Custom Kraft Boxes with Handles for Gifts and Hampers

What are kraft boxes with handles used for?

A handle changes how a box gets used. It becomes the bag, the gift wrap and the packaging at once, which is why these boxes turn up wherever something is carried out by hand.

• Hampers and gift sets made up by delis, farm shops and gift shops
• Children's party boxes and activity kits handed out at events
• Clothing and shoes bought in store, carried home without a bag
• Corporate gifts given out at conferences and staff days
• Bakery and café takeaway gift packs, packed in their own wrapping

The common thread is a customer walking away with the box. Your logo goes with them down the street, which a plain carrier bag rarely manages.

Which handle style should you choose?

Our four photos show three ways to add a handle. They differ in how they look, how they pack and how the box stands.

Clip-in handles look the most like luggage and suit the suitcase shape. A rope handle on the front panel suits a shallower box and feels softer in the hand. A die-cut handle keeps everything in one piece of board. If you are torn between two, ask for both on the quote. Seeing the price difference side by side often settles it, and the proof shows each handle on your artwork.

How does a suitcase-style kraft box open?

Most handled boxes in our photos are built like a mailer turned on its side. The lid hinges along the back, folds over the contents and tucks in at the front, and the handle sits on the top edge when the box stands upright.

Stood upright, the box sits on a shelf like a small case, which suits a gift shop display. Laid flat on a counter, it opens wide so a customer can see the whole hamper at once.

Because the hinge runs along one long edge, the box never comes apart in two pieces. That matters at a busy event, where loose lids end up under tables and a box handed over half closed looks careless.

What size box with a handle do you need?

Start from the contents laid out as they will be packed, including any shred or tissue. These sizes, inside measurements in millimetres, are where most orders begin:

• Small, about 250 × 180 × 120: a gift set of three or four items
• Medium, about 320 × 220 × 150: a hamper or a folded outfit
• Large, about 400 × 280 × 180: a full hamper with bottles and jars
• Flat, about 350 × 250 × 80: documents, prints or a slim kit

Add room for whatever holds the contents in place. A hamper packed with shred needs more height than the tallest item alone.

Which kraft board is right for a carried box?

We make handled boxes from brown kraft corrugated, because a carried box swings, bumps legs and gets set down hard. The fluted layer keeps the walls from folding in around the handle.

We do not publish a carrying weight for any box. Tell us exactly what goes inside, such as two bottles and a cheese or four jars and a candle, and we will suggest the board and handle that suit it. Other corrugated grades are available on request.

Can you print a suitcase design on kraft?

Yes, and it is one of the most fun things to do with this shape. One of our photos shows straps, buckles and a luggage label printed in a single dark ink on brown board. The kraft does the job of the leather.

A single colour keeps the cost down and suits the look. White ink, two colours or full colour all work too, and you can print the inside of the lid with a message for the person opening it. Our guide to how ink colours print on brown kraft shows what to expect from each.

How do you order kraft boxes with handles?

1. Lay out the contents and measure them as packed.
2. Choose a clip-in, rope or die-cut handle.
3. Pick your print, from plain kraft to full colour inside and out.
4. Send a logo, or see it on a photo of the box first.
5. Approve your free design proof; edits are unlimited.
6. Your order is made in 4–6 business days and sent free across the UK.

Not sure how your logo will look on a carry box? Upload it to Design Your Box with your logo before you ask for a price. The written quote starts from £0.25 per box, and tracked delivery takes 2–3 business days.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Sizing for the products but not the shred or tissue around them
• Placing the logo where the handle covers it when the box stands up
• Choosing a clip-in handle when the boxes will be posted
• Packing bottles loose so they knock together as the box swings
• Forgetting the back panel, which faces the room on a shop shelf

The handle catches most of the eye, so check its slots on the proof with your artwork in place. A logo split in half by two holes is the most common thing we redraw before production.

How do you pack a hamper in a handled box?

Put the heaviest items at the base along the hinge side, so the weight sits low when the box is lifted. Fill the gaps with shred, then lay lighter items and a card on top. Close the lid and give the box a gentle shake by its handle. If anything moves, add more shred before it goes out.

Bottles and jars travel better in their own cells. Our kraft dividers for bottles and jars slot into a handled box and stop glass knocking as it is carried.

Can a box with a handle be posted?

It can, with some thought. A clip-in handle sticks up above the lid, catches on other parcels and may need taping down. For gifts sent by post, a die-cut handle that lies flat is the better choice.

Many gift shops post the handled box inside a plain outer carton, so it arrives clean and ready to hand over. If that is your plan, ask for both boxes on the same quote and we will size the outer around the handled one.