1-2-3 Bottom Boxes.

It describes the assembly: fold the first flap, then the second, then the third, and the base is locked. The trade also calls it a snap lock or a lock bottom, and the structure is identical under all three names.

The numbered name has stuck because that's how the fold gets taught at a packing bench. A new operator usually has it after a handful of boxes.

No, the base holds by interlock alone. Each flap holds the next and the last one tucks under, so the floor supports itself without a glue joint. Weight pressing down on the base pushes the flaps into tighter engagement.

A plain tuck bottom behaves the opposite way under load, which is why this style carries moderate weights that a tucked base would eventually drop.

Assembly speed on this box is decided by the die and the sharpness of its creases. A blank with crisp creases folds almost by itself, and a poorly cut one fights the operator on every unit. Over a few thousand boxes, that extra labour costs more than a cheaper die ever saved.

We cut these on precision dies and check how the folds fall on the sample before the run is booked.

SBS between 18 and 24pt is our standard, chosen to match the weight going in. Folding boxboard is the alternative when you want bulk and stiffness at a lower cost, and kraft grades suit a craft or natural brand.

Recycled board with post-consumer content is available too. For heavier contents we move up the caliper range, because the board has to stay firm right at the lock where the flaps meet.

The full carton finishing menu applies. CMYK and Pantone print, hot foil, embossing and debossing, spot UV, and matte, gloss or soft-touch lamination all run on this structure.

On kraft grades we'd keep to one or two bold colours with a foil or deboss mark, which suits the small-batch brands this box tends to serve. Keep fine text away from the base, where the three flaps break up the artwork.

Every one is built to your product, starting from the internal length, width and depth. There is no stock size list for this style. Measure the item or its inner pack at the widest points and tell us the weight, since weight also decides the caliper.

We quote sizes as inside dimensions, length by width by depth, where the first two figures describe the opening under the top tuck.

This style starts at 300 boxes, which is lower than most of our tuck range. It suits craft and small-batch producers who fold by hand anyway and don't need the volume an auto-bottom line is built around.

When the business grows, the same die carries on. Reorders can go as high as 100,000 without any change to the structure.

A hand-foldable sample reaches you in 5 to 7 business days. Fold it several times, fill it with the real contents and drop it onto its base, because a dieline drawing tells you nothing about how the lock assembles. Once you approve, production takes 7 to 10 business days.

Rush runs take 5 to 7 business days. Whatever you paid for the sample is credited against the order.