Custom Chocolate Bar Boxes Cut to Your Wrapped Bar

Who orders printed chocolate bar cartons?

A bar in plain foil looks like any other bar. A printed carton tells people who made it, what flavour it is and why it costs more than the one by the till.

Most of our chocolate bar orders come from small UK makers and shops.

The same box size often does several jobs. A maker might sell a plain flavour range all year and then print a short run of the same carton for a wedding fair.

• Bean-to-bar and craft chocolate makers
• Cafés and bakeries selling their own bars at the counter
• Farm shops and delis with a house brand
• Wedding and event planners making favour bars
• Corporate gift buyers printing a bar with a company message

The carton slides over a bar that is already wrapped in its own foil or film. We make the outer box only.

Why does a straight tuck end suit a chocolate bar?

In a straight tuck end box, both end flaps tuck in towards the back panel. On a slim bar box, that leaves the front free of any flap edge, so your artwork runs edge to edge.

The bar slides in through one short end, and the flap closes behind it. Because the carton is so thin, a crash-lock base is not needed.

The red carton in our photos shows this well. A tall, flat box with a window in the upper part of the front and a clear label panel near the foot.

Read how the flaps fold on our straight tuck end cartons page.

What size box fits a standard chocolate bar?

A typical wrapped bar measures about 156 × 77 × 10 mm. Give it about 2 mm extra on length and width and up to 2 mm on depth. The bar box then measures near 160 × 80 × 12 mm inside.

Filled bars and bars with inclusions are thicker, sometimes 15 mm or more. Measure the wrapped bar at its thickest point, not the mould drawing.

Too loose and the bar slides about; too tight and the carton bows or the wrap tears on the way in. Test with your real wrapped bars.

Our page on measuring products for tuck boxes has more on clearance.

Should a chocolate bar box have a window?

A window works well if your wrap is worth seeing. In our photo, a gold foil wrap shows through a long rectangle cut in the front of a coral carton.

A bar box window can stay open or take a clear film. Film gives the opening a neater edge and keeps the foil clean on a shop shelf.

Keep a frame of board at least 10 mm wide around the window, so the slim front panel stays stiff. See window carton options for shapes.

How do window and full-print bar boxes compare?

Our second photo shows the full-print style: a cream carton with drawn cocoa pods and a photo of chocolate pieces across the front.

Which board and finishes work on chocolate bar boxes?

Our usual stock for bar boxes is 350gsm white SBS. Kraft and other boards are quoted on request.

White board gives clean colour for illustrated flavours. Kraft gives a handmade feel, and suits one or two colours of dark ink.

Gold or silver foil on the bar name is a classic choice. Embossing a logo adds texture to a slim panel. A matt lamination keeps the front free of glare in shop lights.

Compare them in our guide to printed box finishes.

What goes on each panel of a chocolate bar carton?

The front carries the brand, the flavour and the cocoa content, if you print it. Keep it simple, as the bar box is small.

The back is where ingredients, allergy details, weight and best before go. Keep a plain patch on the back of the bar box for the barcode.

The two thin edges are useful when bars stand in a row in a display. Print the flavour there in a strong colour so shoppers can read it side on.

How do the boxes arrive and get packed?

Your bar cartons come flat, glued along one long edge. Open the sleeve, tuck one end, slide in the wrapped bar and tuck the other end.

Store packed bars and flat cartons away from heat and strong sunlight. A cool stockroom shelf is fine; a sunny shop window is not. For mail order, lay boxed bars flat in a small shipper.

Slim bar cartons go to print for 4–6 business days after you sign off the proof. Free tracked delivery to your UK address follows in 2–3 business days.

Can bar boxes carry names and messages for events?

Yes. Chocolate bars make easy favours and corporate gifts, and the carton is where the message goes.

For a wedding, the front usually carries the couple's names and the date, with a short line of thanks on the back. For a business, it might be a logo and a seasonal message for clients.

Small tasting bars keep the cost down for large guest lists. A standard bar suits a gift for staff or customers.

If each box needs a different name, such as a place card bar, tell us when you ask for a price. We will explain how the artwork needs to be set up so each version prints in the right order.

What mistakes do chocolate makers make with bar boxes?

• Measuring the bar without its wrap, so the box will not close
• Cutting the window too close to a fold, so the front bows
• Leaving no room on the back for ingredients and allergy details
• Putting the flavour only on the front, so a row of bars cannot be told apart from the side
• Choosing the same colour for every flavour in a range

How do you order chocolate bar boxes?

1. Measure your wrapped bar at its thickest point.
2. Send that size with the number of bar boxes, the board and any window or foil.
3. Get a written quote, with bar boxes priced from £0.25 per unit; size and quantity set the rest.
4. Look over the free proof, with your flavour artwork set on the slim bar dieline.
5. Approve it and your bar cartons are printed and sent free to your door.

You can try your logo on a carton first in Design Your Box for chocolate brands.