Chocolate bar carton
16pt SBS, foil ready200 minimum · 10 to 14 business daysA chocolate bar carton is a slim folding carton on 16pt SBS sized for a foil wrapped bar, tuck ended or made as an open sleeve. We produce them from 200 units in 10 to 14 business days after proof, on food-contact grade board, usually 3 by 0.4 by 6 inches for a 2 ounce bar to 3.25 by 0.5 by 7 for a 4 ounce bar.
When to choose it, and when not to
Choose a chocolate bar carton when the bar sells in a shop, a gift set or online and the foil alone is not enough of a pack. The carton carries the origin, the cocoa percentage, the ingredients and the allergen line, and it keeps the foil from tearing in a mailer. A soft-touch carton with a foil stamp on 16pt is what bean to bar makers settle on because it feels expensive and folds crisp at that thickness.
Choose a belly band over a foil wrapped bar if you want the foil to show and only need a strip for the brand, which costs less and uses a third of the board. Choose a chocolate rigid box for a tasting set or a gift of several bars, since a carton holds one bar and a rigid box is kept.
Specifications
| Board | 16pt SBS, food-contact grade, 18pt for bars over 4 ounces; documentation supplied with the quote |
|---|---|
| Offset CMYK, one color, Pantone match, metallic ink | |
| Finish | Soft-touch lamination, matte aqueous, foil stamp, blind deboss, spot UV |
| Closure | Straight tuck end, reverse tuck end, or open-ended sleeve |
| Insert | None, the bar is foil wrapped inside |
| Bar fit | Sized to your mold, 2, 3 or 4 oz, with 0.08 in clearance each side |
| Minimum | 200 units |
| Lead time | 10 to 14 business days after proof |
| Ships | Flat, glued, in bundles of 100 |
| Sizes we run | 2.5 x 0.4 x 5 in 3 x 0.4 x 6 in 3.25 x 0.5 x 6.25 in 3.25 x 0.5 x 7 in any size from 2 x 0.3 x 3 to 6 x 1 x 10 in |
Materials that suit it
Questions people ask
What size carton fits a standard chocolate bar?
Most 3 ounce bars come from a mold about 3 by 6 inches and 0.35 thick, so a 3.25 by 0.5 by 6.25 inch carton takes the bar in its foil with 0.08 in of clearance each side. A 2 ounce bar is closer to 2.5 by 5. Bar molds vary a lot, so send us your mold drawing or a wrapped bar and we size the carton to it.
Why 16pt and not 18pt?
A bar carton is thin and long, and 18pt fights the fold on a 0.4 inch deep panel and makes the tuck flaps hard to seat. 16pt folds crisp, closes flat and is plenty strong for a 3 ounce bar. We move to 18pt only for bars over 4 ounces or for a carton that will hang from a tab on a peg.
Does the chocolate touch the board?
It should not. The bar goes in a foil or a compostable film wrap first and the carton goes around that. We run food-contact grade SBS anyway, so if a corner of the bar touches the board it is fine. Cocoa butter can mark an uncoated board over time, so we recommend a matte aqueous coating on the inside.
Can I foil stamp the carton?
Yes. Gold, copper, silver, rose gold and colored foils all run from 200 units, on soft-touch or matte laminated board. A single foil element on the front is the standard bean to bar look. Foil over a large solid area can crack on the fold, so keep foil at least 1/8 in from any crease and under about 30 percent of the panel.
Will it hold up in a mailer in summer?
The carton will. The chocolate is another matter. A carton on its own does nothing about heat, so for summer shipping you need an insulated mailer and a cold pack around the cartons. What the carton does is keep the foil from tearing and the bar from snapping in transit, which it does well at 16pt with 0.08 in clearance.
How is the chocolate bar carton different from the chocolate rigid box?
One bar versus an assortment. The bar carton is a slim 16pt food-contact SBS carton, 18pt over 4 ounces, sized to a foil-wrapped bar as a tuck end or open sleeve; it ships flat, from 200 units in 10 to 14 business days after proof. The chocolate rigid box is wrapped 1000 gsm board with a die-cut food-contact SBS tray that gives each bonbon or truffle its own cavity, and the box is kept, from 200 units in 12 to 14 business days. Bars on a shelf go in the carton; gift assortments go in the rigid box.
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Ready to price your chocolate bar carton?
Send the size and quantity for a quote and a dieline, usually within one business day. Your digital proof follows, usually within one business day of your artwork. Design help and the Swatch Book of materials are free.