What is a custom corrugated plastic box?

A custom corrugated plastic box is a box die-cut from twin-wall polypropylene (PP) sheet to the buyer's own inside dimensions, style, vent pattern and print, instead of being picked from a stock size list. The sheet is extruded as two flat skins joined by vertical ribs, usually 2 to 10 mm thick. The blank is cut and creased on a die, then folded and joined by ultrasonic welding, hot-melt glue, rivets or locking tabs. Because it is cut to order, the buyer decides six things: box style, sheet thickness and weight, flute direction, joining method, printing, and whether the box is one-way or returnable.

Which corrugated plastic box style should I choose?

Choose by how the box is filled, stacked and returned. A slotted box with flaps suits one-way shipping and closes with tape or tabs. A half-slotted box with a separate lid suits repeated opening. An open-top stacking tray suits produce that needs airflow and top icing. A tote with hand holes and a reinforced rim suits manual handling on a closed loop. A fold-flat box with an automatic bottom suits return freight, because empties travel flat. Boxes with partitions suit parts and bottles that must not touch.

What thickness of corrugated plastic is used for boxes?

Most PP corrugated boxes are made from 3 to 5 mm sheet. Fuxing's published thickness guide lists 4 mm sheet at 650 to 1,000 g/m² and 5 mm sheet at 900 to 1,200 g/m², and most produce boxes are made in 4 or 5 mm. Sheet of 2 to 3 mm is used for partitions, layer pads and light boxes; 6 to 10 mm is used for heavy returnable totes and bins. Thickness alone does not define strength: two 4 mm sheets can differ by half in weight, so always specify both millimetres and grams per square metre.

How are corrugated plastic boxes joined, and which method is best for food?

The common methods are ultrasonic welding, hot-melt glue, metal staples, plastic rivets or snap buttons, hook-and-loop strips and die-cut locking tabs. For food and wet cold chains, welded seams or locking tabs are the usual choice, because they add no second material: there is no metal to corrode or detach and no glue line to fail in water, and the box stays a single polymer for recycling. Staples are fast and cheap but are normally avoided where a metal detector or a foreign-body audit applies.

Can corrugated plastic boxes be printed with a logo?

Yes. Polypropylene has low surface energy, so the sheet is corona treated before printing so that ink adheres. Screen printing suits one to three spot colours on moderate quantities; flexographic printing suits long runs; digital UV printing suits short runs and many versions with no plates. Sheet colour itself comes from masterbatch added at extrusion, so a coloured box does not need printing to be coloured. Send vector artwork with Pantone references and mark the areas that must stay clear for labels and barcodes.

What does a supplier need to quote custom corrugated plastic boxes?

Twelve items: product and net weight per box; inside dimensions (length x width x height); box style; sheet thickness and weight, or the load so the factory can propose them; stacking height and pallet pattern; wet, iced, chilled or frozen conditions; vents, drains and hand holes; joining method; print colours and artwork; one-way or returnable and trips expected; quantity per order and per year; destination port and Incoterm. With these, a factory can return a drawing, a sample and a price that can be compared line by line with another supplier.

Custom Corrugated Plastic Boxes: Box Styles, Closures, Printing and What to Put in the RFQ

Fuxing Development Group · Updated October 10, 2026 · For packaging buyers, growers, packers and distributors ordering PP corrugated boxes made to their own size

Quick answer: A custom corrugated plastic box is die-cut from twin-wall polypropylene (PP) sheet, 2–10 mm thick, to your inside dimensions. Six decisions define it: (1) box style (slotted box, lidded box, tray, tote, fold-flat, partitioned); (2) sheet thickness and weight, most boxes use 4 mm at 650–1,000 g/m² or 5 mm at 900–1,200 g/m²; (3) flute direction, vertical in the walls for stacking; (4) joining method, welded or tab-locked for food and wet chains; (5) printing, on corona-treated sheet; and (6) one-way or returnable. Tooling (a cutting die and print plates or screens) is a one-off cost, so the unit price falls with quantity. Send the 12 RFQ items at the end of this page and a factory can return a drawing, a sample and a comparable price.

