Folding cartons, rigid gift boxes and corrugated outers printed and die-cut in Sivakasi — with the board grade, the flat area, the finishing and the per-piece band on the page, and a dieline sent before anything is plated.
In short
Monocarton printing in Sivakasi starts at a MOQ of 2,000 pieces. A medium folding carton on 300 GSM duplex board, 4-colour with gloss lamination and die-cutting, runs ₹2.50–₹5.00 per piece at 10,000 units, with a 12–18 day lead time from artwork approval and 50% advance.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · board rates and lamination charges re-checked quarterly; duplex prices move faster than paper
Carton pricing works on flat area, not on finished box size, because flat area is what decides how many cartons come off a 20 × 30 in press sheet. Send the dieline or the internal dimensions and we can be precise; the bands below use three standard flat-area brackets.
| Board & carton size | 2,000 pcs | 5,000 pcs | 10,000 pcs | 50,000 pcs | 2,00,000 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex 250 GSM, smallFlat area up to 400 cm², 4-colour, gloss lamination | ₹3.20 – 6.20 | ₹2.40 – 4.60 | ₹1.90 – 3.80 | ₹1.40 – 2.80 | ₹1.10 – 2.30 |
| Duplex 300 GSM, mediumFlat area up to 900 cm², 4-colour, gloss lam, die-cut | ₹4.40 – 8.20 | ₹3.20 – 6.20 | ₹2.50 – 5.00 | ₹1.90 – 3.80 | ₹1.60 – 3.10 |
| Duplex 350–400 GSM, largeFlat area up to 1,600 cm², 4-colour, lamination | ₹7.50 – 14 | ₹5.60 – 10.50 | ₹4.40 – 8.40 | ₹3.30 – 6.40 | ₹2.70 – 5.20 |
| SBS / FBB 300 GSM, food-gradeWhite back, matt lamination + spot UV, food-contact inks | ₹6.80 – 13 | ₹5.20 – 9.80 | ₹4.20 – 7.90 | ₹3.20 – 6.00 | ₹2.60 – 4.90 |
| Met-pet laminated cartonMetallised polyester over duplex, 4-colour | ₹8.50 – 16 | ₹6.40 – 12 | ₹5.10 – 9.60 | ₹3.90 – 7.40 | ₹3.20 – 6.00 |
| Kraft carton 300 GSMNatural kraft, 1 or 2 colours, unlaminated | ₹4.00 – 7.60 | ₹3.00 – 5.70 | ₹2.40 – 4.60 | ₹1.80 – 3.50 | ₹1.50 – 2.90 |
The most expensive mistake in carton buying is designing the box before the structure is agreed. A folding carton is a flat sheet with knife lines and crease lines in it; the artwork has to live inside those lines, respect the glue flap, keep the barcode off a crease and keep the mandatory declarations on a panel that stays visible when the box is filled. If the artwork arrives first, it gets redrawn — and if it has already been plated, it gets redrawn twice.
Our sequence is: internal dimensions or a physical sample, then a structural dieline as a PDF and a CAD file, then a plain white folded mock-up if you want one, then artwork placed on the approved dieline, then a digital proof, then plates. The mock-up stage is worth the two days it costs on any carton that has to hold a specific product — a bottle, a blister, a jar with a shoulder — because a carton that is 2 mm tight is scrap and a carton that is 4 mm loose rattles down the line and gets rejected on the shelf.
On board choice, the rule that matters is stiffness rather than weight. A 300 GSM duplex board and a 300 GSM SBS board weigh the same and behave very differently: duplex has a grey reverse and a lower stiffness for the weight, SBS is white through and stiffer. For a carton carrying an unsupported product across a distribution chain, the extra stiffness of SBS or FBB is often cheaper than stepping duplex up to 350 GSM. We will say which applies to your product once we know what goes inside it.
The standard folding carton. One piece, glued on a side seam, tucks closed at both ends. Cheapest structure per unit and the fastest to pack by hand. Reverse tuck is easier to fill by hand; straight tuck sits flatter on a shelf face.
A base that locks as the carton is opened out, so it can be filled with a heavier product without the base giving. Costs a little more in board and die complexity and saves a great deal of packing time on a line.
An open-ended band around a tray or a product. Very cheap per piece, uses the least board, and is right for anything already protected inside a blister or a film wrap. Sweets, soaps and cosmetics use these heavily.
Greyboard, usually 1.5–2 mm, wrapped in a printed and laminated sheet. Two-piece lid and base, or a magnetic-flap book style. Does not fold flat, so it freights on volume — the shipping cost is a real part of the decision.
The 3-ply or 5-ply shipper that carries the monocartons. Printed 1 or 2 colours direct, or with a printed label pasted on. Quoted per piece against your carton count and your transport route.
Sivakasi's own seasonal packaging — assorted-cracker gift boxes, flower-pot outers and rocket cartons, printed September to October. Heavy ink coverage, often met-pet or foil, and a hard deadline that is Diwali, not a purchase order.
