Crash lock bottom box sizes
A crash lock bottom box — also called an auto-lock bottom or an automatic bottom — ships flat and snaps into shape when you open it. These are the sizes it is most often made in.
How the bottom works
The bottom flaps are glued once at the factory, so the box is delivered flat. Press the sides together and the bottom pops into place and locks itself — nobody has to fold four flaps by hand. Because the bottom is glued and locked, it carries weight well, which is why heavier goods like candles, mugs and bottles go in this box rather than a plain tuck box. The top closes with a tuck-in flap.
Size chart by what goes inside
| For | Length × width × height | Inches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics A 50 ml bottle or jar |
45 × 45 × 120 mm | 1.8 × 1.8 × 4.7 | Make this dieline → |
| Candle A 200–220 g jar |
83 × 83 × 102 mm | 3.3 × 3.3 × 4.0 | Make this dieline → |
| Mug A 300–350 ml mug with a handle |
115 × 90 × 100 mm | 4.5 × 3.5 × 3.9 | Make this dieline → |
| Bottle 500 ml, upright |
80 × 80 × 225 mm | 3.1 × 3.1 × 8.9 | Make this dieline → |
| Food About 500 g of cereal or muesli |
180 × 70 × 270 mm | 7.1 × 2.8 × 10.6 | Make this dieline → |
Typical starting points, not a standard. Most makers cut these boxes to order, so published stock sizes are few: the mug, bottle and food rows are sized around the usual product with a little room to spare. Measure your own product.
How to measure
- Length — the wide side of the opening: the panel that carries the tuck flap.
- Width — the depth of the opening, the narrow side.
- Height — from the bottom to the top of the box, without the flaps.
Sizes are crease to crease, the way box makers quote them. Allow 1–3 mm of air around the product on each side; a mug needs room for its handle on the length.
The width limit
The bottom locks across the width, so it needs room: keep the width under 1.5 × the length, less 12 mm. A very wide, shallow box leaves too little flap to lock. If you go past it, the constructor tells you and holds back the download.
Which board?
Crash lock boxes are made from paperboard, usually 300–400 g, about 0.4–0.6 mm. The constructor goes up to 2 mm — pick it in the Board list, for example F flute, 1.0 mm — and the dieline adjusts. The thicker the board, the larger the allowances at the flaps.
Tuck box or crash lock?
If it is light, a tuck box is simpler. If it is heavy, has a bottle shape or has to stand on a shelf, take the crash lock. See the tuck box sizes.