Custom boxes run from about $0.40 a box for small printed mailers up to $15 or more for a magnetic-closure rigid box, and most orders land somewhere in between. What you pay comes down to five things: how many you order, how big the box is, what it is made of, how much printing and finishing it needs, and the box style. Order more and the price per box drops fast, often by half or more between 100 units and 1,000.
Here is what custom boxes actually cost across US suppliers in 2026, broken out by box type, with no “request a quote to find out” runaround. These are market ranges, not one company’s price list, so you can use them to check any quote you get, including ours.
Custom box prices by box type (2026 market ranges)
These are typical per-unit prices across US custom-box suppliers. Small quantities sit at the high end, and volume pulls you toward the low end.
Custom mailer boxes are the printed corrugated folding boxes most online brands ship in. Figure roughly $0.40 to $2.00 per box at 100 units, dropping to about $0.30 to $0.80 at 500 to 1,000 and up. A small stock footprint like a 6x6x4 comes in cheapest, and bigger or subscription-style mailers cost more. Minimums usually start at 50 to 100.
Product and tuck-end boxes are folding cartons in cardstock, the kind used for cosmetics, supplements, and retail. They run about $0.40 to $1.50 per box at 100 to 499 units, $0.20 to $0.70 at 1,000, and $0.12 to $0.40 once you pass 5,000. This is one of the cheaper custom formats because the material is light.
Rigid and luxury boxes are the stiff, premium setup boxes, and they sit at the expensive end. Expect roughly $2.50 to $15 per box at 100 units and $2 to $8 at 1,000, depending heavily on the closure and finish. A basic two-piece box is near the bottom, and once you add a magnetic closure, foil, and a foam insert you are at the top. Minimums usually run 100 to 300.
Shipping and corrugated boxes in printed corrugated run about $0.40 to $1.50 per box at 100 units for standard footprints, more for heavy double-wall board or oversized boxes, and under $0.60 at volume. Plain, unprinted stock boxes are a cheaper, separate market, so this range is for custom-printed.
Custom mylar bags, meaning the stand-up, flat, and die-cut pouches, realistically cost $0.60 to $1.25 or more per bag at low minimums of 100 to 500, then $0.12 to $0.65 in the low thousands, and under $0.35 only once you order 10,000 and up. Be careful with “from $0.18” headlines, because those are high-volume floor prices, not what 100 bags cost.
The honest part: small runs cost more per box
Most pricing pages will not say this out loud. Custom printing has fixed setup costs baked into every job, things like plates, dies, press setup, and proofing. Spread those across 100 boxes and each box carries a big slice of the setup. Spread the same costs across 2,000 boxes and each one carries almost none. That is why the price per box falls off a cliff as quantity climbs, and why a 100-piece run will never hit the per-box price of a 5,000-piece run.
So when a company advertises a rock-bottom price per box, check the quantity attached to it. It is almost always a 5,000 or 10,000-unit number. That is fine if you are ordering 10,000. If you are a small brand ordering 150, it is not your price.
None of that means small orders are not worth doing. It means you should expect to pay a bit more per box for the flexibility of a short run, and you should order from someone who will actually take a short run without forcing you to buy 500 you do not need yet.
What actually drives your price
Six things move the number, roughly in order of impact.
Quantity is the biggest lever. Doubling your order rarely doubles your cost, so the price per box keeps dropping as you scale. If you are close to a price break, it is often worth bumping the order up.
Size comes next. More cardboard means more cost, and a large mailer can run two to three times a small one in the same material.
Material and thickness matter too, whether that is cardstock in the 10 to 28pt range, E-flute versus standard corrugated, SBS versus kraft, or 1,500gsm and up chipboard for rigid boxes. Heavier and sturdier costs more.
Print coverage and method add up. Full-color CMYK is standard, while Pantone spot colors, printing on the inside, and heavy ink coverage all add cost. Printing one side beats printing four.
Finishes each add a step and a cost, so gloss or matte lamination, spot UV, foil stamping, embossing, and window cutouts all push the number up. On rigid boxes, magnetic closures and foam inserts are the big movers.
Box style rounds it out. A straight tuck-end carton is cheap to make, and a collapsible rigid box with a magnetic lid is not. Same product inside, very different cost to produce.
How to bring your cost down
A few things that actually work, from someone who quotes these every day. Order to a price break instead of a round number, so if 250 and 300 cost about the same total, get 300. Skip the foil and spot UV on version one and put that budget into better board, then add finishes on the reorder once the product is selling. Stick to CMYK unless a specific brand color really needs a Pantone match. And pick a stock size when you can, since a custom die adds cost that a slightly oversized standard box avoids.
Where we fit, and how to check us
We are The Best Price Boxes for a reason. The whole point of the company is landing at the low end of every range above, and doing it with no minimum order, so you can order 50 or 50,000. Most of the cheapest per-box prices you will find elsewhere come with a 100, 300, or 5,000-piece minimum attached. We would rather take your short run and earn the reorder.
The fastest way to know what your exact box costs is a real quote, since dimensions, material, quantity, and finishes drive it, and a two-minute quote beats any estimate on a page like this. And if you already have a written quote from another custom-box supplier for a comparable box, send it over with your request. We built the company around price, so we want the chance to beat it. Get your custom box quote.
Related guides and comparisons
Still deciding on the box itself? These break down the common choices: corrugated vs cardboard vs rigid for material, custom vs stock boxes and box vs poly mailer for format, kraft vs white and gloss vs matte for the finish, digital vs offset printing for the print method, and mylar bag vs box when freshness matters. For quantity, see ordering with no minimum, and if you already have a written quote, we will beat the price.
Packaging guides by industry
Packaging for a specific product? See the subscription box packaging guide, the coffee packaging guide, the cannabis packaging guide, the apparel packaging guide, the supplement packaging guide, the pet treat packaging guide, the jewelry packaging guide, the electronics packaging guide, and the cigar packaging guide, each with the formats, materials, and trade-offs that matter for that product.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom box cost?
Most custom boxes cost between about $0.40 and $2.00 per box for common printed mailer and product boxes at small-business quantities of 100 to 500 units, dropping toward $0.20 to $0.80 per box at 1,000 and up. Rigid and luxury boxes are the exception and run higher, from roughly $2.50 to $15 per box depending on closure and finish.
Why are custom boxes cheaper per unit when I order more?
Printing has fixed setup costs like plates, dies, and press setup that are the same whether you print 100 boxes or 2,000. Spread across more boxes, that setup cost per box shrinks, so the price per unit falls sharply as quantity rises.
What is the cheapest type of custom box?
Folding cartons, meaning tuck-end product boxes, and small printed mailers are the least expensive custom formats because they use light material and simple construction. Rigid setup boxes are the most expensive.
Is there a minimum order for custom boxes?
It varies by supplier, and many require 100, 300, or even 500 units or more. We do not. The Best Price Boxes has no minimum order, so you can order as few as you need.
How much do custom mailer boxes cost?
Roughly $0.40 to $2.00 per box at 100 units depending on size, dropping to about $0.30 to $0.80 per box at 500 to 1,000 and up. Larger or specialty mailers cost more.
What makes custom boxes more expensive?
Larger size, heavier board, more print coverage or Pantone colors, and finishes like lamination, foil stamping, embossing, windows, magnetic closures, and inserts. Lower quantities also raise the price per box.
How long do custom boxes take to make?
Standard production is usually around 10 to 14 business days after you approve the proof, plus shipping. Simpler boxes with light finishing run faster, and rush options are available. Ask for exact timing with your quote.
