Rigid Boxes are handcrafted gift boxes constructed of gray board and wrapped in the printed paper. Rigid boxes come in various shapes and box structural.
Due to their diversity of structures and the uniqueness of shapes, rigid gift boxes have incomparable advantages over other gift boxes.
The custom rigid box provides reliable protection for the product, elevates packaging quality, and enhances the product’s value.
So how much does a custom rigid box cost?
It is difficult to give a quick and clear answer to this question. Because it depends on the cost of the packaging design, material, printing, craftsmanship, packaging inserts, and other production processes.
Today we analyze this detailed cost and other factors that impact the price of the rigid box.
Table of Contents
The Packaging Design Expense
Packaging design uses patterns, characters, and colors to highlight the characteristics of the product, creating exquisite shapes, novel patterns, bright colors, and attractive words to promote product sales.
The packaging design of rigid boxes includes three aspects: packaging appearance design, packaging structural design, and artwork design.
1,Packaging appearance design
The appearance of the rigid box must be suitable for product, and provide reliable protection for the product.
In addition to the square shape, the rigid boxes are available in irregular shapes such as round, hexagonal, oval, heart-shaped, etc.
2, Packaging structural design
Excellent structural design can effectively protect the product, and also consider the convenience of use, carrying, display, transportation, etc.
It includes the external construction and internal insert structures of the rigid gift boxes.
3, Packaging artwork design
The packaging artwork is a graphic design that shows different packaging coating, and special processes to create more attractive gift boxes.
The cost of packaging design depends on the requirement and goal of the packaging.
If you are a small business,the minimalist packaging design is a good option, it is a good idea to seek help from gift packaging manufacturers, they can help you provide an economically suitable structural design.
The Material Expense
As we discussed the rigid box packaging, the main materials to manufacturing the rigid box include paper and rigid board.
Outer / Inner Paper
There are a variety of papers to choose from, which vary in price.
Here is a price list estimation for you to refer to:
| Paper Type | Paper Weight | Paper Sheet Size | Price |
| C1S C2S Glossy Art Paper | 157gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.13-$0.15 |
| Colored virgin paper (black, red, burgundy, brown, navy, violet) | 120gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.22-0.3 |
| White bleach kraft paper/ kraft paper | 150gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.11-0.15 |
| Pearlescent paper | 120gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.24-0.36 |
| Embossed/Textured paper | 120gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.28-0.40 |
| Metallic paper (silver, gold) | 157gsm | 787x1092mm | $0.33-0.35 |
C1S and C2S coated paper is the most cost-effective paper choices for custom rigid box. Other special papers, such as color virgin paper, pearlescent paper, embossed paper, and metallic paper, add luxury to the box through special texture and coating, and the cost are relatively high.
Gray Board
Gray boards are recycled boards with high stiffness and thickness. Unlike corrugated cardboard, the gray board is solid with very smooth and flat surface.
Rigid boards are in a variety of thicknesses and types, and the thickness of the rigid board ranges from 0.5mm to 4mm.
Here is the price of the graybeard for you to refer to:
| Gray Board Type | Weight | Sheet Size | Price |
| Single-sided Gray Board | 1000gsm (1.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.48-$0.50 |
| Single-sided Gray Board | 1200gsm (2mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.58-$0.61 |
| Single-sided Gray Board | 1800gsm (2.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.86-$0.91 |
| Double-sided Gray Board | 1000gsm (1.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.5-$0.53 |
| Double-sided Gray Board | 1200gsm (2mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.61-$0.66 |
| Double-sided Gray Board | 1800gsm (2.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.91-$0.98 |
| gray board with white | 1000gsm (1.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.53-$0.57 |
| gray board with white | 1200gsm (2mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.64-$0.68 |
| gray board with white | 1800gsm (2.5mm thickness) | 787x1092mm | $0.95-$0.99 |
The material cost of a rigid box depends on the size and construction. In general, the larger the size, the higher the expense cost, and the material expenses of gift boxes with complex structures are higher than boxes with simple structures.
Professional manufacturers will help you optimize costs according to your packaging design and requirements.
Read more box styles of the rigid box
The Printing Expense
In gift packaging, offset and flexographic printing are popular and efficient printing methods.
Offset printing is favored by luxury packaging because of its high printing efficiency, stable printing quality, and excellent printing effect.
Offset printing has a set-up expense, so the larger the order, the lower printing per unit.
In the process of offset printing, we can add some special varnish (matt and glossy , which is to add transparent oil on the full-printed graphic to protect the color from lasting brightness.
Adding varnish is a necessary and inexpensive process for uncoated papers.
The Lamination Expense
Lamination is a common coating process in gift boxes. It is to cover a layer of plastic film on the paper to increase the firmness of the paper and enhance the water resistance of the paper as well.
Laminates are available in two options, glossy and matte
In addition to glossy and matte lamination, there are other special films, such as soft touch film and laser film.
The difference between lamination and varnish
- The difference in the production process,the lamination is an additional layer added after printing, and the varnish is usually added during the printing process
- The thickness of the coating.,the thickness of lamination is much thicker than varnish.
- Price difference: the cost of lamination is much more expensive than the price of varnish
| Lamination Type | Price per Square Meter |
| Glossy Lamination | $0.10-$0.12 |
| Matte Lamination | $0.12-$0.14 |
Special Finishes Expense
In custom box packaging,it is common to use special printing process to enhance the unique look of the box.
These special printing processes are applied to the image, Logo, and text.
The following are 4 special printing techniques that are often applied on rigid gift boxes
- Hot foil stamping
- Spot UV
- Embossing
- Debossing
The cost of these special techniques includes plate cost, labor cost, and material costs, and the specific cost depends on the size of the application.
The Cost of the Manufacturing
The mass production of rigid boxes includes a manual process of die-cutting, pasting, and assembly. The cost of this process depends on the structure and size of the rigid box.
Among the five basic box types of gift boxes, the lid and base gift box is the most cost-effective style. It is produced by fully automatic gift boxes, so its production cost is relatively cheap.
However, some special-shaped gift boxes, such as heart-shaped boxes or round gift boxes, need to be totally manually operated, and the cost is relatively high.
Additional Packaging Expense
In order to customize an impressive gift box, and protect and display products, it is common to add some packaging insert or decoration inside, which will increase the cost of packaging a little.
Packaging Inserts
There are different material options for the packaging inserts. It includes plastic trays, sponges, and cardboard inserts
The plastic tray needs a mold fee, it is suitable for large quantity orders. For small orders, foam and cardboard inserts are ideal.
Packaging Shredded Paper
The colorful shredded paper can decorate the interior of the gift box and provide cushion to further protect the product inside
Packaging Ribbon
The ribbon is used to decorate the appearance of the rigid box. The ribbon with the logo beautifies the rigid box.
If you have any questions about the cost of the rigid box, please contact Better Package to get detailed information.
