Kraft Gable Boxes.

The handle is die-cut from the same sheet of board as the rest of the box. One blank folds into the base, the walls and a peaked top, and the two roof panels meet to form the grip with no separate hardware added.

With nothing else to hold it together, all of the handle's strength comes from the board caliper and the shape of the cut. Both are decided at the dieline stage, before any board is ordered.

18pt kraft handles light contents, and we step up to 24pt as the fill gets close to two pounds. Caliper should follow the weight going in, since the handle has nothing else to rely on.

Caliper alone won't save the base, though. If the weight is heading toward that upper end, pair the 24pt board with an auto or lock bottom, because a tuck bottom lets go before the handle does.

We use a wider handle opening to spread the load, and the peak fold doubles the board where the handle meets the roof. Tear-out usually starts at the corners of the cut, so that doubled root is where the reinforcement earns its keep.

The only real test is lifting a fully packed box by its handle and walking with it. We'd do that with a sample before signing off any kraft gable order.

One-colour print suits kraft best, and it keeps the brown board doing some of the design work. Dark inks look natural and crafted on it, while light colours and fine photo detail get lost.

CMYK is available if you want more colours. Some market sellers keep print minimal and add their own stamp by hand. For gifting, a ribbon wrapped around the handle adds a finish without extra print, and a grease-resistant coating keeps food boxes clean.

Start from what goes inside, measured as it will be packed, then add a little clearance on each side. The common sizes we cut are 6 x 3.5 x 7 inches and 8 x 4 x 8 inches, quoted as length by width by height.

Tell us the filled weight as well, because it decides the caliper as much as the size does. We confirm body height and overall height with the handle on the proof.

Our smallest kraft gable run is 500 pieces. That keeps a first order within reach for a farmers' market stand or a bakery testing a new box, and the same job can be rerun at up to 100,000 later.

We don't charge for dieline work or design help, and we'll deliver the flat-packed boxes anywhere in the USA.

Production runs 7 to 10 business days after artwork approval, and a rush slot cuts it to 5 to 7. A kraft gable sample reaches you in 5 to 7 business days.

Whatever the sample costs is credited against the bulk order. We'd pack it with the real contents and walk it around by its handle, because tear-out tends to show up only on a full box.

Yes, we run recycled kraft with post-consumer content, and the finished box is recyclable. A compostable option is available too, which suits market and event use where boxes end up in a food waste bin.

If the box needs a food-safe PE coating for greasy contents, talk to us first, because some recycling facilities handle coated board differently from plain kraft.