Catering Boxes: Sizes, Styles and How to Order for Events

A catering order fails in a different way from a restaurant order. Nothing is eaten straight away. Boxes sit on a trestle table for an hour, get carried up a stairwell in stacks of ten, and are opened by someone who did not buy them. The packaging has to hold up through all of that and still look like it came from a business someone would hire again. That changes what you order, and this guide sets out how.

What a catering box has to do

Three jobs, in order. It has to stack without the lid of the box below caving in. It has to hold its contents in place while it is carried at an angle. And it has to keep grease and moisture off the outside, because fifty boxes on a white tablecloth will show every mark.

Delivery boxes for restaurant orders are built for a single trip in a bag. Catering boxes are built for a stack and a wait, so the board is usually heavier and the lid closure is usually more positive. The custom catering boxes range is set up around that difference, with the same print and finish options as the burger boxes.

Sizes

Most catering work splits into two formats: one box per person, or one box per table. Individual meal boxes come from the standard burger range; platter boxes are cut to your dimensions.

Format Standard size (in) Typical contents
Mini 4x4x2 A single slider or a dessert
Slider 5x3x2.5 One slider, a wrap half
Standard 5x5x3 A sandwich or single burger
Large 6x6x3.5 Sandwich with a side
Burger-and-chip 8x5x2.5 A full boxed meal
Platter Custom Sandwiches or sliders for 6 to 12

For an individual meal, the box should be slightly snug rather than generous, because a box carried in a stack and set down hard will let a loose sandwich slide onto its side. If you are between two sizes, the advice in how to size a box to the build applies here as much as to burgers: measure the assembled item, add a little clearance, and stop.

For platters, give the number of items and the layout. A 2x6 row of sliders needs a long rectangle; a 3x4 grid needs something closer to square. Custom dimensions cost no more to set up than a standard size.

Sandwich boxes

A rectangular box with a tuck lid, often with a window so the guest can see the filling without opening it. The window matters more in catering than in takeaway, because a guest choosing from a table of identical boxes wants to know which is the chicken and which is the vegetarian without lifting lids. The sandwich boxes with a window are the usual pick for cold lunches and boxed breakfasts.

Combo and platter boxes

A combo box is one box with internal dividers, so a sandwich or burger, a side and a dessert each have their own compartment and do not slide into each other. It is the answer when a client wants one box per guest and does not want a bag of separate containers. The custom combo boxes with dividers can be set up with two, three or four compartments.

A platter box is a large shallow box with a lift-off or hinged lid, used for sliders, sandwiches or pastries laid out for a table. These are often white board with a clean one-color print, because the food is the display and the box is the frame.

Board and grease

Catering boxes spend longer closed than takeaway boxes do, so steam and grease have more time to work on the board. For cold sandwiches, a coated SBS or kraft box is plenty. For hot items that will sit for a while, go up to corrugated E flute for the stack strength and specify a grease-resistant food-grade coating on the inside. For anything sauced or dressed, put a liner in the box rather than relying on the coating alone.

If the client has asked for compostable packaging, bagasse boxes resist grease through fiber density rather than a coating and go in the same bin as the food. The trade-off between coatings, liners and board is set out under what stops a box leaking, and the same logic applies to a sandwich box on a table as to a burger box in a bag.

Branding for events

Catering is a referral business, and the box is the thing the guest looks at longest. A few practical points.

  • Print the business name and a phone number or web address on the lid. Guests who liked the lunch will photograph it.
  • Keep one clean panel for a label. The client may want their own event name on the box, or you may need to mark dietary options.
  • Choose a matte or soft-touch finish for anything that will sit under event lighting; gloss reflects and photographs badly.
  • One color on kraft is enough for most caterers. Full CMYK on white board is worth it if the client is corporate and the box has to match their brand.

Design is free, and so are the 2D and 3D proofs. If the box will carry a client’s branding as well as yours, send both logos and the proof will show how they sit together. The branded burger boxes page shows how a logo is placed across lid and sides.

How to order for an event

Catering orders are driven by a date, so work backwards from it. Production is 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof, and the proof usually takes a day or two of back-and-forth. Add shipping time. An order placed three weeks out is comfortable, two weeks is fine if the artwork is ready, and anything tighter should be flagged as rush when you ask for the quote.

