Insert Fitted Mailer Boxes with a Die-Cut Board Insert

What is an insert fitted mailer box?

It is a standard tuck-lid mailer with one extra part: a board insert, die-cut with openings that match your products. The insert sits inside the base and each item sits inside its own opening.

Candle makers use it for one jar or a trio of tins. Skincare brands use it for a cleanser, a serum and a cream in a row. Drinks sellers use it for three bottles, and gift sellers use it to keep a mug, a card and a bag of biscuits apart.

The box and the insert are cut from the same board, so the inside looks like one piece of design rather than a box with packing stuffed in.

How does the die-cut insert hold each item?

The insert is a flat sheet of corrugated board with shapes cut out of it. It rests on folded legs, a platform or the box floor, so each opening becomes a pocket. The item sits in the pocket and the board around it stops it sliding when the parcel is tipped or dropped.

Four insert types cover most jobs.

• Aperture plate: a raised sheet with holes the exact shape of each product, used for jars, tins and compacts.
• Slotted plate: narrow slots for sachets, pens, vials or chocolate bars, as in the plain kraft photo.
• Folded dividers: strips that fold up into bays, seen in the bright box with three bays, for bottles and pouches.
• Stepped platform: a tiered insert that lifts the items so the lid opens on a display, used for kits with a hero product.

Tell us what goes in and we will suggest the type. If you are unsure which holds glass best, the guide to mailer box inserts for fragile goods walks through each one.

What size insert fitted mailer box do I need?

Start with the items, not the box. The typical starting size of 250 x 180 x 70 mm holds three 50 mm jars in a row with a card on top, but your own layout will decide the final figure.

Measure the widest point of each item and add 3 to 5 mm of clearance. A 62 mm jar needs a 66 mm opening. A 30 mm bottle neck needs a 34 mm slot. Too tight and the board tears on the first unboxing, too loose and the item rattles.

Keep at least 12 mm of board between openings so the insert stays stiff. Add the margins, the tallest item and 5 mm of headroom, and you have the inside size we quote from.

Which postal band will it post in?

Most insert fitted mailer boxes post as a Royal Mail Small Parcel, which allows up to 450 x 350 x 160 mm. The insert adds about 10 mm to the height compared with a loose pack, so allow for it when you are close to a limit. Check the current band limits before you order.

A shallow kit with sachets can sometimes come in under the Large Letter limit of 353 x 250 x 25 mm if the insert is cut from E-flute. Ask on the quote and we will tell you how close it is to the limit.

E-flute or B-flute for an insert fitted box?

E-flute at 1.5 mm is the usual choice. The insert cuts cleanly, the openings keep their shape and full colour print sits flat on the fine surface. It suits jars, tins, tubes and anything in a plastic or metal container.

B-flute at 3 mm is for glass. The thicker wall gives more cushion on the outside and the insert itself is firmer, so a bottle cannot lean. The outside print on B-flute shows a faint ripple, which is fine for one or two colours but worth knowing for photographic artwork.

You can mix them: a B-flute box with an E-flute insert, or the other way round. Read the E-flute vs B-flute mailer box guide if you want the full comparison.

Printing inside the lid and on the insert

The photos show what the inside can carry. One box has a geometric pattern across the whole inside and a logo centred in the lid. Another has a wavy line drawing inside the lid and a plain base. The plain kraft one has a single colour name printed beside each slot, so the customer knows which sachet is which.

The insert can be printed too. A full colour insert in the same colour as the inside walls makes the whole box read as one surface, with the products appearing to float in it.

Outside print is up to you: plain kraft with a one colour logo on the lid, or full colour across every panel with a matt varnish. White underprint lets a pale colour show properly on kraft.

How does an insert fitted mailer box arrive?

The boxes come flat in bundles. The inserts come as flat sheets in their own bundles, stacked so the cut edges are not crushed. A box of 50 flat mailers with inserts takes up about the same shelf space as a shoebox.

Packing is quick. Fold the base, crease the walls, drop the insert in, place the products, tuck the lid. A folded divider insert needs its bays pushed up first, which takes a few seconds once you have done one.

Every job gets a free design proof before anything is printed. Nothing goes to press until you approve it.

What are the common mistakes with insert fitted mailer boxes?

We see the same handful of problems on first orders. All of them are avoidable at the measuring stage.

• Measuring the product label, not the container. A jar with a shoulder is wider at the lid than at the label.
• Forgetting the lid of the product. A pump or a cork adds height and can stop the box lid tucking.
• Cutting openings with no clearance. The first customer tears the insert pulling the item out.
• Placing heavy items at one end. The box tips in the post and the light items shift.
• Changing the product size after the proof. The insert is cut to the sizes on the proof, so tell us before approval.

Insert fitted or fragile goods mailer box?

Both products use an insert. The difference is the job of the box itself. An insert fitted mailer is about presentation and keeping items in order, so E-flute and a clean print are the priority. A fragile goods mailer puts B-flute walls and extra board around glass first, with presentation second.

If your product is a ceramic, a glass diffuser or a bottle of oil, look at fragile goods mailer boxes with thicker walls instead. If it is a tin, a jar with a plastic lid or a set of pouches, stay on this page.

How to order an insert fitted mailer box

Pricing starts from £0.25 a box and every job is quoted in writing. Here is the order of events.

1. Send the item sizes or a photo of the products laid out, with your rough inside size if you have one.
2. We reply with a written quote within one working day, including the insert type we recommend.
3. Approve the quote and send your artwork, or ask us to lay out a plain or one colour version.
4. We send a free design proof showing the box and the insert. Nothing is printed until you approve it.
5. Production takes 4 to 6 working days after approval.
6. Delivery is free, tracked, to UK mainland addresses, in 2 to 3 working days.

Misprints or damage reported within 10 days with photos are reprinted or refunded. To start, request a written quote for your box with your product sizes.