Which board should I choose for retail?

18pt SBS is the default where print fidelity and stiffness both matter. Kraft or recycled board is chosen when the surface itself carries the positioning.

Do you print full colour and match Pantone?

Yes — CMYK plus spot colours on offset, with colour measured against approved targets so reruns stay consistent.

Can a window be added to any of these structures?

Most of them. We advise on placement so the die-cut doesn't cross a score or weaken the panel above the fill line.

Is low-volume production available?

Short runs print digitally, which suits launches, versioned artwork and promotions. Longer runs move to offset.

Do you supply the dieline?

Yes. We issue a dieline for your chosen structure and dimensions, and your artwork comes back on it.

Do you supply wholesale cereal boxes?

Yes. We manufacture direct for brands, co-packers and private-label programmes, so cartons are priced per order from the plant rather than through a reseller. Quantities and pricing are quoted per specification.

Are these retail cereal boxes ready for supermarket shelves?

They are built for retail: printed to your dieline, sized to your fill and, where the retailer asks, paired with shelf-ready trays and case labels. Each retailer's own packaging rules should be checked before artwork is final.

Can you make branded cereal boxes with our logo and colours?

Yes. Every carton is printed with your artwork, logo and brand colours, with Pantone matching where colour must be exact and finishes such as foil or spot UV on the front panel.

Do you make breakfast cereal boxes for every cereal type?

Yes. Flakes, puffs, granola, muesli, oats and children's cereals each have different fill densities and barrier needs, so the carton size, board and inner bag are specified for the product.

Category — 12 structures

Custom cereal boxes

Retail cereal cartons drawn to your dimensions, printed on 16–24pt board and finished for the shelf you're selling on. Choose the structure first — board, print and finish follow from it.

—Dielines drawn around your fill weight and case pack
—Folded white-board sample before every production run
—Digital for short runs, offset for volume and Pantone match

Browse structures →

Custom cereal boxes in three formats grouped together

category group shot — 3/4

Print

Full colour, offset or digital

Size

Any custom dimension

Board

SBS · kraft · recycled

Finishing

Lamination to foil

Built around the way cereal is sold.

A cereal carton has to survive a pallet, a facing routine and a household. That means caliper matched to fill weight, scores that stay square after repeated handling, and a front panel that holds its hierarchy from four feet away. Every structure in this category is quoted with those three constraints stated up front.

Side panel detail of a custom cereal carton

side panel detail — macro

Structures in this category

12 showing

Structure

Format

Board

standard carton — 3/4 18pt SBS

Straight tuck cereal box

Clean front panel / tuck top and bottom

View structure →

reverse tuck — 3/4 18pt SBS

Reverse tuck cereal box

Economical tooling / opposing tucks

View structure →

window carton — front 18pt SBS

Window cereal box

Die-cut viewing panel + film patch

View structure →

kraft carton — 3/4 18pt kraft

Kraft cereal box

Uncoated surface / natural positioning

View structure →

auto-lock — bottom 20pt SBS

Auto-lock cereal box

Crash bottom / fastest set-up on line

View structure →

family carton — 3/4 20pt SBS

Family-size cereal carton

High-volume retail format / stiffened panels

View structure →

mini carton — group 16pt kraft

Mini cereal box

Hotel, school and sampling programmes

View structure →

single serve — group 16pt SBS

Single-serve cereal box

Portion format / dense case packing

View structure →

recycled carton — 3/4 20pt recycled

Recycled cereal carton

Post-consumer board / grey core

View structure →

display unit — open Micro-flute

Display-ready cereal shipper

Shelf-ready outer / tear-away front

View structure →

premium carton — macro 20pt SBS

Die-cut premium carton

Shaped panels / foil and emboss ready

View structure →

multipack — stacked Micro-flute

Multipack cereal carton

Grouped units / corrugated outer

View structure →

Choosing

Which box fits?

Pick what matters most on this line. We'll show the structure we'd normally specify.

If you need

Maximum shelf presentation

Colour has to hold from four feet away, and the panel must stay flat after repeated facing.

Consider

Printed SBS straight tuck

Board

18pt SBS C1S

Finish

Matte + spot UV

Trade-off

Higher unit cost

See this structure →

Board options for this category

Compare all boards →

SBS paperboard

Clay-coated one side. The reference surface for high-fidelity retail cereal printing.

16–24pt

Kraft paperboard

Unbleached fibre with visible texture. Reads natural without printed cues.

16–20pt

Recycled paperboard

Post-consumer content with a grey core and a strong material story.

18–22pt

Micro-flute corrugated

E/F flute for display shippers, multipacks and ship-ready cartons.

E / F flute

Printing

Offset for volume, Pantone accuracy and consistent reruns. Digital for launches, versioned artwork and short promotional runs. Flexo where the structure is corrugated.

Finishing

Matte lamination with spot UV is the common retail pairing — low glare across the panel, selective gloss on the claim block. Foil and emboss for premium tiers.

Food contact

Direct-contact cartons use food-grade board and inks; most cereal lines run an inner bag, which changes the board spec. We confirm the route with your QA team.

Where these cartons ship

shelf set — art directed

Supermarket retail

Full ranges facing on a four-foot cereal set.

SKU family — flat lay

Private label

Shared dieline families across flavours and tiers.

subscription carton — open

Subscription & DTC

Interior print and ship-ready structures.

mini carton — stacked

Foodservice & hotel

Mini and portion formats, dense case packs.

Specification notes

What to decide before you brief us

Start from the fill, not the artwork

Cereal is sold by weight but packed by volume, so the carton is sized around bulk density and headspace. Give us the fill weight and we'll return dimensions rather than the other way round.

→Bulk density varies widely between flakes, clusters and granola

→Headspace protects the product through settling in transit

→Shelf height in the target retailer caps the carton height

FAQ

Custom cereal boxes, answered

Yes. Tooling is cut per structure, so the dimensions are yours. If you only know the fill weight, we size the carton around bulk density and headspace and send a folded sample first.

Related guides

How to choose cereal box dimensions → Kraft vs SBS for cereal cartons → How cereal box dielines work →

Need your cereal carton in a custom size?

Send dimensions or a fill weight and we'll come back with a dieline recommendation and category pricing.

Custom cereal carton on a deep burgundy background