Rigid Gift Boxes · MOQ 100 pcs
Two rigid pieces — a base tray and a lid that sits over it with a friction fit. No magnet to align, no drawer to jam, and none of the assembly cost that comes with either. Indicative $1.20–1.80/pc at 500 pcs at the same specification as our magnetic box, which puts it roughly 25–30% below.
Overview
The lid & base box, also called a setup box, is the oldest and still the most widely used premium structure. A base tray is wrapped and turned, a lid is wrapped and turned, and the lid sits over the base with a friction fit. The skirt overlap is the only mechanism, and there is nothing inside that can fail — no magnet to come unglued, no drawer to jam, no ribbon to pull off. That simplicity is why the structure survives in retail, in subscription programmes and in archival packaging, and why the unit cost sits below a magnetic box at the same specification.
It is the right choice in two situations. Volume first: when you are producing thousands of boxes for a retail or gifting programme, the saving over magnetic is real money, and it is better spent on finishing, where the customer actually sees the difference. Durability second: anything opened repeatedly, stacked, or handled by staff rather than by a customer. The honest trade-off is the opening itself — a friction-fit lid is a two-hand operation and gives no tactile snap. If the first three seconds of the unboxing are your priority, pay for the magnetic box; if the box has to look and feel premium in a photograph and on a shelf, this one does it for less.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Finished size | Made to your product; 25×20×8cm is the specification our band is quoted against |
| Board | 1.5–2.0mm greyboard base and lid; double-wall for large or heavy contents |
| Closure | Friction-fit lid skirt, normally 15–25mm deep; ribbon or bow optional |
| Insert | Folded paper tray, platform, fabric-covered tray or foam — quoted separately |
| Wrapped litho on lid and base; interior and base printing as separate passes | |
| Finishing | Hot foil, emboss/deboss, matte or soft-touch lamination, spot UV |
| Packing | Shipped assembled; nesting lids and bases can reduce freight volume |
| MOQ | 100 pcs per design |
| Lead time | 12–18 days after sample approval; sample in 3–5 days |
Variants
Lid over base, nothing added. The cheapest version and the most neutral: the whole surface is your artwork and nothing distracts from it.
A satin ribbon around the base with a bow on the lid, or a ribbon tab under the lid edge. A cheap upgrade that immediately reads as gifting; the ribbon is its own line.
A printed paper band wraps the closed box. Good for retail security on a shelf, and the easiest way to add a back-of-pack message without printing the base.
A deeper skirt gives a roomier fit and a more solid look on tall boxes, at the cost of extra board area.
A card or board platform raises the product and creates a document or accessory layer above or below it.
A lid with an inner shoulder so it self-centres instead of shifting over the base. Adds a piece of board and solves the loose-fit problem on wide lids.
Materials
Because the structure itself is the cheapest way into a rigid box, most of the budget here goes on the surfaces the customer touches — which is the right way to spend it.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1.5mm greyboard | Adequate for the base of most retail boxes and for lids up to about 20cm. Keeps material, weight and freight down. |
| 2.0mm greyboard | The usual choice for lids over roughly 25cm, and for boxes that will be stacked in a store room. Adds board cost and shipping weight. |
| Coated art paper wrap | Full-colour print at the lowest material cost. Always pair it with lamination on a box that will be handled in retail. |
| Textured or linen-embossed wrap | The cheapest way to make a plain box feel expensive in the hand, because the texture is felt before the print is read. |
| Soft-touch lamination | Deep matte, no glare and excellent sharpness under foil. A small per-unit increase that does more for perceived value than almost any other single line. |
| Printed interior | Interior print or a printed base turns a commodity structure into a branded one, and it is quoted as its own press pass. |
Best for
Thousands of units where the per-box saving over magnetic becomes a budget line rather than a rounding error.
A two-piece box stacks, sits flat on a shelf, and can be opened by staff with a lid that goes back on cleanly.
Friction fit is forgiving of repeated opening, and there is nothing inside the lid to wear out.
Wide, shallow boxes with a deep lid handle soft goods better than a drawer, which needs a rigid tray.
Books, prints and limited editions where the box must stay closed for years and nothing may migrate or leave a mark.
Where you want the rigid box look on a carton-adjacent budget — the honest way to have a premium box at volume.
Sizing
Lid & base fit is entirely about the skirt and the clearance between lid and base. Get those two numbers right and a cheap box feels expensive; get them wrong and it feels like a misprint.
| Dimension | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Lid to base clearance | 0.5–1mm total on width and depth for a lid you want to lift off freely; 0.2–0.5mm for a firm friction grip. In humid climates the tighter figure becomes a two-hand struggle. |
| Skirt depth | 15–20mm on a standard box, 20–25mm on tall or heavy boxes. A short skirt on a deep base is the most common reason a box feels loose. |
| Smallest sensible size | Below roughly 60×60×20mm the wrapped board dominates the proportions and hand assembly barely gets cheaper — a folding carton is the more sensible format. |
| Board versus size | 1.5mm board for lids up to about 20cm, 2.0mm above that, and double-wall only where the contents are genuinely heavy. |
| Overbox and freight | A rigid box is a presentation pack, so it ships inside an outer carton. To take the saving, ask for nested lids and bases, which cuts the volume without changing the box. |
Free quote
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FAQ
What buyers ask when they are comparing this against a magnetic box.
Keep looking
A rigid greyboard shell with magnets set into lid and base, so the box pulls shut and holds with no visible closure. The strongest reveal in the rigid family and the structure most D2C beauty, fragrance and gifting brands pick for a launch or a gift set — at roughly 25–30% above the same box in lid & base.
A rigid sleeve with a sliding inner drawer, so the product arrives on a tray before any of the packaging structure is seen. The most theatrical reveal in the rigid family, and the format jewellery, watches, fragrance and electronics accessories use when the product should appear first. It is also the hardest of the three structures to build well — a drawer either glides or it does not.
A collapsible version of our magnetic rigid box: the walls fold down and the base locks up, so assembled volume is not paid for in the container. Same reveal and same finishing menu as the standard magnetic box, with a dedicated folding die quoted as its own line — the unit price sits on the magnetic band.
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