50+ units · 18–25 business days after sample approval

Custom Rigid Boxes

Heaviest board. Magnetic closures. The benchmark for premium.

Quick answer

Custom rigid boxes (also called set-up boxes) are the most premium paper packaging format — built from 1.5–3mm recycled greyboard wrapped in printed or specialty paper. They hold their shape, accept magnetic, ribbon, or hinged closures, and arrive pre-assembled. Best for: luxury retail, jewelry, watches, fragrance, premium electronics, and corporate gifting. MOQ starts at 50 units. Lead time is 18–25 business days after sample approval. Sample fees ($50–$300) are credited against your first order. DDP shipping to 50+ countries.

Get Free Quote Request Sample

Hero

Magnetic closure

MOQ

50 units

Lead time

18–25 business days

What it is, and when to use it.

Custom rigid boxes (also called set-up boxes or gift boxes) are the most premium paper packaging format we make. Each box is built from 1.5–3mm greyboard — 80% recycled by default — and wrapped in art paper, specialty stock, or textured paper. The wrap is printed offset CMYK, Pantone, or metallic inks, then finished with soft-touch lamination, foil stamping, embossing, spot UV, or fabric inlay. The result is a box that holds its shape, accepts magnetic, ribbon, or hinged closures, and arrives pre-assembled or flat-packed depending on your fulfillment model. We manufacture rigid boxes in low MOQ runs starting at 50 units per SKU, with white samples in 5–7 business days and printed samples in 7–10 days. Every project is run on a dedicated production line in our 18,000 m² FSC-certified facility in Foshan, China, with hand QC at the packing stage.

Best for

Luxury retail
Jewelry & watches
Fragrance & cosmetics
Premium electronics
Corporate gifting

Buyer's decision framework

When to choose custom rigid boxes — and when not to.

Rigid boxes are the right call when the unboxing is part of the product. They are the wrong call when you need retail-shelf-ready cartons, a low unit cost, or a flat-shipped ecommerce box. Walk through these four questions before you commit.

1
Is the box the product — or just protection for the product?
If the box is the product (luxury retail, gift, jewelry, watch, fragrance, unboxing moment) — choose rigid. If the box is purely functional protection that gets recycled in 5 minutes — choose a corrugated mailer or folding carton.
2
What is your target unit cost?
Rigid boxes typically cost $4.20–$12.40 per unit at low–mid volumes. Folding cartons run $0.40–$1.80. Corrugated mailers run $1.20–$3.80. If your retail price is under $30 and the box is invisible in your cost stack, rigid will erode margin. If the box is part of the gift, it is part of the price.
3
Where does the box end up — shelf, doorstep, or counter?
Rigid boxes win on counter and unboxing. Folding cartons win on retail shelf (pre-glued, shelf-ready, FDA-grade). Corrugated mailers win on doorstep (engineered for shipping, FSC recyclable). Pick the channel first, then the box.
4
How many units do you need per SKU?
Rigid boxes are economical from 50 units — we run 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 5,000-unit tiers. If you need 25,000+ units per SKU, ask us about a folding-carton equivalent; the unit cost difference becomes material at that scale.

This page

Rigid box

Luxury, gifting, fragrance, electronics

Cost: $$$
Lead: 18–25 days
MOQ: 50 units

Alternative

Folding carton

Retail shelves, food, supplements, beauty

Cost: $
Lead: 12–18 days
MOQ: 50 units

Alternative

Corrugated mailer

DTC ecommerce, subscription, apparel

Cost: $$
Lead: 10–18 days
MOQ: 50 units

Talk to a packaging specialist Read the full material guide

Applications

Common use cases

Luxury retail
Watches and jewelry
High-end electronics
Cosmetics and fragrance
Corporate gifting
PR and influencer kits

Materials

Board & paper options

●1200–1800 gsm greyboard
●Art paper (128–300 gsm)
●Specialty paper (Curious, Fedrigoni, Gmund)
●Textured stocks (linen, leather, kraft)

Printing & finishes

How it gets dressed

Printing

Offset CMYK
Pantone spot colors
Metallic inks
White ink on dark stocks

Finishes

Soft-touch lamination
Foil stamping (gold, silver, rose gold, holographic)
Embossing & debossing
Spot UV
Velvet flocking
Fabric inlay

Sizes

Standard sizes — and fully custom

Label	W	D	H	Unit
Small	120	90	50	mm
Medium	200	150	70	mm
Large	300	220	100	mm
Custom	—	—	—	mm

Indicative pricing

Unit cost by run size — for a standard 200×150×70mm box.

Pricing assumes 1.8mm greyboard, 157 gsm art paper wrap, soft-touch lamination, and gold foil wordmark. Add or remove finishes, swap SBS for specialty stocks, or scale the box dimensions to land on a different tier. Final pricing is confirmed in your tailored quote.

