Custom Retail-Ready Corrugated Packaging

A corrugated case designed to change from shipper to shelf display without repacking the products into a second container.

Approved tear-strip perforation detail on claret paperboard

At a glance

Minimum order quantity
Standard cartons from 1,000 units
Sampling
Presentation-quality sample in 5–7 working days. The sample cost is credited against your first approved production order.
Production lead time
15–20 working days after artwork approval
Delivery to Europe
DDP or DAP to the EU and the UK, DDP to Switzerland; your customs broker confirms duty and VAT rates
Production
Made to order (OEM/ODM)
Country of origin
Huai'an, Jiangsu, China
  • Shipper-to-Display Format

Overview

Retail-ready packaging combines the outer case and the display tray into one structure. A planned tear-away section is removed at the destination so the remaining pack presents the product on shelf without each unit being unpacked and arranged in a separate fixture.

The tear line, product orientation and printed faces have to be designed together. A panel that is easy to remove must still remain intact through distribution, while the part left on shelf has to keep the units aligned and leave the intended brand and product information visible. These relationships are checked on a loaded sample before the structure is approved.

Most shelf-ready packs combine a tray with a removable part. The tray has a low front lip, and its side walls are cut down towards the front so the products stay visible and easy to take; the upper part, either a hood or a front panel, joins it along a perforated tear line, so the case travels as one closed unit and separates by hand in store. The perforation has to hold through stacking and handling yet tear cleanly without tools, so the design keeps the stacking load on the corners and walls instead of across the tear line.

What to decide for this format

Tear-Away Geometry

Set which panels are removed, where the opening begins and what structure remains to hold the products on shelf.

Shelf Orientation & Visible Faces

Arrange the units and artwork so the surviving tray exposes the correct product face and retail information.

Shelf-Ready Pack or Plain Shipper

A shelf-ready pack saves store staff unpacking time and a separate display, but its perforated case is less robust in transit and its tray must suit the retailer's shelf. A plain shipper protects better and works with any shelf, because the units are unpacked onto it; choose shelf-ready when the retailer asks for it or stock is replenished by the case.

Regular slotted cases

Across the Corrugated & E-Commerce Boxes range

This page covers what is particular to this product. The full lists for the whole range are set out once, on the Corrugated & E-Commerce Boxes page:

All materials

All finishes

What applies to this product

Materials
Single-Wall Corrugated; Double-Wall Corrugated; Litho Face Papers; Kraft Liners; Recycled & FSC-Certified Board
Printing & Finishes
Litho Lamination; Flexo Printing; Matte & Gloss Lamination; Foil & Spot UV; Die Cutting, Perforation & Gluing
Applications
Retail & Multipack
How it is made
Product, load & transit review; Structure & cube optimisation; Print method decision; Sampling; Printing, laminating & gluing; Inspection & dispatch

What you can customise

  • Internal dimensions calculated from the product and how many go in a case
  • Board grade and wall construction against stacking and transit
  • Print method — litho-laminated, flexo, or plain
  • Tear strips, handles and shelf-ready perforation
  • Corrugated dividers and fitments assessed as a fibre-based support option
  • Shipping marks, carton counts and pallet configuration

Specifications

Minimum order quantityStandard cartons from 1,000 units
Production lead time15–20 working days after artwork approval
Converting lineFully automated line integrating printing, laminating and gluing
Print processesOffset litho-lamination on the Rapida 106; six-colour flexo and water-based printing for direct liner print

Terms for this specification

Sampling
Presentation-quality sample in 5–7 working days. The sample cost is credited against your first approved production order.
Colour matching
Pantone references and physical samples are used where the selected print process supports them. The approval method follows the substrate, artwork and process.
Certifications
ISO 9001, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001 and China Environmental Labelling (Ten-Ring). ISO 22000 applies to eligible food-contact work.
Sustainable options
FSC-certified or recycled-content paper and board, water-based inks and adhesives, and fibre-based fitments are available where the selected construction supports them.

Design & artwork

From an artwork check, through a dimensioned dieline and print-ready files, to a full concept package across a range — done by the factory that will make it.

See design services

Frequently asked questions

How does a shelf-ready pack become a display?

A perforated or otherwise planned section is removed at the destination, leaving a tray or low-fronted case around the products. The opening action and the structure that remains are both proven on the physical sample.

Can one print specification serve both shipping and shelf display?

Yes, but the artwork has to distinguish the faces visible in transit from those left on shelf. Shipping marks, opening instructions and retail graphics are positioned after the tear-away sequence is settled.

What do you need to design a shelf-ready pack?

The product dimensions and weight, units per case and how they are arranged, the retailer's shelf depth and height if you have them, how the cases are stacked in transit, and which faces must carry branding once the tear-away part is removed. For the price, add the delivery country and, for the EU or the UK, whether you want DDP or DAP.

How is the tear line kept from opening in transit?

By keeping it out of the load path and balancing the perforation pattern against the board, so the tear section never carries the stacking load. The loaded sample is handled first and then opened by hand, to check both that it holds and that it tears cleanly.

From the Journal

Related products

Request a custom packaging quote

What to send for a quote

  • The product it is for, and the format you have in mind
  • Size as length × width × height, and whether those are inside or outside dimensions
  • Quantity, or two or three quantities if you want to compare unit prices
  • Material and finish preferences, or the look you are after
  • Artwork status: print-ready files, a draft, or nothing yet
  • The date you need the goods by
  • The destination country

Missing some of these? Send what you have, and we will ask about the rest.