Stock sizes vs custom die-cut boxes: when custom is worth it
Stay on PackWorks stock sizes until a custom footprint clearly pays for tooling — custom die-cut boxes in India typically start around 500 pieces, add die cost and 7–14 working days, and only win when wasted volume or brand fit is costing you more every month.
Updated 11 Sept 2026 · PackWorks By Velun, Karnal
What “stock” buys you
Every size in the PackWorks catalogue already has a cutting die. You buy a pack, often with 48-hour dispatch on plain board, and you can logo-print from 500 pieces without paying for a new cutter. One hundred fifty-plus shipping and mailer sizes exist so most SKUs never need a custom footprint.
What “custom die-cut” adds
A new knife for your L×W×H (or a special lock, window, or partition). You wait for the die, then the run. Sensible when no stock size is within ~10–15% unused volume, when a retail shelf pack must match a moulded tray, or when a partition is part of the shipper.
| Stock size | Custom die | |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling | None | One-time die charge |
| MOQ (plain) | One pack | Typically 500 pcs |
| Lead time | Catalogue dispatch | 7–10 working days plain; longer with print |
| Resize later | Order another SKU | New die or live with the old one |
| Best when | Near-fit exists | Chronic volumetric waste or unique lock |
Decision rule
Run the size finder. If the best stock option leaves a little paper void fill, stay stock. If the best stock option doubles your volumetric fee every day, price a custom die: die amortised over 12 months + board versus 12 months of fee waste. Most D2C brands should exhaust colour mailers and nearby stock cubes before cutting steel.
- First: sample the nearest stock sizes
- Second: print logo on the winning stock die
- Third: custom footprint only if fee or fit still fails
Custom without a new outer die
Corrugated sheets and simple hand-cut pads often fix rattle inside a stock RSC. That is cheaper than a partitioned custom shipper for low volume. Use custom partitions when labour time or damage rate says the insert must be die-cut repeatable.