Paper Food Boats.

A food boat is a single die-cut blank folded once into an open, flared tray, with no gluing or assembly. That is why it is the cheapest food-service format we make. The blank is scored so the sides fold up and lock at the corners, and the flare lets hundreds nest into one compact stack behind the counter.

We supply them pre-formed for speed at peak, or as flat blanks where storage space matters more than seconds at the pass.

Yes, we never run this format on bare board. Grease defence is the whole material conversation for a boat, because fried food goes in hot and the oil hits the board straight away. Clay-coated stock gives a sealed surface and a clean print face, and kraft hides oil marks if you would rather not see them.

The barrier is PFAS-free on every grade, which keeps you clear of the state restrictions on fluorinated coatings.

No, a boat is an open format built for food eaten within minutes. There is no lid and no containment, so it will not survive a bag or a car ride. The open top does a useful job at the counter, though: steam vents continuously, so fried texture holds instead of going soft.

For anything that travels, look at a closed paper lunch box or a lidded tray instead.

Flexo in one or two colours on kraft or white is the usual choice, and the red check pattern is still the most recognisable look in the format. Unprinted kraft is the cheapest route and reads fine at events and concessions. If the boat is a branded item in its own right, we can run full CMYK for photographic artwork.

Every ink we use is grease-tolerant, so the print stays legible as oil soaks into the board.

Boats follow the trade's numbered portions from #25 up to #100. A #25 runs about 5 by 4 inches with a 1.5 inch wall, and a #40 is 7 by 5 by 1.5 inches, which covers most fried sides and handheld portions. The format tops out at small to medium loads, since a larger portion needs real walls to stop the tray flexing in the hand.

We can die-cut a custom size if your portion sits between the standard numbers.

The minimum run is 500 boats. Pricing steps down in tiers once you pass 1,000, and we can produce up to 100,000 units in one order for stadium and chain volumes. A single-colour logo on kraft keeps the entry cost low at the smaller end.

Design and dieline help comes free with any order, so you do not need print-ready files to get started.

Standard production runs 7 to 10 business days, and a rush order can be turned in 5 to 7 business days. Samples take 5 to 7 business days and go out before the bulk run, so you can check the coating against your fryer output. The sample fee is credited back against the production order.

Shipping is USA-wide from our plant.

They can be, if you specify PLA-lined board. The PLA barrier gives the same grease resistance as the standard coating and breaks down in commercial composting, which suits venues with front-of-house compost bins. Where the stock is certified we print a clear disposal instruction on the boat.

Plain kraft and clay-coated grades are the cheaper option where composting is not on offer, and all our coatings are PFAS-free either way.