Order the quantity you will actually use plus a margin for damage and late guests. The minimum is 100 units, the price starts from $0.20 per unit and falls as quantity rises, and there are no die or plate charges, so a one-off event run is not penalized against a repeat restaurant order. Shipping is free to the US, UK, Canada and Australia; the shipping and delivery terms cover how a run travels and what to check on arrival.

If you cater the same kind of event regularly, order once in a larger quantity and keep the artwork generic. A box that says who you are and leaves room for a label works for every client; a box printed for one wedding works for one wedding.

Get a quote

Send the event date, the number of guests, what goes in each box and whether you want individual or platter format. Samples are available on request if you want to check fit first. Payment is by bank transfer against invoice or cash on delivery. Start on the catering box quote form.

Need a price for a run? Send the size, style and quantity and we will come back with wholesale pricing and a production timeline — start on the burger packaging quote form.

Frequently Asked Questions

How high can catering boxes be stacked for transport?

As high as the lowest box can carry without its lid bowing, and that depends on the board. Corrugated E flute stacks highest because the flute carries load through the walls; SBS and kraft paperboard stack lower and should be carried in a crate once the stack is more than a few boxes. Test it with a loaded sample before the event, not with empty boxes, since the food adds the weight that matters.

Do catering boxes need a window?

Only when guests pick from a table of closed boxes. A window shows the filling so people can find the chicken or the vegetarian option without opening lids, which is why it suits cold sandwich boxes and boxed breakfasts. For hot food it works against you: steam fogs the window and the box loses heat through it. If the meal is hot, skip the window and mark the variant on the lid instead.

Can hot food go in a catering box without turning soggy?

Yes, if the box is sized and loaded with steam in mind. Let fried or grilled items stand for a minute before closing the lid, keep sauces in a separate pot rather than on the food, and use corrugated E flute with a grease-resistant food-grade coating for the extra stiffness as the board warms. Pack dressed salads and anything wet in a liner rather than straight onto the board.

How do I keep a boxed meal from sliding apart on the way to the venue?

Size the box to the food and give each item its own compartment. A box with clearance lets a sandwich tip over the first time the stack is set down hard, so go snug rather than generous. For a sandwich, a side and a dessert in one box, the combo boxes with built-in dividers hold each piece in place, and the stack travels better because nothing inside moves.

What is the easiest way to mark dietary options on identical catering boxes?

A color-coded sticker on a panel left blank for it. Print your branding and leave one clean lid corner or end panel with no artwork, then apply a small label per variant: one color for vegetarian, another for gluten-free, and so on. The boxes stay one print run, the labels change per event, and staff can sort a stack by color without opening anything.

Are bagasse catering boxes strong enough to stack?

Yes for individual meals, with a caution for very tall stacks. Bagasse is molded sugarcane fiber, so it is rigid and resists grease through fiber density rather than a coating, and it goes in the same bin as the food. It is heavier and thicker than paperboard, which helps a stack, but it prints less finely, so keep the branding to a simple one-color logo and lean on a label for details.

Can the boxes be delivered to the venue instead of my kitchen?

Yes, give the delivery address when you request the quote. Shipping is free to the US, UK, Canada and Australia, so the choice of address makes no difference to the price. Delivery to a venue only works if someone is there to receive the cartons and store them somewhere dry, so for most events it is safer to take delivery at your own premises and carry the boxes with the food.

Which box size works for a boxed breakfast?

A standard 5x5x3 inch box takes a pastry or a breakfast sandwich on its own, and a large 6x6x3.5 adds room for a piece of fruit or a yogurt pot. For a fuller tray, the 8x5x2.5 burger-and-chip box gives a long, shallow format that lays items side by side. Cold breakfasts suit a sandwich box with a window; hot ones should stay closed and coated.

Does a white catering box show grease marks more than a kraft one?

Yes, and that is the trade-off for the cleaner print. White SBS board shows every fingerprint and grease spot against the bright surface, while brown kraft hides most of them. If you want white for a corporate brand match, rely on the inside grease-resistant coating, put a liner under anything oily, and choose a matte finish, which hides marks better than gloss and photographs better under event lighting.

How early should I ask for catering box samples before an event?

At the very first inquiry, before the artwork is started. Samples are available on request, and you want the sample in hand, loaded and stacked, before you approve the proof, because production of 7 to 10 business days only starts after approval and shipping follows that. An order placed three weeks out leaves room for a sample; a two-week order usually means choosing from the standard sizes without one.

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