Tea carton
18pt SBS200 minimum · 10 to 14 business daysA tea carton is a folding carton on 18pt SBS sized to hold 15 to 25 tea sachets or a loose leaf pouch, with a straight tuck or a seal end closure and a front panel for the blend name and brewing notes. We produce them from 200 units in 10 to 14 business days after proof, usually 3 by 2.5 by 3 to 4.5 by 3 by 5 inches.
When to choose it, and when not to
Choose a tea carton when the tea sells on a shelf, in a gift set or through a subscription, and the sachets or the pouch need a printed pack around them. The carton is where the blend name, the brewing time and temperature, the ingredients and the net weight live. A soft-touch carton with a foil mark is what specialty tea brands use because it feels as considered as the tea inside.
Choose a tea pouch on its own if the tea is loose leaf sold by weight and the customer will reseal it, since the carton does not keep tea fresh; the pouch inside does. Choose a tea tin style tube if the pack will be kept and refilled, because a carton is opened and recycled.
Specifications
| Board | 18pt SBS, food-contact grade, or 18pt kraft; documentation supplied with the quote |
|---|---|
| Offset CMYK, one color, Pantone match, metallic ink | |
| Finish | Soft-touch lamination, matte aqueous, foil, blind deboss, spot UV |
| Closure | Straight tuck end with friction lock, or seal end with tear strip |
| Insert | Optional paperboard divider for two blends in one carton |
| Contents | 15, 20 or 25 pyramid or flat sachets, or a 2 to 4 oz loose leaf pouch |
| Minimum | 200 units |
| Lead time | 10 to 14 business days after proof |
| Ships | Flat, glued, in bundles of 50 |
| Sizes we run | 3 x 2.5 x 3 in 3.5 x 2.5 x 3.5 in 4 x 3 x 4 in 4.5 x 3 x 5 in any size from 2 x 1.5 x 2 to 8 x 6 x 8 in |
Materials that suit it
Questions people ask
How many sachets fit in a carton?
Twenty enveloped pyramid sachets stack to about 3.5 by 2.5 by 3.5 inches, which is the most common tea carton size. Fifteen fit a 3 by 2.5 by 3 and twenty five fit a 4 by 3 by 4. Flat paper tea bags in envelopes pack tighter, so 20 fit a 3 by 2.5 by 3. Send us one sachet and we size the stack.
Does the carton keep the tea fresh?
No. Board is not a barrier. Freshness comes from the sachet envelope or the pouch inside, which should be a foil or metallized laminate with a good seal. The carton protects the envelopes from light and crushing and gives you a printed pack. If you sell loose leaf, put it in a lined pouch inside the carton.
Seal end or tuck end?
Tuck end if the customer opens and closes the carton every day to take out a sachet. Seal end with a perforated tear strip if the retailer wants tamper evidence or if you fill on a cartoning line. Seal end is a one-time opening; after the strip is pulled the carton stays open unless you add a tuck inside the flap, which we can do.
Can I use kraft board?
Yes. 18pt natural kraft suits herbal and organic blends and takes one color print well. It does not take soft-touch lamination or foil as cleanly as white SBS, and color on kraft comes out muted. If you want both the kraft look and bright color, we run white SBS with a printed kraft texture. Both are recyclable as mixed paper.
Is the board food safe?
We run food-contact grade SBS for tea cartons as standard, so a sachet that touches the board is fine. Loose leaf should still be in a pouch, because tea picks up odor from anything nearby and a pouch keeps the aroma in. The inside of the carton is left unprinted and uncoated unless you ask for inside print.
How is the tea carton different from the tea pouch?
The carton holds the tea; the pouch keeps it fresh. The tea carton is 18pt SBS or kraft, sized to 15 to 25 sachets or a loose leaf pouch, with a straight tuck or a seal end and a front panel for the blend and brewing notes, from 200 units in 10 to 14 business days after proof. The tea pouch is a barrier bag with a resealable zipper, sized by weight for loose leaf, from 200 units in 10 to 12 business days. Sachets on a shelf suit the carton. Loose leaf sold direct suits the pouch, and a pouch inside a carton covers both.
Similar styles
Read next
Ready to price your tea 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.