Shipping Carton

Reading the code FEFCO 0402

The 04 series holds the folder-type boxes and trays: usually one-piece, unglued constructions erected by folding the die-cut blank around or under the product. This is the series of trays, folders and mailers that hold their shape by geometry — locking tabs, ears and hinged lids instead of a glued joint.

Within the series, 0402 is the design published as the Side-Hinged Folder Box with Meeting Lid Flaps. The four-digit code carries the full structural intent — specify it to any converter and both sides mean the same construction; only dimensions and board grade remain to be agreed.

How the case behaves

The base panel carries all four walls. The end walls fold up and back on themselves into double walls; the side walls fold up single and each continues into a lid flap, and the two flaps meet edge to edge across the centre of the top. Erected without glue, the box is closed with tape or a label across the meeting line.

Typical uses

Hand-packed shipping boxes for long flat goods — prints, textiles, trays of components — where a closure along the long axis makes packing and opening easier than the 0401's end-to-end lid.

Dimensions and board

The parameters above — internal length, width and depth, plus any construction-specific values this style needs — drive the whole blank: panel layout, flap depths and slot positions all derive from them, validated against the template's supported range. The 2D dieline and the 3D fold preview regenerate together from the same parametric structure.

A corrugated dieline is a starting point for production, not a substitute for converter judgment: flute profile, board grade and joint style all affect final dimensions and crush behavior. Confirm tolerances and material with your manufacturer before mass production — and erect the structure on screen first, so flap collisions and proportion problems surface before any tooling is ordered.

Industries and applications

Converters cut the Shipping Carton (FEFCO 0402) for shipping and transit cartons, e-commerce mailers and subscription boxes, and book and media mailers.

Shipping cartons are judged on stacking strength and the speed of closing on the packing bench.

What is Shipping Carton — Centre-Meeting Lid Folder, Side-Hinged?

FEFCO 0402 is the side-hinged folder box: a one-piece blank whose lid flaps hang on the side walls and meet in the centre, while the end walls fold double. It is the 0401 turned ninety degrees, chosen when the long sides should carry the closure.

Which dimensions does the Shipping Carton — Centre-Meeting Lid Folder, Side-Hinged dieline need?

4 parameters drive the blank: L (length), W (width), D (depth), Corrugated cardboard thickness (mm). Each value is validated against the template's supported range, and the whole dieline regenerates from them.

Can I see how Shipping Carton — Centre-Meeting Lid Folder, Side-Hinged folds before cutting it?

Yes. The interactive 3D fold preview and the 2D dieline are generated from the same parametric model, so the fold you watch on screen is the geometry of the sheet you cut. Open the template in the studio to fold it at your own dimensions; 3D folding comes with the Workshop and Line plans.