What "custom" means for a corrugated plastic box

Stock boxes come in the seller's sizes. A custom PP corrugated box starts from your product: the inside dimensions are set by what goes in, the outside dimensions by your pallet, and the vents, drains and hand holes by your process. The sheet is extruded as two flat skins joined by ribs (the flutes), cut and creased on a flat die, then folded and joined. Polypropylene does not absorb water, which is why these boxes are used where paper cartons fail: hydrocooling, ice, cold rooms, wash-down and repeated trips. The same construction is sold under several names: corrugated plastic box, PP corrugated box, plastic corrugated box, fluted polypropylene box.

Eight corrugated plastic box styles and where each fits

Style	How it is built	Typical use	Check before ordering
Slotted box with flaps	One blank, four top and four bottom flaps, one side seam	One-way shipping, export cartons replaced by plastic	Flap closure: tape, tabs or hook-and-loop
Half-slotted box with lid	Body with bottom flaps plus a separate telescoping lid	Boxes opened many times: parts, samples, archive, seafood	Lid depth; whether lid and body nest for return
Open-top stacking tray	Low walls, folded and locked or welded corners	Produce that needs airflow or top ice; display trays	Corner strength; stacking tabs so trays do not slide
Tote with hand holes	Welded or riveted body, often a reinforced rim	Manual handling on a closed loop: harvest, picking, work in progress	Hand-hole position against the loaded weight
Fold-flat box, automatic bottom	Pre-joined base that pops open; collapses for return	Returnable loops where empties travel far	Folded height and boxes per pallet when flat
Box with partitions	Box plus slotted divider set, often 2–3 mm sheet	Bottles, jars, electronic and machined parts	Cell size with clearance; divider height
Nesting tote	Tapered walls so empties nest	Short loops with frequent returns	Nesting ratio; lost volume from the taper
Layer pads and sleeves	Flat sheets or folded sleeves, no base	Between layers on a pallet; pallet-sized sleeve packs	Sheet size against the pallet; corner radius

Style names vary between suppliers. A dimensioned sketch or a photo of your current box removes the ambiguity faster than a name. For produce-specific layouts see the PP produce box specification template.

Sheet thickness, weight and flute direction

Thickness is the gap between the two skins; weight (g/m²) is how much polypropylene is in the sheet. Two sheets of the same thickness can differ widely in weight and therefore in stiffness and price. Always state both.

Sheet	Weight published in our thickness guide	Typical use in boxes
2–3 mm	See guide	Partitions, layer pads, light boxes and trays
4 mm	650–1,000 g/m²	Most produce boxes and general shipping boxes
5 mm	900–1,200 g/m²	Heavier loads, tall stacks, iced product, returnable boxes
6–10 mm	See guide	Heavy returnable totes, bins and pallet sleeves

Figures are from Fuxing's corrugated plastic thickness guide (2–10 mm). They are product information, not test results for your route: confirm with a loaded sample.

Flute direction. The ribs carry load like columns. In a box that will be stacked, the flutes should run vertically in the walls. A blank laid out the other way can save sheet, but the walls lose stacking strength. Ask the supplier to mark flute direction on the drawing.

Additives and colour. Colour is added as masterbatch at extrusion. UV stabiliser is specified for boxes stored outdoors; antistatic or conductive grades for electronics; a food-contact declaration for boxes that touch food. For freezer use, tell the supplier the lowest temperature, because polypropylene grades differ in cold impact resistance.

Six ways to join and close a corrugated plastic box

Method	Strength of the method	Limits	Usual choice for
Ultrasonic welding	No added material; seam is the same polymer; survives water	Needs welding equipment; seam position fixed at design	Food, seafood, produce, returnable boxes
Die-cut locking tabs	No added material; box ships flat and is erected by hand	Lower corner strength than a weld; more assembly time	Trays, one-way produce boxes, displays
Hot-melt glue	Fast on automatic lines	Glue line can fail in water, heat or repeated folding	Dry, one-way boxes
Metal staples or stitching	Fast and low cost	Metal can corrode or detach; a second material in recycling	Dry industrial boxes without metal-detection rules
Plastic rivets or snap buttons	Strong, repairable, allows fold-flat designs	Parts cost; protrusions inside the box	Returnable totes and fold-flat boxes
Hook-and-loop or straps	Reclosable lids and flaps	Wears with dirt and water	Lids on returnable boxes

For food and wet cold chains, buyers usually ask for welded seams or locking tabs so that the box contains no metal and stays a single polymer. Assembly and pallet patterns are covered in the PP box palletization and flat-pack assembly guide.

