Rigid Gift Boxes · MOQ 100 pcs
A rigid sleeve with a drawer that slides out on a paper or board rail, presenting the product on a tray while the sleeve stays behind. Indicative $0.80–1.80/pc at 1,000 pcs for a ribbon-pull drawer with an insert; multi-tier and complex structures are quoted as their own line.
Overview
A sliding drawer box is two structures in one: an outer sleeve, wrapped and printed, and an inner drawer that travels on a rail inside it. The drawer usually carries a tray — velvet, satin, suede-effect or foam — so when it slides out the product is presented on a surface rather than dropped into a cavity. The sequencing is the point. The customer sees the product first and the packaging second, which for a ring, a watch or a small bottle does more for perceived value than any amount of print on the outside.
The trade-off is tolerance. A drawer is the only core rigid structure with a moving part, and a badly made one jams, wobbles or slides open in transit. That is also why this structure is where the budget shows most: the genuinely cheap end of the market — small single-colour jewel boxes at a few cents — is a price war, and we do not build our offer there. What we quote is a drawer that holds its clearance over thousands of pieces, with an insert cut to the product and a pull that survives the courier, and we send a sample so you can work the glide yourself before the run is committed.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Finished size | Made to your product; the band is quoted against a compact jewellery or accessory format at 1,000 pcs |
| Board | Rigid greyboard sleeve and drawer, typically 1.5–2.0mm; a sleeved drawer needs a stiffer sleeve than a friction-fit box |
| Closure | Sliding drawer with ribbon pull or finger cut-out; optional tab lock or hidden magnet for transit |
| Insert | Velvet, satin or suede-effect tray, or die-cut EVA foam — quoted as its own line |
| Wrapped litho on the sleeve and drawer face; interior print as a separate pass | |
| Finishing | Hot foil, emboss/deboss, soft-touch or matte lamination, spot UV |
| Packing | Assembled; drawers can be shipped nested and fitted on arrival to save volume |
| MOQ | 100 pcs per design |
| Lead time | 12–18 days after sample approval; sample in 3–5 days |
Variants
A ribbon loop on the drawer face — the version our band is quoted against and still the clearest invitation to open. Ribbon width and colour are a separate line.
A crescent or slot die-cut into the drawer face instead of a ribbon. Nothing to fray or fall off, and the whole face stays printable.
Two drawers travelling in the same sleeve, or a drawer beneath a fixed platform. Doubles the moving assemblies, so expect it to be quoted as its own structure.
The sleeve opens like a book cover with the drawer inside. More printed surface and more hand assembly, and a heavier reveal.
A tray that slides out of the sleeve without a front face — the cheapest working version of the idea for light contents.
Sleeve and drawer fold flat for freight, then lock up on arrival. Unit price is similar; the freight volume saving is the reason to ask.
Materials
A drawer box has more parts than any other rigid structure, and each part has its own cheapest sensible material. Spending on the wrong one is the easiest way to waste a budget here.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sleeve board, 1.5–2.0mm | The sleeve carries the print and the structure. Going thinner saves material, but the sleeve starts to bow on a long drawer — which is exactly what makes a drawer feel loose. |
| Drawer board, 1.2–1.5mm | The drawer only has to hold its shape and carry the tray, so it can be lighter than the sleeve. A lighter drawer also glides more smoothly. |
| Coated art paper wrap | The cheapest full-colour surface. Needs lamination to resist handling scuffs on the drawer face, which is touched on every open. |
| Textured or linen-embossed wrap | Adds a grain that reads as quality in the hand for a small increase, and it hides the marks a gloss surface would show. |
| Velvet or satin lining | The surface the product rests on. Velvet gives the deepest contrast and the most premium read; satin is smoother, lighter and cheaper. |
| EVA foam tray | Where the product is heavy or irregular, foam grips where fabric cannot. Adds material cost and reduces goods moving in transit. |
Best for
The product lands on a velvet tray with nothing covering it. For a ring or a watch, that is the whole presentation.
A bottle stands upright in a tall drawer, held by a cut-out, while the sleeve carries the branding without competing with the glass.
Chargers, earbuds and small hardware present as a set on a printed tray, and cables stay contained.
Medals, pins and pens read as a case rather than a carton — the kind of box a customer keeps.
The opening is a small ceremony the customer repeats every cycle, which is what a recurring box should be.
A drawer can stay in a display unit and be opened by staff without lifting the box off the counter.
Sizing
Drawers are sized by what has to travel inside them, and the sleeve is set from the drawer with the clearance that lets it glide. That clearance is the single number that decides whether the box feels engineered or cheap.
| Dimension | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Sleeve to drawer clearance | Roughly 1–1.5mm total across width and depth. Tighter and it grips in humid weather; looser and it rattles and drops out when the box is tilted. |
| Drawer depth | Allow 3–5mm of headroom above the product so the tray does not press on the sleeve. A drawer that is tight in depth is the most common cause of a bulging lid line. |
| Smallest sensible size | Under about 50mm on the drawer face there is not enough board to hold a clean edge, and assembly cost per unit stops falling. Small jewel boxes at that scale are a commodity market — a folding carton will serve you better. |
| Long drawer travel | Drawers longer than roughly 150mm need a stiffer sleeve board or a double wall, or the sleeve bows as the drawer travels out. |
| Freight volume | A drawer box is two rigid shells, so it occupies more container volume than a lid & base box of the same footprint. At volume, ask for the nested or collapsible version on the quote. |
Free quote
Send the basics and you will get an itemised price plus a 3D mockup with your branding.
What you get
Reply within one business day. No obligation, and no design files needed to start.
FAQ
Including the price band where we tell you not to buy from us.
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 magnetic rigid shell with a die-cut insert tray — EVA foam, velvet-wrapped foam or a folded paper platform — built to your product's own outline. The tray does the engineering work: it sets the presentation height, stops movement in transit and decides how the product reads when the lid comes off. Insert priced as a separate line.
A two-piece rigid box: a base tray plus a lid that sits over it with a friction fit. No magnets, no moving parts, no visible mechanism — which is exactly why it is the cheapest of the three core rigid structures and the one that scales. Around 25–30% below a magnetic box at the same size and specification.
Get a free quote
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination. You will get an itemised factory-direct price, a recommended structure and a 3D mockup — no design files needed to start.
Free quote
Two minutes to fill in. No design files needed to start.