Decision guide

Corrugated Boxes: which one is right for you?

Corrugated boxes are built from 3-ply 690 GSM corrugated board — two flat liners with a fluted (wavy) medium glued between them. The flutes are the family's defining feature: they create internal air channels that absorb compression and impact, which is what makes corrugated the only Roopac box family designed to *ship as the outer carton*. Every other family (monocarton, rigid) is presentation packaging and needs corrugated around it for courier.

Business fit — what each one is for

Product	Construction	Cost band	Primary use
RSB Corrugated	Regular Slotted Box — four flaps meet, taped shut	Low	Bulk shipping, dispatch, freight, warehouse
Self-Locking Mailer	Self-locking flaps, no tape	Low–Mid	D2C ecommerce, branded outer mailer (custom sizes)
Tuck End Corrugated	Top tuck flap + locking bottom	Low	Retail / lighter shipping cartons
Lid and Bottom Corrugated	Two-piece: separate lid + base	Mid	Footwear, electronics, gift hampers
Slider Corrugated	Inner tray slides out of corrugated sleeve	Mid	Ecommerce with reveal moment, food, hampers
Gable Corrugated	Gable-top closure with carry handle	Mid	Hampers, food packs, event giveaways, kids' party
Hexagon Corrugated	Six-sided geometric shipper	Mid	Hampers and specialty items that ship without outer carton
Shoe Box Corrugated	Flip-lid with self-lock design	Low–Mid	Footwear retail and ecommerce
Kraft Shipping Mailer Boxes	3-ply kraft mailer box, self-locking, eco-led	Low	Eco-led D2C ecommerce, lightweight shipping
Coloured Shipping Mailer Box	3-ply white-on-white, offset CMYK, self-locking tuck	Low–Mid	Branded photographic D2C shipping

Technicals — side by side

Spec	Regular Slotted Corrugated Box	Self-Locking Corrugated Box	Tuck End Corrugated Box	Lid and Bottom Corrugated Box	Slider Corrugated Box	Gable Corrugated Box	Hexagon Corrugated Box	Shoe Storage Corrugated Box	Kraft Shipping Mailer Box	Coloured Shipping Mailer Box
Material	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated	3-Ply Corrugated, Brown outer-Brown Inner	3-Ply Corrugated, White outer-White Inner
MOQ	300 pcs	300 pcs	300 pcs	300 pcs	300 pcs	300 pcs	300 pcs	500 pcs	100 pcs	100 pcs
Production lead	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks	3 weeks
Print	Screen / Offset	Offset / Screen	Offset / Screen	Offset / Screen	Offset / Screen	Offset / Screen	Offset	Offset; Screen (short runs standard die only)	Screen	Offset / Screen
Max colours	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	1	4
Sizes	3 standard	Fully custom	Fully custom	Fully custom	Fully custom	Fully custom	3 standard	1 standard	8 standard	2 standard
	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure	Configure

Decide in four questions

Walk down from the first question — every branch ends at a product.

1. Is the box ONLY for shipping (no presentation requirement)?
   ├─ Yes, bulk dispatch / warehouse / freight
   │     → RSB Corrugated (regular-slotted-corrugated-box)
   │     — most cost-effective, widest dimension range (up to 40 × 25 × 23.8 in)
   │
   └─ No → continue
        2. D2C ECOMMERCE shipping mailer?
           ├─ Yes → continue with mailer routing
           │       a. Eco-led, kraft outer, MOQ 100, single-colour OK?
           │          → Kraft Shipping Mailer Boxes (kraft-shipping-mailer-box)
           │       b. Photographic CMYK print, white outer, 2 fixed sizes, MOQ 500?
           │          → Coloured Shipping Mailer Box (coloured-shipping-mailer-box)
           │       c. Custom dimensions, heavier 690 GSM, inside+outside print, MOQ 300?
           │          → Self-Locking Mailer (self-locking-corrugated-box)
           │
           └─ No → continue
                3. Footwear specifically (standard shoe box)?
                   ├─ Yes → Shoe Box Corrugated (corrugated-shoe-box)
                   └─ No → continue
                        4. Needs a carry handle?
                           ├─ Yes → Gable Corrugated (gable-corrugated-box)
                           └─ No → continue
                                5. Shape statement?
                                   ├─ Hexagonal → Hexagon Corrugated (hexagon-corrugated-box)
                                   └─ Rectangular → continue
                                        6. Opening mechanism?
                                           ├─ Drawer slide-out → Slider Corrugated (slider-corrugated-box)
                                           ├─ Lid lifts off → Lid and Bottom Corrugated (lid-and-bottom-corrugated-box)
                                           └─ Top tuck flap → Tuck End Corrugated (tuck-end-corrugated-box)

Easily confused

"Lid and Bottom Corrugated" vs "Lid and Bottom Monocarton" vs "Lid and Bottom Rigid" — Same construction name across three families. Corrugated is shipping-grade fluted board; monocarton is single-sheet retail; rigid is kappa-clad premium. See lid-and-bottom-monocarton-box, lid-and-bottom-rigid-box.
"Slider Corrugated" vs "Slider Monocarton" vs "Slider Rigid" — Three drawer/sleeve products, very different feel. Corrugated for shipping with reveal moment; monocarton for retail matchbox; rigid for luxury drawer. See slider-monocarton-box, slider-rigid-box.
"Tuck End Corrugated" vs "Tuck End Monocarton" — Both are top-tuck retail-shaped boxes; corrugated is thicker, ships safely, but loses some print finesse. See tuck-end-monocarton-box.
"Self-Locking Corrugated" vs "Self-Locking Monocarton" — Both ship without tape. Corrugated is heavier/fluted (real shipping protection); monocarton mailer is single-sheet (light loads only). See self-locking-monocarton-box.
"Gable Corrugated" vs "Gable Monocarton" — Same gable-top + carry handle construction; corrugated holds heavier contents (hampers, food packs). See gable-monocarton-box.
"Hexagon Corrugated" vs "Hexagon Monocarton" — Same hexagonal shape; corrugated is shippable on its own without an outer carton. See hexagon-monocarton-box.
"RSB" vs "Tuck End Corrugated" — Both are shipping cartons. RSB has four flaps that meet and tape shut (cheapest, widest size range, the industry shipping standard). Tuck End has a tuck flap that closes without tape (retail-ready look, smaller size range). Pick RSB for warehouse dispatch; pick Tuck End when the box also needs to look retail-presentable.
"Mailer (Self-Locking)" vs "RSB" — Both ship D2C. Mailer is tape-free with a branded "doorstep" experience; RSB is the cheapest with tape closure for warehouse dispatch. Mailer is what your customer sees; RSB is what your operations team prefers.
"Shoe Box" is not just for shoes — but the dimensions are fixed at 12.6 × 8.66 × 4.72 in. If a customer needs a flip-lid shoebox-shape carton at different dimensions, route to Lid and Bottom Corrugated as the closest custom-sized equivalent.

When this family is the wrong call

Premium gift presentation where the box itself is the experience → rigid-family
Retail shelf finesse at scale (1000+) → monocarton-family (smoother print, lighter feel)
Direct food contact → not food-safe; route to a food-safe SKU regardless of family
Customer expects 2-week lead time → corrugated is 3 weeks; monocarton is 2 weeks
Box needs to be flexible / soft → mailer / pouch / paper-bag families
MOQ under 300 → corrugated bottoms out at 300 (most SKUs); for under 300, route to rigid (MOQ 50)

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