FMCG packaging boxes built for distribution

What makes a good FMCG packaging box?

An FMCG packaging box is a shipper carton that carries a fixed count of retail units from your line to a distributor, then to a store shelf. It has three jobs: hold the case count without slack, take batch and statutory print on clean board faces, and stack to pallet height without crushing the layer below.

Most FMCG distribution uses a regular slotted carton, the RSC, because it folds flat, packs fast on a line, and seals with a single tape run. The size is set by your primary pack and the case count, not by a stock carton off a shelf.

The case count sets the box. Size the shipper to the primary pack, then pick ply for the stack it will sit in.

• Sized to your case count, so units do not slide and the carton does not pay for empty air.
• Ply matched to the stack: 3-ply for light cases, 5-ply for mid-weight and pallet stacks, 7-ply for heavy or dense loads.
• Clean outer board that holds batch code, MRP, net weight and statutory lines without smudging.
• Recycled kraft that prints in one or two colours for shelf and warehouse identification.
• Same spec locked run to run, so repeat orders stack and scan the same way.

How do I pick ply and format for an FMCG load?

The carton at the bottom of a pallet carries every layer above it. A light snack case and a case of glass bottles do not need the same board. Match the ply to the load and the height it stacks to, not to the product alone.

Share the case weight, the units per case, and how high it stacks on the pallet. A human confirms the ply and flute on WhatsApp before you commit to a run.

Where does batch and statutory print go?

FMCG cartons carry information the retail unit does not: case batch code, manufacture and expiry dates, net quantity, MRP where it applies, and any statutory line your category needs. All of it prints on the flat outer faces of the shipper, so warehouse staff and auditors can read it without opening the case.

• Batch and date coding on a clean panel, kept clear of tape and flap seams.
• MRP and net weight blocks where your category requires them on the outer case.
• One or two colour flexo print for brand mark and shelf identification.
• Handling marks: this way up, fragile, stack limit, kept where a forklift operator sees them.
• Consistent print position run to run, so scanners and pickers find the code in the same place.

For food brands the same board faces carry allergen and category lines cleanly. See our food-brand packaging page for how the print and board choices carry across.

What does an FMCG shipper carton cost?

Price is driven by blank area, ply, print and quantity. For a mid-size 5-ply RSC shipper on a repeat FMCG run, a worked band lands roughly like this. It is a worked example, not a fixed figure, because recycled kraft trades on a market band.

Larger repeat runs bring the per-box figure down because setup is spread across more units. The kraft paper rate is a market band, so the quote engine returns a range and a human pins the exact number for your run.

Prices attract 5% GST (HSN 4819); a GST invoice is issued with every order.

From spec to repeat supply

• Share your case count, unit size, case weight and stack height, or WhatsApp a photo of the current shipper.
• Get a live price band from the quote engine on size, ply, quantity and print.
• A human confirms the exact figure usually in minutes, always within 24 hours.
• Approve a physical sample with your batch and statutory print laid out.
• Production runs factory-direct from NCR and the spec is locked for repeat runs. GST invoice issued.

Once the first run is approved, the spec is held so every repeat order stacks, scans and prints the same. That is what keeps an FMCG line moving without re-checking each carton.

Frequently asked questions