Run size	Unit cost (USD)	Lead time	Note
50 units	$9.80–$12.40	20–25 business days	Setup fee applies
100 units	$7.20–$9.50	20–25 business days	—
500 units	$5.40–$7.10	18–22 business days	—
1,000 units	$4.20–$5.80	18–22 business days	Best unit cost
5,000 units	$3.10–$4.40	20–25 business days	Volume production line

Get a tailored quote in 24 hours See sampling cost

Related case studies

See how brands have used custom rigid boxes.

Real project

What a 1,000-unit launch actually looked like.

Project photo — /images/case-studies/aurum-cosmetics-launch.svg

Client: Clean-beauty skincare brand (US, 6-SKU launch)
Challenge: A direct-to-consumer serum brand needed launch packaging that felt like a department-store counter — without the 5,000-unit MOQ their agency quoted.
Format chosen: 1.8mm greyboard lift-off lid, 157 gsm matte black art paper, soft-touch lamination, gold foil wordmark, and a custom EVA foam insert. White sample in 6 days, printed sample in 9 days.
Result: 1,000 units sold through in 11 days. Reorder of 3,000 units placed within 4 weeks. The brand moved to a permanent quarterly production cadence and added two new SKUs using the same template.

Read the full case study

How it's made

Inside the production line.

Every custom rigid boxes order runs on a dedicated line in our 18,000 m² facility in Foshan. Here is the journey from greyboard reel to finished, hand-inspected box.

Step 1

1,800 gsm greyboard die-cut and pressed into shape

Step 2

Art paper wrap applied with hot-melt adhesive

Step 3

N35 neodymium flush-mount magnets fitted into lid

Step 4

Hand-inspected at the QC station before packing

Frequently asked

Questions about custom rigid boxes.

50 units.

Our standard MOQ for fully custom rigid boxes is 50 units per SKU. We can match Pantones, foil colors and finishes from as few as 50 pieces.

1.5–3mm greyboard.

1.5mm works for lightweight items like jewelry and small electronics. 2mm is our most popular choice. 2.5–3mm is reserved for heavy items or a "weighty in the hand" feel. We will recommend a thickness based on product weight and target cost.

5–7 business days.

After design sign-off, a 3D dieline and white sample is produced in 3–4 days. A printed, finished sample follows in 5–7 days. Sampling fees are credited against your production order.

Yes — flush and visible magnets.

Both flush-mount magnets (hidden under the wrap) and visible magnetic clasps are available. For boxes above 1.5kg, we recommend ribbon or hinged closures for longevity.

Yes — dieline template provided.

We share a production-ready dieline within 24 hours of order confirmation. You can supply print-ready PDF/X-4 files, or work with our studio for an additional fee.

Yes, with the right paper wrap.

Greyboard core is typically 80% recycled. By choosing FSC-certified wrap papers and water-based inks, rigid boxes are fully recyclable in standard paper streams.

Flat-packed or pre-assembled.

For most ecommerce clients we flat-pack and ship stacked — a 40% space saving versus assembled. Retail clients receive them pre-assembled in protective sleeves.

From $4.20.

Indicative pricing starts at $4.20/unit at 1,000 pieces for a standard 200×150×70mm box with soft-touch lamination and gold foil logo. Final pricing depends on size, board, wrap and finish combination.

A pre-assembled paper box with a thick greyboard core.

A set-up box is the industry term for a rigid box that arrives fully assembled and ready to fill — as opposed to a folding carton that ships flat and is folded by the brand. The greyboard core is 1.5–3mm, the wrap is art or specialty paper, and the box holds its shape without internal supports. Set-up boxes are the format used by luxury retail (jewelry, watches, fragrance) and by premium gifting and electronics.

Rigid = premium, low MOQ, hand-built. Folding = retail, higher MOQ, machine-folded.

Rigid boxes use 1.5–3mm greyboard wrapped by hand and ship pre-assembled; folding cartons are flat-printed sheets that are die-cut and machine-glued. Rigid boxes win on unboxing feel, weight, and luxury positioning. Folding cartons win on unit cost (typically 60–70% lower), lead time (12–18 days vs 18–25), and shelf-ready format. Choose rigid for luxury retail, gifting, fragrance, and electronics. Choose folding cartons for retail shelves, supplements, food, and high-volume SKUs.

Request a quote

Tell us about your project.

Send a few details and we'll come back within 24 hours with a tailored quote, lead time estimate, and material recommendations.

· Free dieline and 3D mockup
· Sample fees credited against first order
· DDP shipping to 50+ countries

Compare formats

Other box formats worth considering.

Read before you order

Guides that pair with custom rigid boxes.

Ready when you are

Send us a sketch, a reference, or a sample. We'll send back a quote within 24 hours.

Get Free Quote Request Sample

Or email navite@xcpaperbox.com

Custom Rigid Boxes

What it is, and when to use it.

When to choose custom rigid boxes — and when not to.

Is the box the product — or just protection for the product?

What is your target unit cost?

Where does the box end up — shelf, doorstep, or counter?

How many units do you need per SKU?