Printing and marking

Method	Suits	Tooling	Note
Screen printing	1–3 spot colours, moderate quantities	One screen per colour	Thick, opaque ink film; good on coloured sheet
Flexographic printing	Long runs, simple graphics	Plates per colour	Lowest print cost per box at volume
Digital UV printing	Short runs, many versions, photos	None	No plates, so artwork changes are cheap
Labels or label windows	Lot, date and barcode data that changes each trip	None	Leave a flat, unprinted panel; specify removable labels for returnable boxes

Polypropylene has low surface energy, so sheet is corona treated before printing so that ink adheres. Ask the supplier how print adhesion is checked. Artwork and barcode preparation: packaging artwork and barcode preflight checklist.

What drives the price of a custom corrugated plastic box

We do not publish a price list, because the price of a custom box is the sum of the items below. Use them to read a quotation and to compare two suppliers on the same basis.

Cost driver	What changes it	What you can do
Sheet weight	Polypropylene resin is the largest cost; a heavier sheet costs more per square metre	Specify g/m² and test the lightest sheet that passes your stacking test
Blank size and layout	Area of the flat blank and how many blanks fit on a sheet	Accept small dimension changes if they improve the layout
Tooling	Cutting die; print plates or screens	One-off: ask for it as a separate line and confirm you own the tooling
Joining and assembly	Welds, rivets, partitions and hand assembly add labour	Ship flat and erect at your site where the design allows
Printing	Number of colours and printed sides	Print one or two panels; use labels for variable data
Order quantity	Set-up time is spread over the run	Combine sizes that share a sheet specification in one order
Freight	Boxes ship flat; the volume per box depends on blank size and thickness	Ask for boxes per pallet and per container, flat

One-way or returnable changes the calculation completely. A returnable box is paid for once and divided by the trips it completes, plus washing and return freight; see returnable plastic shipping boxes: cost per trip and PP corrugated boxes vs cardboard.

U.S. importers, note: boxes for U.S. buyers are made in our Philippine plants. 0% U.S. AD/CVD — not 0% import duty; 12.5% Section 301 (since Jul 24, 2026) + normal HTSUS duty, confirm with your broker. Details in PP boxes from the Philippines.

When a custom corrugated plastic box is not the right choice

Dry, light, one-way shipments. A paper corrugated carton costs less per box and is recycled everywhere. Plastic earns its cost with water, ice, hygiene or repeated trips.
Very small quantities. Tooling is a fixed cost. For a few hundred boxes, a stock size or a digitally printed box without a dedicated die may be the sensible route; ask before paying for tooling.
Loads that need rigid walls. Heavy, dense product in tall stacks may need an injection-moulded crate. Corrugated plastic is light and folds flat; it is not as rigid as a moulded crate.
No return plan. If you are buying a reusable box, decide who collects, washes and returns it before you order.

The 12-line RFQ for custom corrugated plastic boxes

#	Tell the supplier	Why it matters
1	Product and net weight per box	Sets the load the base and hand holes must carry
2	Inside dimensions, length × width × height, in mm or inches	Inside, not outside: wall thickness changes the outside size
3	Box style, with a sketch or photo of the current box	Removes naming differences between suppliers
4	Sheet thickness (mm) and weight (g/m²), or ask for a proposal	Thickness alone does not define strength
5	Stacking height, pallet size and pattern	Decides flute direction and corner design
6	Conditions: dry, wet, iced, chilled or frozen; indoor or outdoor storage	Decides drains, joining method and additives
7	Vents, drains, hand holes, label panel	All are cut by the same die, so they must be on the drawing
8	Joining method and any no-metal requirement	Food audits and recycling
9	Print: colours, sides, artwork file	Tooling and unit cost
10	One-way or returnable; trips expected	Changes the sheet weight worth paying for
11	Quantity per order and per year	Spreads tooling and set-up
12	Destination port and Incoterm	Freight is quoted on flat-packed volume

Ask for these back in writing: a dimensioned drawing with flute direction, the sheet specification in mm and g/m², tooling cost as a separate line, boxes per pallet and per container when flat, a food-contact declaration where relevant, and physical samples before the order.

