Brake Pad Boxes.

Because a set of four pads concentrates real weight in a small footprint, and the base panel carries all of it. A plain tuck-end bottom sags and then splits at the glue line once the box is lifted by one hand. A reinforced base adds structure exactly where the weight sits.

The rest of the carton can stay light. Spending board on the base rather than the walls is what keeps the box cheap and intact.

From the stacking load in the rack, not from the size of the box. Dense sets in small cartons stack in deep columns, and the bottom box takes the weight of every box above it. Edge crush strength is the figure that matters.

E-flute corrugated suits retail-facing aftermarket boxes with good print. B-flute has the thicker profile and better stacking strength for warehouse and trade supply.

They do: anti-corrosion coating on the backing plates and friction dust both transfer onto plain board. A grease-resistant liner stops the coating soaking in and prevents the dark patching that makes a box look old before it has sold. Natural kraft board hides any residual marks far better than a white surface.

For a retail range that has to look clean, use the liner and print on white. For trade supply, kraft with the liner is enough.

Flexo in one or two colours, with the part number oversized and repeated on several panels. Boxes get stacked and shelved in every orientation, so the number needs to be readable from the end and the side as well as the face. The application panel lists vehicle fitment, and that is the line the buyer reads first.

Full CMYK is available for consumer-facing aftermarket retail. A defined barcode zone is sized and placed to scan reliably at a trade counter.

6.5 by 5 by 3 inches and 8 by 6 by 3.5 inches cover most passenger-car sets. Internal dimensions are what we work to, so the four pads sit snug and do not shift. Set and axle formats share the same construction in different box lengths.

Send a pad set or its drawing and we'll size the carton to it, with both formats sharing one print layout.

500 cartons per size. Brake pad ranges usually have a handful of box sizes covering hundreds of part numbers, and each size runs to its own quantity. Above 1,000 the price steps down in tiers, so the high-volume fitments are worth ordering deeper.

The same construction is quoted up to 100,000 units.

Production is 7 to 10 business days after approval, with a 5 to 7 business day rush available. A sample pad carton takes 5 to 7 business days to make. Load it with a real set and stack it, because an empty box tells you nothing about the base.

The cost of the sample comes back as a credit on the production order.

Often, yes, and the difference is board and print rather than structure. Trade supply runs on B-flute with one or two flexo colours, since the box lives in a rack and gets found by part number. Retail aftermarket runs on E-flute with full CMYK, because it sits on a shelf next to competing brands and has to look finished.

Both keep the same size set and the same panel layout, so the warehouse handles them identically.