Sleeve Folding Carton | Printed Sleeves for Trays, Meals & Gift Sets, MOQ 100
- Material: 250-350gsm SBS / FBB / CCNB / kraft board
- Structure: Open-ended sleeve, slides over a tray, inner box or bundle
- MOQ: 100 pcs
- Lead time: 7-10 working days | Free dieline
Printed sleeve cartons that slide over a tray, inner box or bundle. Uses 60-70% less board than a full carton and lets you refresh artwork without retooling. 250-350gsm, MOQ 100 pcs, free dieline.
Our Advantages
No Die and Plate Charges For Digital Samples
High quality printing
Quick Turn Around
Starting from 100pcs
Custom size and style
Competitive Price
Free Design Support
To door delivery
REQUEST A QUOTE
COMPANY SERVICES
| Bigger Discounts Offer for large orders | Bigger Discounts Offer for large orders Prices are negotiable based on your purchase volume and Fixated prices can be offered based on frequency of the order. |
| After-service | Sample cost is refundable if it's not good quality as we promised!We will refund you the defected goods values as contract listed,if the defective goods are beyond as we contracted.Our goal is to have no bad feedback and keep doing business in the future! |
| Risk Free, Quality Assurance | We've Sate of the art production facility and all printed jobs are run through our strict quality assurance department, so there are no quality complaints. |
| Printed Method | We use Off-set printing to achieve excellent printing results. However, Digital and screen printing is also available depending on box requirements. |
| About Us | Guangzhou Ecopaperbox established in 2011 is undoubtedly an accredited manufacturer of custom boxes which are exactly according to the needs and desires of the clients. Our top priority is meeting the needs and requirements of our customers. Custom Packaging and printing are provided to the customers with excellent quality on the regular basis so that maximum benefit can be achieved in the minimum amount of time. All boxes that made of paperboard, we can produce. You are welcome to make inquiry via info@ecopaperbox.com and contact us at +8619927709433. |
What Is a Sleeve Carton?
A sleeve is an open-ended printed band that slides over a tray, an inner box, a bundle or a product. It has no top, no bottom and no closure - which is exactly why it is used. The sleeve carries the branding and the legal copy while a separate, cheaper component does the containing.
Splitting the pack into two parts solves three problems at once. You can change artwork seasonally without retooling the tray. You can run one plain inner and many printed sleeves across a product family, so the SKU count collapses. And a sleeve uses roughly 60-70% less board than a full carton of the same footprint, which shows up directly in both cost and carbon.
The structural catch is that a sleeve does not hold anything on its own. It relies on friction against the inner component, so the internal dimensions have to be tight - typically 1-2mm clearance. Too loose and it slides off in transit; too tight and the consumer tears it opening the pack.
Which Industries Use This Box, and How It Is Specified
Sleeves show up wherever branding and containment can be separated.
| Industry / use case | How we normally spec it |
|---|---|
| Ready meals and chilled food | Printed sleeve over a CPET or pulp tray. 250-300gsm board, grease-resistant coating, with a large ingredient and nutrition panel. |
| Cosmetics gift sets | Sleeve over a rigid tray or an inner carton. Soft-touch laminate with foil, so the premium finish sits on the part that is seen. |
| Subscription boxes | Sleeve over a plain mailer. One inner box, a new printed sleeve each month - the cheapest way to run a monthly refresh. |
| Multi-packs and bundles | Band around 3, 4 or 6 units. No tray at all, just the sleeve holding the bundle together. |
| Candles and home fragrance | Sleeve over a kraft inner, letting the vessel be seen at both open ends. |
| Apparel and textiles | Belly band around folded knitwear, scarves and towels for a low-material retail presentation. |
If the sleeve is running over a drawer-style inner rather than a tray, look at the drawer and sleeve box, which is supplied as a matched pair.
Material Specification
Sleeves run lighter than closed cartons because they carry no structural load - but not too light, or they buckle when pushed on.
| Component / stock | Specification |
|---|---|
| SBS / C1S folding boxboard | 300-400gsm virgin bleached board, one side coated. The default for retail cartons that need clean CMYK and a bright white face. |
| FBB (GC1 folding boxboard) | 230-400gsm multi-ply with a bulky middle layer. Same print quality as SBS but stiffer at equal weight, so it is often the cheaper way to hit a target rigidity. |
| CCNB / recycled duplex board | 300-450gsm coated white face over a grey recycled back. 80-100% recycled fibre and the lowest-carbon option when the inside of the carton is not seen. |
| Kraft board | 300-400gsm unbleached brown board for a visible natural look. Prints best with 1-2 spot colours rather than full CMYK. |
| E-flute microflute | 1.5mm laminated litho board used when the carton has to carry weight or survive e-commerce transit on its own. |
| Coatings and inks | Water-based aqueous varnish, matte or gloss BOPP film, soy-based inks. Aqueous keeps the carton kerbside-recyclable; film lamination does not. |
Sustainability notes
- Folding cartons are the most widely recycled retail pack in the world - a plain aqueous-varnished carton goes straight into the kerbside paper stream.
- CCNB and recycled duplex board carry 80-100% recycled fibre and cost less than virgin SBS, so the greener stock is often the cheaper stock.
- We default to water-based aqueous varnish instead of BOPP film lamination. Film adds a plastic layer that has to be separated at the mill.
- Soy-based and vegetable inks as standard, no solvent-based inks.
- Cartons ship flat, so a pallet holds several times more units than an assembled rigid box - a real reduction in freight emissions per unit.
