Last updated:
The short answer
Both are 3 ply corrugated board. A shipping box (the standard carton) has four flaps on top and four underneath that you fold and tape shut; it is built for transit. A mailer box is a one-piece box whose lid tucks into the front; it closes without tape and is built to be opened by the customer. Use a shipping box when the box is only transport. Use a mailer box when the box is part of the unboxing.
How a mailer box is made and closed
A mailer box is die-cut from one sheet. The walls fold up, the side panels tuck in, and the lid, which is attached at the back, folds over and tucks its front flap into the box. Nothing covers the top, so a printed lid stays visible, and the customer opens it by lifting the flap rather than cutting tape.
Our corrugated mailer boxes come in 96 sizes from 3.3 × 2.75 × 1 to 16 × 14 × 5 inches, in brown or white in packs of 100, in nine colours in packs of 10, and printed with your logo from 100 boxes a size.
How a shipping box is made and closed
A shipping box, also called a regular slotted carton, arrives flat with pre-creased lines. You fold it into shape, tape the bottom seam, pack it with void fill, and tape the top seam. The tape is part of the closure, and the shipping label goes on the largest face.
Our 3 ply shipping boxes come in 22 sizes from 1.5 × 4 × 4 to 11 × 8 × 4.5 inches, in packs of 25, dispatched the next business day.
Side by side
- Closure: mailer box tucks shut without tape; shipping box is taped top and bottom.
- Presentation: a mailer box is what the customer sees; a shipping box is usually opened and discarded.
- Packing time: a mailer box folds and tucks in one motion; a shipping box needs two taping passes.
- Printing: mailer boxes are the ones brands print, because nothing covers the lid.
- Pack sizes here: mailer boxes in packs of 100 (coloured in 10); shipping boxes in packs of 25.
- Dispatch: shipping boxes leave the next business day; mailer boxes are supplied to order in 2 to 3 business days, printed ones in 15 to 20 days from mockup approval.
Using one inside the other, or inside a courier bag
A mailer box on its own is not tamper-evident: the lid can be lifted and tucked back. For dispatch, many sellers put the mailer box inside a tamper-proof courier bag an inch or two larger than the box. The bag adds a waterproof, sealed outer layer and a pocket for the invoice; the box inside is the presentation.
For fragile or heavy orders, a small mailer box can also go inside a shipping box with void fill around it.