A gable box dieline is a one-piece carton template with four side panels, two roof panels that lean together under a carry handle, two side gussets that fold inward, and a hand-locked bottom. It is the carry box used for bakery orders, takeout, party favors and gift sets. This page shows the layout, three stock sizes and how to place artwork on the roof and handle.
Send your inside dimensions and a specialist replies within one business day with a production-ready file: vector PDF that opens in Adobe Illustrator, plus SVG and DXF. Free design help, free samples and no minimum order.
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Stock sizes
| Inside size | Flat size, inches | Flat size, mm |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 4 x 4 in | 20.75 x 11.67 | 527 x 296 |
| 8 x 5 x 5 in | 26.75 x 14.22 | 679 x 361 |
| 9.5 x 5 x 5 in | 29.75 x 14.22 | 756 x 361 |
Sizes are inside dimensions of the body, length x width x height to the start of the roof. Flat sizes are nominal, before the allowance for board thickness. The production file we send is adjusted for your board.
How to read the layout
| Line | Meaning | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Solid magenta | Cut | The knife follows this line. Nothing outside it survives. |
| Dashed blue | Crease | The board folds here. Keep small text and fine lines off it. |
| Thin green | Bleed, 0.125 in outside the cut | Run backgrounds and images out to this line so no white edge shows after cutting. |
| Dotted gray | Safe zone, 0.125 in inside each panel | Keep logos, text and barcodes inside it. |
| Orange fill | Glue area | Leave it free of ink and coating so the glue bonds to bare board. |
Setting up artwork on the dieline
- Open the file in your design program and lock the dieline on its own layer.
- Build artwork on a separate layer underneath. Work in CMYK, with any spot colors named.
- Extend backgrounds to the bleed line and keep live text inside the safe zone.
- Check which way each panel reads once folded. Lids and bottom panels often need turning 180 degrees.
- Outline fonts, embed images at 300 dpi or better, and export a vector PDF with the dieline layer still in place.
The print-ready artwork guide covers each step in more detail, and what a dieline is explains the parts of the template.
How the gable box goes together
The glue flap joins the panels into a sleeve at the factory, and the box ships flat. The bottom closes by hand: back flap first, then the two side flaps, then the front tongue pushes into the notch. To close the top, push the two side gussets inward along their diagonal creases. The roof panels follow them in and meet at the ridge, and the two handle panels come together so the hand slot lines up. The small fins above the gussets fold in half and sit between the handle panels.
What the drawing fixes and what changes with your size
The slant length of the roof depends on the width of the box, because the roof has to span half the width and still rise to a ridge. A wider box gets a longer roof panel and a taller overall pack, so check the closed height against your shelf, bag or delivery crate. The length has to be at least equal to the width, otherwise the two gussets collide when they fold in. The lock that holds the two handle panels together varies by plant, and it is added to the production file rather than shown here.
Artwork on a gable box
The front and back panels and both roof panels carry the main design. Each roof panel sits directly above its body panel in the flat layout and reads the same way up once folded, so nothing on the roof needs rotating. Most of each gusset disappears inside the fold, so keep logos off it and let a background color or pattern run across. Keep type clear of the hand slot and its edge.
Board
Gable boxes are cut from folding carton paperboard or kraft board. Food that touches the board directly needs a food-safe board or liner, so tell us what goes inside. A window can be added to the front panel, and the dieline then carries the window cut and the film patch area.
Boxes that use this structure
- Gable boxes
- Kraft gable boxes
- Window gable boxes
- Food gable boxes
- Custom gable boxes with no minimum order
- Food packaging guide
Back to all dieline templates.
Dieline questions
Does a gable box need glue or tape to close?
No. The side seam is glued at the factory. The bottom locks by hand and the top closes by folding the gussets in and bringing the handle panels together.
Can a gable box have a window?
Yes. A window is usually cut in the front panel and covered with a clear film patch. Tell us the window size and position and it is drawn into the dieline.
Can I resize the dieline myself?
It is better not to. Scaling a dieline also scales the glue flap, tuck depth and relief cuts, and those should stay fixed. Tell us the inside size you need and we redraw the template to it at no charge.
What bleed and safe zone should I use?
Use 0.125 inch of bleed past the cut line, and keep text and logos 0.125 inch inside the cut and away from every crease.
Which file formats do you send?
A vector PDF that opens in Adobe Illustrator, plus SVG and DXF. The DXF keeps cut and crease lines on separate layers for CAD tables and sample cutters.
How do I work out the size I need?
Measure the product, add clearance, and give us inside dimensions as length x width x depth. The box measuring guide shows where each dimension is taken.
Send your inside dimensions and a specialist replies within one business day with a production-ready file: vector PDF that opens in Adobe Illustrator, plus SVG and DXF. Free design help, free samples and no minimum order.
Request this dieline