- A sleeve plus a plain inner uses substantially less printed board than a fully printed carton, and the inner can be an uncoated recycled stock.
Structure and Size Options
Fit tolerance is the single most important thing to get right, and it is set on the dieline.
| Option | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Board weight | 250-350gsm is the usual window. Below 250gsm the sleeve buckles when it is pushed over the tray. |
| Fit clearance | 1-2mm total clearance against the inner. We calculate it from your actual tray sample, not from a drawing. |
| Width | Full-height sleeve for maximum print area, or a narrow belly band using as little as a third of the height. |
| Die-cut apertures | Windows, thumb notches for easy removal, or a shaped cut that reveals part of the product. |
| Seam | Glued side seam supplied flat, or supplied as a flat blank for you to glue in-house. |
| Finish | Aqueous varnish for recyclability, or soft-touch laminate with foil for premium gift sets. |
Always send us a physical sample of the inner tray or box before we finalise the dieline. Tray dimensions from a CAD file and from an actual moulded part routinely differ by more than the sleeve tolerance allows.
Printing and Finishing
- Offset CMYK - photographic artwork, gradients and product imagery.
- Pantone spot colour - exact brand colour matching, up to 6 colours plus varnish.
- Digital printing - the reason we can hold MOQ at 100; no plate cost on short runs.
- Hot foil stamping - gold, silver, rose gold, holographic. The most requested logo finish.
- Emboss / deboss - raised or recessed logo, with or without foil.
- Spot UV - gloss varnish over a matte laminate to pick out a logo or pattern.
- Finishes - matte, gloss, soft-touch, anti-scratch lamination or aqueous varnish.
Ordering: MOQ, Dieline and Lead Time
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| MOQ | 100 pcs per size and per design |
| Dieline | Free. We send a print-ready structural dieline to your designer before you commit to anything. |
| Pre-production sample | Plain structural sample in 3-5 days, printed sample in 5-7 days. Sample cost is credited against the bulk order. |
| Production lead time | 7-10 working days after artwork and sample sign-off |
| Artwork format | AI or PDF, CMYK, 300dpi, 3mm bleed, fonts outlined, placed on our dieline |
| Shipping | Ships flat. Sleeves nest very densely, so freight cost per unit is among the lowest of any carton format. |
Sleeves are the cheapest structure we quote per unit, and they carry the shortest lead time because there is no base gluing or complex die.
Related Packaging
Same family - other folding carton structures
Straight Tuck End Carton | Four Corner Tray | Pillow Carton | Counter Display Carton
Common sleeve applications
Drawer and Sleeve Box | Meal Trays | Apparel Boxes | Sheet Mask Sets
Surface Choice
Our Guangzhou custom packaging factory runs four-color offset printing, automatic lamination, die-cutting and rigid box assembly on one floor. In-house production keeps lead times short and print color consistent from the first sample to full volume. Buyers are welcome to request a video tour or a factory audit before placing an order.
Packing Method For Corrugated Packaging:
Generally no need to put the PE bags inside of the cartons. Since the boxes are glued a layer of cardboard, generally production time is not long enough to dry the paper box. If you tie the PE bags, the steamed water pearl will be produced inside of the bags.
Product Details
- Custom sizes & shape – made to your exact dimensions, flute and box style.
- Eco-friendly board – recyclable corrugated / kraft material with low-migration inks on request.
- Secure closure – self-locking or magnetic options keep contents safe in transit.
- Full-surface printing – CMYK, Pantone, foil, emboss and spot UV available.
- Low MOQ & fast turnaround – start from 100–500 pcs with 7–15 day lead time.
Customer Reviews
The Sleeve Folding Carton Box arrived exactly as proofed. Print quality is sharp and the structure is sturdy - our customers loved the unboxing.
Fast turnaround and helpful dieline support. The Sleeve Folding Carton Box fits our product perfectly and the price was fair at our MOQ.
Clean printing on eco-friendly board and smooth communication. We will reorder the Sleeve Folding Carton Box for our next campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tight should a sleeve fit over the tray?
One to two millimetres of total clearance. Tighter and the consumer tears the sleeve pulling it off; looser and it works its way loose in transit. We calculate the fit from a physical sample of your tray rather than from a drawing, because moulded trays commonly differ from their CAD dimensions by more than that tolerance.
What board weight is used for a packaging sleeve?
250-350gsm covers almost every application. Below 250gsm the sleeve buckles as it is pushed over the inner. Above 350gsm it becomes stiff enough to scuff the tray on assembly and adds cost without benefit, unless the sleeve is unusually large.
Is a sleeve cheaper than a full carton?
Substantially. A sleeve uses roughly 60-70% less board than a closed carton of the same footprint, has a simpler die, and needs no base gluing. It is the lowest cost per unit of any structure we quote. The saving only holds if you already have an inner tray or box for containment.
Can I use one inner box with different printed sleeves?
Yes, and that is the main commercial reason to choose a sleeve. Run one plain inner in bulk and print short sleeve runs for each variant or season. Your SKU count in the warehouse drops and artwork changes cost only the sleeve.
What is the MOQ for custom printed sleeves?
100 pcs per design. Because sleeves print digitally with no plate cost, they are one of the few formats where a 100-piece run of ten different designs is genuinely economical - useful for seasonal or limited-edition programmes.
Are sleeves recyclable if the tray is plastic?
The sleeve itself is paper and recyclable. A plastic tray has to be separated by the consumer, which is why we mark a tear point or thumb notch on the sleeve so the two components come apart easily. Moving to a moulded pulp tray makes the whole pack a single paper stream.