Custom corrugated plastic box manufacturer

Fuxing Group manufactures PP corrugated plastic boxes in 2–10 mm sheet, cut and printed to your design and shipped flat, with plants in China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Send the 12 RFQ items above to request a drawing, samples and a quotation.

Request a quote / samples Email jacky@fuxinggroup.cn

See the PP corrugated box range →

Frequently asked questions

What is a custom corrugated plastic box?: A custom corrugated plastic box is a box die-cut from twin-wall polypropylene (PP) sheet to the buyer's own inside dimensions, style, vent pattern and print, instead of being picked from a stock size list. The sheet is extruded as two flat skins joined by vertical ribs, usually 2 to 10 mm thick. The blank is cut and creased on a die, then folded and joined by ultrasonic welding, hot-melt glue, rivets or locking tabs. Because it is cut to order, the buyer decides six things: box style, sheet thickness and weight, flute direction, joining method, printing, and whether the box is one-way or returnable.
Which corrugated plastic box style should I choose?: Choose by how the box is filled, stacked and returned. A slotted box with flaps suits one-way shipping and closes with tape or tabs. A half-slotted box with a separate lid suits repeated opening. An open-top stacking tray suits produce that needs airflow and top icing. A tote with hand holes and a reinforced rim suits manual handling on a closed loop. A fold-flat box with an automatic bottom suits return freight, because empties travel flat. Boxes with partitions suit parts and bottles that must not touch.
What thickness of corrugated plastic is used for boxes?: Most PP corrugated boxes are made from 3 to 5 mm sheet. Fuxing's published thickness guide lists 4 mm sheet at 650 to 1,000 g/m² and 5 mm sheet at 900 to 1,200 g/m², and most produce boxes are made in 4 or 5 mm. Sheet of 2 to 3 mm is used for partitions, layer pads and light boxes; 6 to 10 mm is used for heavy returnable totes and bins. Thickness alone does not define strength: two 4 mm sheets can differ by half in weight, so always specify both millimetres and grams per square metre.
How are corrugated plastic boxes joined, and which method is best for food?: The common methods are ultrasonic welding, hot-melt glue, metal staples, plastic rivets or snap buttons, hook-and-loop strips and die-cut locking tabs. For food and wet cold chains, welded seams or locking tabs are the usual choice, because they add no second material: there is no metal to corrode or detach and no glue line to fail in water, and the box stays a single polymer for recycling. Staples are fast and cheap but are normally avoided where a metal detector or a foreign-body audit applies.
Can corrugated plastic boxes be printed with a logo?: Yes. Polypropylene has low surface energy, so the sheet is corona treated before printing so that ink adheres. Screen printing suits one to three spot colours on moderate quantities; flexographic printing suits long runs; digital UV printing suits short runs and many versions with no plates. Sheet colour itself comes from masterbatch added at extrusion, so a coloured box does not need printing to be coloured. Send vector artwork with Pantone references and mark the areas that must stay clear for labels and barcodes.
What does a supplier need to quote custom corrugated plastic boxes?: Twelve items: product and net weight per box; inside dimensions (length x width x height); box style; sheet thickness and weight, or the load so the factory can propose them; stacking height and pallet pattern; wet, iced, chilled or frozen conditions; vents, drains and hand holes; joining method; print colours and artwork; one-way or returnable and trips expected; quantity per order and per year; destination port and Incoterm. With these, a factory can return a drawing, a sample and a price that can be compared line by line with another supplier.

Sources and basis

Sheet thickness and weight ranges: Fuxing's own published corrugated plastic thickness guide (product information, not laboratory data).
Box styles, joining and printing methods: general industry practice for PP corrugated boxes. Style names differ between suppliers and not every factory runs every method; confirm which ones apply on the drawing and quotation.
U.S. duty statement: see PP boxes from the Philippines for the orders and notices referenced; confirm the current position with your customs broker.
This page gives no prices, minimum quantities or lead times, because they depend on the specification. Ask for them in the quotation.