What Size Box Does A Bar Of Soap Need?
A soap box should be 3 mm longer and 3 mm wider than the bar and 2 mm taller. That fit stops the bar sliding and still loads by hand. The table runs that rule for six common bars.
| Bar | Bar size | Inside box size |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz guest bar | 51 x 38 x 19 mm, 2 x 1.5 x 0.75 in | 54 x 41 x 21 mm |
| 3 oz bar | 76 x 51 x 25 mm, 3 x 2 x 1 in | 79 x 54 x 27 mm |
| 4 oz bar | 89 x 64 x 25 mm, 3.5 x 2.5 x 1 in | 92 x 67 x 27 mm |
| 4.5 oz loaf cut bar | 83 x 64 x 32 mm, 3.25 x 2.5 x 1.25 in | 86 x 67 x 34 mm |
| Round puck, 3 in across | 76 x 76 x 25 mm | 79 x 79 x 27 mm |
| Square bar | 64 x 64 x 32 mm, 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.25 in | 67 x 67 x 34 mm |
Hand cut bars vary by 2 mm or more from one loaf to the next, so measure the largest bar in the batch and not the average one. Our dieline generator builds any of these sizes flat before you order. Once the size is fixed the label panel is the next thing to plan, because every style carries one.
What Does A Soap Box Have To Say On The Label?
What the box has to say depends on whether the bar counts as true soap, a cosmetic or a drug. A bar is true soap when it meets all three parts of 21 CFR 701.20 and is sold only to clean.
True soap falls under the CPSC soap guidance and has no soap specific label rule. Add a moisturizing, scent or deodorant claim and the bar becomes a cosmetic under FDA.
A cosmetic bar needs an ingredient list in descending order and the net weight in ounces and grams on the lower part of the front panel. An antibacterial or acne claim turns the bar into a drug with its own label rules. We place the label panel on the dieline before any design goes on. The oils inside the bar are the next thing the box has to deal with.
How Do You Stop Soap Oils From Marking The Box?
An aqueous coating on the inside face of the box stops fragrance oil and glycerin from leaving a dark ring on the board. Uncoated board drinks oil from a scented bar within days and the mark shows through the print.
Glycerin also pulls water from humid air and beads on the surface of the bar. A cold process bar keeps losing water for four to six weeks after it is cut. An open window or a small vent lets that bar breathe, while sealed shrink wrap traps the water against it. Once the inside is protected the board decides how the outside looks.
Which Board Suits Soap Packaging?
SBS board at 300 to 350 GSM suits most soap packaging because it folds clean and prints full color on a bright white face. Natural kraft at 350 GSM suits handmade and natural brands that want brown board with one or two dark inks. Rigid greyboard carries gift sets and corrugated board belongs only on the shipping case. The spec tab lists every board with its weight, and print is the last decision before a quote.
How Is Your Logo Printed On A Soap Box?
Custom printed soap boxes run on offset CMYK or matched Pantone inks, so your logo holds the same color from one reorder to the next. Kraft takes one or two dark inks, and hot foil or spot UV lifts a logo on a shelf of plain bars.
Match the box to your label so a shopper reads the two as one brand. Our artwork guidelines show the bleed and safe area for every file. With the size, label, board and print settled you are ready to order.
How Do You Order Custom Soap Boxes Wholesale?
Send the bar size, the style and the quantity through our quote form and a dieline and a price come back within the week. The terms below hold for soap boxes wholesale at 100 boxes and at 5,000.
- Minimum order is 100 boxes per size and design and it comes down on rigid, corrugated and larger sizes
- Price breaks arrive at 500 and 1,000 units on one artwork and not across mixed designs
- Production takes 8 to 10 business days for folding carton and 10 to 12 for rigid and wrapped
- A plain sample takes 3 to 5 business days and a printed one takes 7 to 10
- No setup or tooling fees apply because the die and the plates sit inside your unit price
- Shipping is free across the United States on every order we take
Load your largest bar into a plain sample before the printed run to check the fit by hand. Products beyond soap sit in our full range of custom packaging boxes.
The Customized Boxes