To choose a gift box size, measure the gift first and pick the box around it. The three numbers that matter are the length, the width and the height of the gift as it will lie inside the box.
Most gift box sizes for corporate gifts go wrong in the same way: the footprint is chosen from a photo, the depth is never checked, and the lid will not sit down. This article gives you a method for measuring, explains how much room to leave, and walks through four boxes in our range with their real dimensions so you can match a box to the gift you already have.
Measure the gift, not the box
Lay the item down the way it will sit in the box, then measure it in that position. A flask measured standing tells you nothing useful if it is going to lie on its side. Measure to the longest points, including handles, spouts, lids and any part that sticks out. Note whether the item can lie flat or must stand upright, because that single answer decides whether you are shopping for footprint or for depth.
If the gift arrives in its own retail sleeve or carton and you are not unpacking it, measure the sleeve, not the product. For a set, arrange the items on a table exactly as you want the recipient to see them, then measure the footprint of the whole layout as one block. Take the height from the tallest item in that layout. Write the three numbers down for every gift on the list before you look at a single box.
How much room to leave
Leave a small gap around the gift so filler has something to compress into, but keep it snug enough that nothing slides when the box is tilted. The test is simple: close the box, turn it on its side, and listen. If you can hear the gift move, the box is too big for it.
A box that is too big lets items shift against each other in transit, and gifts arrive scuffed at the corners even though the outer carton looks fine. A box that is too small is worse in a different way, because the lid is pushed open from the inside, the join gapes, and the box looks damaged before anyone opens it. Depth is where this shows up first, so check the height of the gift against the internal depth before you commit.
Depth decides more than footprint
Footprint is easy to eyeball and depth is not, which is why depth causes most of the reordering. Flat and low-profile gifts such as a scarf, a notebook or a folded tee sit happily in a shallow box, and a shallow box also looks better on a desk. Anything that must stand upright, such as a mug, a small jar or a candle, needs a box chosen on its height first and its footprint second.
Bottles and flasks are the common trap. Lie them flat unless you have a box deep enough to stand them, and shape a tray or filler around the neck so they do not roll. For sets in a divided box, the depth question is settled for you at 80mm, and our guide on how to pack a corporate gift set covers compartment counts, fillers and inserts in detail.
Four box sizes and what actually fits in them
These four are ready stock in most regular colours and cover the shapes procurement teams order most often. All of them ship plain, and logo printing is quoted separately.
Plain Colour Two Piece Flat Hard Box
The plain colour two piece flat hard box is a rigid paper-based board box at 207 x 207 x 40mm, built as two pieces: a separate lid that lifts straight off a base tray. The square footprint is generous and the 40mm depth is the limit, so read this box as a flat one. It suits a scarf, a notebook set, a small flat drinkware piece or a folded tee, and generally anything under 40mm thick.
The lid comes off in one clean movement, which presents well when the box is opened in front of people at an event. The wide lid panel is an easy surface to brand by silk screen or hot stamping. Custom colours and an inner tray can be added and are quoted separately.
Kraft Folded Clear Window Box
The kraft folded clear window box is kraft paper board with a clear PVC window across the lid, in a top and bottom construction measuring 295 x 207 x 37mm. It ships flat and folds up on site, which keeps storage tidy when you are staging a batch in a meeting room. The long shallow footprint suits a set of small items laid side by side, or a slim item such as a notebook with a pen beside it.
Because the window shows the contents, arrange everything face-up toward the lid and keep the layout square. At 37mm this is the shallowest of the four, so it is a poor choice for anything that stands. Silk screen or hot stamping for branding, and an inner tray is optional and quoted separately.
Silk Ribbon Book Style Hard Box with Window
The silk ribbon book style hard box is a rigid box in paper and PVC whose cover opens sideways like a book, with a see-through window set into the cover and a silk ribbon across the front holding it closed. The 197 x 197 x 50mm size is square and 50mm deep, so it takes a chunkier single item than a flat box will: a wallet set, a desk item or a small tin.