Board is 45–65% of a monocarton's cost, so this is the line worth thinking about hardest.
| Board | What it is | GSM range | Stiffness | Right for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex, grey back | Recycled core, coated white top, grey reverse | 230 – 450 | Moderate | The default Indian monocarton. Anything where the inside of the box is not seen |
| Duplex, white back | Recycled core, coated both sides | 250 – 450 | Moderate | Cartons that are opened and displayed — cosmetics, gifting |
| SBS (solid bleached sulphate) | Virgin bleached pulp, white through | 230 – 400 | High | Food contact, pharma, premium cosmetics. Prints the cleanest of the four |
| FBB (folding box board) | Multi-ply virgin board, bulky and stiff | 230 – 400 | Highest for the weight | Food-grade cartons that must stay rigid at a lower grammage |
| Kraft | Unbleached natural board | 250 – 400 | Moderate to high | Eco-positioned packaging, food takeaway, anything sold on its unprinted look |
| Met-pet laminated | Metallised polyester film laminated to duplex | 300 – 400 total | Moderate | Confectionery, cosmetics, firework gift boxes. Sivakasi has more met-pet capacity than most clusters |
| Greyboard | Uncoated dense board for rigid boxes | 1.5 – 3 mm | Rigid, does not fold | Rigid gift boxes, presentation packs, wrapped rather than printed |
If your carton touches food directly, three things change. The board changes to SBS or FBB rather than recycled duplex, because a recycled core cannot be certified for direct food contact. The inks change to a food-contact grade with a controlled migration profile. And the finishing changes — solvent-based laminating adhesives are replaced with a food-compliant alternative, which affects both the cost and the curing time before the cartons can be packed.
The declarations on the artwork are your responsibility and our checkpoint. For a packaged food carton we check that the FSSAI licence number, the veg or non-veg mark, the net quantity declaration, the nutritional panel, the manufacturer address block, the batch and date fields and the barcode are all present, are on a panel that stays visible, and are not sitting across a crease. We check them; we do not draft them, and we do not sign off their legal accuracy. For agrochemical labels the CIB registration content and the toxicity triangle get the same treatment, and for pharma the schedule declarations do.
The single most common problem we catch at preflight is a barcode placed across a crease line or too close to a knife. A barcode that straddles a crease will not scan reliably after folding, and the point at which you find that out is usually at the retailer's till, several lakh cartons later. Keep barcodes at least 6 mm clear of any crease and give them a quiet zone on the artwork, not just in the specification.
Two products that sit either side of the monocarton and are priced completely differently.
| Product | Spec | 1,000 pcs | 5,000 pcs | 10,000 pcs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid box, two-piece | Greyboard 1.5 mm, printed art paper wrap, matt lam | ₹110 – 240 | ₹80 – 175 | ₹70 – 155 | Freights on volume, not weight. Ship flat-packed only if the design allows it |
| Rigid box, magnetic flap | Greyboard 2 mm, wrap, magnet, ribbon pull | ₹165 – 340 | ₹125 – 255 | ₹108 – 220 | The tooling is the cost; the second order is much cheaper |
| Corrugated outer, 3-ply | Printed 1 colour, standard RSC | ₹18 – 32 | ₹15 – 27 | ₹13 – 24 | Quoted against your carton count per outer and your transport route |
| Corrugated outer, 5-ply | Printed 1–2 colours, export grade | ₹26 – 46 | ₹21 – 38 | ₹18 – 34 | Standard export packing. Palletised and strapped for container loading |
| Corrugated with pasted label | Plain outer, 4-colour label pasted on | ₹24 – 42 | ₹20 – 35 | ₹17 – 31 | Cheaper than direct printing when the design is complex |
2,000 pieces. Below that the steel-rule die, the plates and the make-ready are a disproportionate share of the cost — at 500 cartons the die alone can be more than the board and ink together. A digital press with a plotter cutter is the right answer under 2,000, and we will point you at one rather than quote.
A medium carton on 300 GSM duplex, 4-colour with gloss lamination and die-cutting, runs ₹4.40–₹8.20 at 2,000 pieces, ₹2.50–₹5.00 at 10,000 and ₹1.60–₹3.10 at two lakh. Hira Print's published India guide gives ₹2.50–₹5.00 for a monocarton without stating a quantity; ours is the 10,000-piece figure.
Duplex has a recycled core with a coated white top and a grey reverse. SBS is virgin bleached pulp, white through, stiffer at the same weight and certifiable for direct food contact. A 300 GSM SBS carton is often cheaper than stepping duplex up to 350 GSM to get the same stiffness.
We make it. Send internal dimensions or a physical sample and we return a structural dieline as a PDF and a CAD file, usually within 1–2 working days, plus a plain white folded mock-up if the carton has to hold a specific product. Artwork is then placed on the approved dieline. Designing artwork first means redrawing it.
Yes, on SBS or FBB board with food-contact inks and a food-compliant laminating adhesive. We check that the FSSAI licence number, veg or non-veg mark, net quantity, nutritional panel and batch fields are present and clear of creases before plating. We check them; we do not draft them or certify their legal accuracy.
₹3,500–₹9,000 for a straightforward folding carton, more for complex shapes, window patching or an auto-lock bottom. It is a one-time charge, the die is stored, and a repeat order carries no die cost. Sivakasi has die-makers within the cluster, which is why a die here is made in 2–3 days rather than shipped in.
Flat, glued on the side seam, in bundles of 50 or 100, inside 5-ply corrugated outers, palletised and strapped for export. A flat monocarton ships efficiently; a rigid box does not, because it freights on volume. That difference is worth costing before you choose between the two.
Yes. Metallised polyester laminated to duplex gives a true metallic ground under the print, which is what confectionery, cosmetics and firework gift boxes use. Sivakasi has unusual depth in met-pet — Safire Print ranks for the term locally — because the firework packaging trade has demanded it here for decades.
A barcode that straddles a crease deforms when the carton is folded and stops scanning reliably at the till. Keep it at least 6 mm clear of any crease line and give it a proper quiet zone in the artwork. It is the single most common issue we catch at preflight, and the most expensive one to catch late.
Yes, and it is a September–October job with Diwali as the deadline rather than a purchase order date. Assorted-cracker gift boxes, flower-pot outers and rocket cartons, usually with heavy ink coverage and met-pet or foil. MOQ 2,000, ₹9–₹28 a piece depending on size and finish.
Product, quantity, size and GSM. A person who has stood at the press replies within 1 working day — WhatsApp or email, in Tamil, English or Hindi.