single foil or a blind emboss. Many menswear brands keep it to a dark navy or charcoal paper with a foiled logo on the lid, which reads as quiet and confident.

Fully printed wraps work well for brands with a pattern, such as a signature stripe or check. Soft touch laminate gives a velvety feel; a gloss or spot UV logo catches light. Inside, the base can be wrapped in a contrast colour so the open box frames the shirt.

Our free design proof shows the lid, base and wrap, along with the turn-in where the paper folds over the edge, so you can check logos are placed where you expect.

Lid Styles for Shirt Packaging

A classic two-piece box with a full-depth or shoulder lid is the most common. A full-depth lid covers the base completely and gives a clean block shape. A partial lid shows a band of the base, which can be a contrasting colour.

Magnetic flap boxes open like a book and suit shirts sold as gifts, because the hinge holds the lid with the box rather than leaving it on a table. Drawer-style boxes slide out from a sleeve and are popular for accessories, though less common for shirts because the long drawer can catch on tissue.

For posting, a rigid box should go inside a plain outer mailer. The rigid box keeps the shirt in shape; the outer box takes the knocks.

Packing Shirts the Way a Tailor Would

A box only keeps a shirt in shape if the shirt goes in properly. Press it just before packing, button the collar and the first front button, and fold the sleeves back along the side seams rather than across the chest. A thin card sheet slipped inside the folded body keeps the front flat, and a collar band holds the points where they should be.

Lay a sheet of tissue in the base first, place the shirt with the collar towards the hinge or the top edge of the lid, then fold the tissue over and close it with a sticker. Many tailors add a pin-free clip or a small paper band around the cuffs so the sleeves do not shift. Avoid metal pins in boxes that will be opened by the client, as they snag fabric and fingers.

If you include a care card, fabric swatch or a note from the cutter, place it on top of the tissue so it is the first thing the client sees. A printed card in the same paper colour as the box wrap ties the whole presentation together.

For shops that box shirts in volume, a simple packing guide taped inside the stockroom keeps every member of staff folding the same way, and the boxes look consistent from one customer to the next. It also cuts the number of shirts that come back for a quick re-press before collection. A bow tie packed with the shirt sits in our bow tie boxes for the same gift.

Fold the Shirt the Way You Hand It Over

A rigid shirt box is sized to the fold, so fold a shirt the way it leaves your shop, with the collar stand up and the tissue in place, and measure the length, width and height of the folded shirt on its board. Tell us those figures and whether a tie or a pocket square goes in beside it, because a side compartment changes the box length. Choose the lid, a lift-off lid with a full-depth base for gifts, a shallow lid for shop stock, and the wrap: a textured paper with a foil logo for a tailor, a printed wrap for a fashion label. Artwork is a logo for the foil and any lining print, sent as vector files, and the free proof shows the wrap, the lining and the collar insert together. A custom quote comes by email within one working day, minimums are set per job so a small tailor can order a sensible number, and boxes are made in 4 to 7 working days after approval with free tracked UK mainland delivery. Knitwear and heavier garments use our clothing gift boxes for knitwear.