The sideways opening keeps the cover attached, so nothing gets put down and lost while gifts are being handed out. The ribbon gives the box a finished look without extra wrapping. Branding is by silk screen or hot stamping on the cover, and the window means the contents still need to face upward.
Slide in Folded Clear Window Box with Strap
The slide in folded clear window box with strap is a paper board sleeve with an oval PVC window on the front panel that slides over an inner tray, with a rope carry strap along the top edge. At 160 x 98 x 50mm it is the smallest of the four and it stands upright on a table, so the window faces the room rather than the ceiling.
Use it for one compact item that fits a 160 x 98 footprint at 50mm, such as a mug, a small jar, a candle or a phone accessory. The strap makes it easy to carry away from a registration desk, which is useful for welcome kits and event door gifts. Silk screen or hot stamping for branding, and the inner tray is optional and quoted separately.
When the gift is small
A USB drive or a pen in a full-size gift box looks like a mistake, however much filler you add. For pens, use a pen box from the packaging range, sized so the pen sits in its own channel and does not rattle. For USB drives, the USB box lines are made to the shape of the drive, so the drive stays put and the box still slips into a document wallet. Both lines sit in the packaging box range alongside the larger boxes above.
Ordering a box with the gift
Send us the item list and the dimensions of the gifts, and we will point you to the right depth rather than the nicest photo. If the set needs dividing, we can suggest a compartment layout, and our article on the multi-compartment gift box with shredded paper shows how that looks in practice. If recycled and recyclable materials matter to your tender, our notes on eco-friendly packaging options for corporate gifts cover kraft and paper-based choices.
Printing methods that suit packaging are silk screen, UV print and hot stamping. UV print, laser engraving and UV DTF are run in-house, which means those jobs move on our own schedule and a mid-run change can be sorted the same day. Printing normally takes 5 to 14 working days after artwork is confirmed and payment is received. Stock is held in our own warehouse in Selangor and we deliver nationwide in Malaysia, so a bulk staging run for a nationwide rollout can be planned around one dispatch date. Send us the item list and the dimensions of the gifts and we will match a box to it.
Quick fit guide
| If the gift is… | Consider… |
|---|---|
| Flat and square, under 40mm thick — a scarf, a folded tee | Plain Colour Two Piece Flat Hard Box, 207 x 207 x 40mm |
| Slim and long, laid out side by side and meant to be seen | Kraft Folded Clear Window Box, 295 x 207 x 37mm |
| One chunkier item up to 50mm tall — a wallet set, a small tin | Silk Ribbon Book Style Hard Box with Window, 197 x 197 x 50mm |
| One compact item that stands, and needs carrying away | Slide in Folded Clear Window Box with Strap, 160 x 98 x 50mm |
| A divided set of several items | A compartment box at 80mm deep, such as the three-compartment M size at 308 x 248 x 80mm, or L size at 368 x 273 x 80mm |
| Tall and must stand upright, or needs a flat-pack box | The slide gift box at 250 x 160 x 105mm, the deepest, or the flat-packed magnetic lid gift box at 360 x 265 x 90mm |
FAQ
Should the gift box be bigger than the gift?
Yes, but only slightly bigger. The box needs a small gap around the gift so filler can compress and cushion it, and no more than that. Once the gift can slide when the closed box is tilted, the box is too large and the contents will scuff each other in transit.
Can a tall flask go in a flat box?
Only if it lies flat and the box is long enough for it. A flask standing upright will not fit a 40mm or 37mm deep box, and forcing the lid down pushes the join open. Lay the flask on its side, measure it in that position, and shape the filler around the neck so it cannot roll.
Do window boxes need a tray?
Not always, but a tray helps whenever the window will show an untidy layout. An inner tray holds each item in place so the arrangement still looks right after handling and delivery. Trays are optional on the kraft window box and the slide-in strap box, and are quoted separately.
Can the boxes be printed with our logo?
Yes. All boxes ship plain and logo printing is quoted separately, with silk screen, UV print and hot stamping being the methods that suit packaging board. Printing normally takes 5 to 14 working days after artwork is confirmed and payment is received, so build that into your event date.
