Candle and Home Fragrance Boxes Made to Your Jars and Melts

Who is the candle and home fragrance range for?

Candle studios, wax melt sellers, incense makers, gift shops and hotels that put scented items in guest rooms. Many are small makers selling at markets and online who want a printed box that matches the label on the jar.

The five cartons in this range cover the shapes these products come in: round jars and tins, snap bars and clamshells, long incense sticks, and small amenity items.

A printed box also gives a candle a place for the scent notes, burn advice and your website, which rarely fit on a jar label. It turns a jar into a gift that can be wrapped or posted without extra packaging.

All five candle and fragrance boxes

Here is every box in the range with its usual closure. We can quote a different closure on any candle or fragrance carton if you prefer.

Most candle makers start with one carton and add a second later, such as a wax melt box to match the jar box. Keeping the same colours and fonts across both makes a market stall or shop shelf look like one brand.

Why do candle boxes use an auto bottom?

A glass candle jar is the densest item most makers pack. An auto bottom, also called a crash lock, has a base that is folded and glued before delivery. Push the flat carton open and the base locks itself, so the jar sits on a closed floor rather than a single tucked flap.

It also saves time when you are boxing a full batch after pouring. Only the top needs tucking. Our candle tuck boxes for jars and tins page shows the base in photos.

The auto bottom costs a little more than a tuck end because of the extra gluing at our end. For a maker boxing a few hundred jars at a time, the time saved at the bench usually makes up for it.

Tin candles are lighter and flatter, so a reverse tuck end is often enough for them. Ask for both on the quote and compare.

What size box fits a 20 cl candle jar?

A 20 cl tumbler jar is often about 75 mm across and 90 mm tall with its lid. A common starting box is about 80 × 80 × 95 mm inside, but jars vary, so measure your own.

Measure the widest point, which is often the lid rather than the glass. Add 2 to 3 mm on each side, then decide whether you want a card insert to stop the jar moving.

Three-wick candles in wide vessels need a near-square carton, often 100 mm or more across. Tall pillar candles without a jar need a slim box and usually a card insert, as the wax can mark if it rubs against the panels.

• Tumbler jars: measure the lid and the base, and use the larger.
• Tins: measure with the lid on, including any lip.
• Wax melt clamshells: measure the closed pack, not the cavities.
• Incense: measure the longest stick plus any holder.
• Amenities: measure the item in its inner wrap.

Should a candle box have a window?

A window lets shoppers see the wax colour, the wick and the label on the jar. It works best on lighter artwork, with the window placed where the jar label will show through.

If your jar has a printed label of its own, line the window up with it on the proof. A label that sits half behind the board looks like a mistake.

Film keeps dust off the jar and stops fingers going in. A shaped window, such as an arch or a circle, can echo the jar. See candle boxes with a front window for the shapes we cut most.

For a gift box with a fully printed front, skip the window and print the wax colour on the panel instead.

Boxes for wax melts and snap bars

Wax melts are usually sold in a clamshell or as a snap bar. Both are flat, so a tuck top box with a hinged lid suits them: the customer lifts the lid and sees the whole bar.

Print the scent name on the lid and on one end, so it shows when boxes are stacked. Our wax melt boxes with tuck top lids page covers clamshell and snap bar sizes.

Sample boxes holding three or four single melts are popular at markets. A small tuck top with a card divider keeps each scent separate, and the lid can list them all.

Incense boxes and long, slim cartons

Incense sticks need a long, narrow carton, often 200 to 260 mm tall and only 20 to 40 mm wide. A straight tuck end keeps the front clean for the scent name and artwork.

Cones and holders sit in a shorter box, sometimes with a card insert to keep them apart. A hang tab is useful for gift shops that peg small items. Read more on incense boxes for sticks and cones.

Long boxes are easy to knock over on a shelf, so some incense makers choose a wider base or a display carton that holds several packs upright at the till.

Print the scent on the top tuck too, as long boxes are often stored lying down.

Guest amenity cartons for hotels

Hotels, guesthouses and holiday lets use small printed cartons for soap bars, scented sachets, sewing kits and other guest items. A reverse tuck end keeps them simple and quick to fill.

One design can run across several items with the item name changed on each. Our tuck boxes for guest amenities page shows a typical set.

Small cartons like these are usually ordered in larger numbers and refilled by housekeeping. Keep the artwork simple, with the item name large enough to read at a glance on a trolley.

Board, finishes and inserts for candle packaging

Candle cartons are printed on 350gsm white SBS unless you ask for kraft or another board. Kraft suits natural and botanical candle brands.

Any candle carton can take matt, gloss or soft touch lamination, spot UV, gold, silver or holographic foil, or embossing and debossing, all as options. Soft touch with gold foil is the most requested look for candles.

Embossing a botanical line drawing or a monogram on the lid adds texture without extra ink, and it pairs well with an uncoated kraft look.

A card insert with a round cut-out holds a jar in the centre of the box. It adds a little to the unit price, shown on the written quote.

Mistakes to avoid with candle boxes

The usual error is sizing to the glass and forgetting the lid, which is often wider. Another is picking a dark carton with a window, so the wax colour is lost in shadow.

Leave a clear flat panel for any safety wording and the batch details you need. Never run that text across a fold or the glue flap. Seasonal editions for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or weddings can reuse the same dieline with new artwork.

Finally, check the lid. Wooden and metal lids sit higher than glass rims, and a box sized to the rim will not close.

How do I order candle and home fragrance boxes?

Our designers place your artwork on the chosen dieline for free, so the proof shows exactly how the jar label, window and foil line up before anything is cut.

1. Choose the box from the table above.
2. Measure your jar, tin, melt or sticks in millimetres.
3. Tell us the quantity, closure and any window, insert or finish.
4. We reply with a written candle box price, from £0.25 per unit.
5. Approve the free proof; we make the cartons in 4–6 business days.
6. Your flat cartons arrive with free tracked UK delivery in 2–3 business days.

Have several jar sizes? Send them all for one written quote and we price each line.