Kraft vs white boxes: which should you ship in?
4 min read
Brown kraft is the workhorse, white is the presentation upgrade. Strength, cost, printing and sustainability compared honestly.
Kraft: the default for a reason
The familiar brown box is kraft: unbleached liner in its natural color. It's the most economical option, it's friendly to recycled fiber content, and it hides the scuffs and dust of a real supply chain. For the vast majority of shipping, storage and moving, kraft is simply the right answer, which is why it's the standard.
White: built for presentation
A white box uses a bleached or white-coated outer liner. The board underneath is the same corrugated construction — the difference is purely the face. White costs more, shows scuffs more readily, and exists for one reason: it looks intentional. When the box is part of the product experience, white earns its premium.
Printing on each
Kraft prints well for simple one- or two-color designs, and dark ink on brown has an honest, craft look that suits many brands. White gives truer, brighter color reproduction, which matters for detailed logos and full-color artwork. Either way, custom printed boxes are a quote away — tell us the size, the artwork, and the quantity and we'll spec it.
When unboxing matters
Subscription boxes, handmade goods, premium gifts: these are the cases where a customer's first physical touchpoint with the brand is the box itself, and a white or printed box quietly raises the perceived value. For a plain restock shipment to a warehouse, nobody unboxes anything — kraft, every time.
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FAQ
Is a white box weaker than a kraft box?
No. Strength comes from the board grade — the ECT rating and wall construction — not the liner color. A 32 ECT white box and a 32 ECT kraft box carry the same load.
Can you print my logo on boxes?
Yes. Custom printed boxes in kraft or white are available through our quote page — send the size, artwork and quantity and we'll price it.
Which is more sustainable, kraft or white?
Kraft generally edges out white: it skips the bleaching step and takes recycled fiber content easily. Both are fully recyclable corrugated — see our guide on recycling boxes the right way.