Plenty of sellers wind up at the same place when they need to ship products across a number of sizes – they grab a few box options, stock them all and hope that lineup covers everything. It tends to create a whole new set of problems. Storage space gets pulled in multiple directions across those SKU variants, inventory costs start to add up, and even with a box lineup on hand, you’ll nearly always have a handful of products that just don’t quite fit right into any of them.
A box that’s too big for its contents needs to get filled somehow – air pillows, packing peanuts, crumpled paper, whatever’s around. Void fill is one line item that never looks alarming on its own. But it piles up. Most businesses never see how much they’re spending on it until somebody runs the numbers, and by then, it’s already been steadily cutting into margins for a while.
Multi-depth boxes were built to solve just that. A single box style has pre-scored fold lines that let it close down to two, three or four different heights based on what you’re actually putting inside. The result is no extra SKUs to manage, no oversized cavity to fill with padding and a single flexible box that works around the product instead of the other way around.
Most businesses work with a pretty limited number of product sizes from one order to the next, and a box that can adapt to them matters quite a bit for day-to-day packing. The number of box styles a warehouse needs on hand goes down, storage gets more manageable, and the void fill costs start to shrink. The unit economics of the whole operation just look different when one box can do the job that used to need three or four.
It’s a pretty easy swap – let’s talk about what a multi-depth box is and when it’s the right fit for your operation!
How a Multi-Depth Box Works
A multi-depth box does exactly what the name says – it’s a single box that can be cut down to a few different heights to fit whatever you’re packing. Each one arrives pre-scored with horizontal lines that run along all four sides – those score lines are your built-in cut guides. For a shorter box, just cut along one of the lines, fold the sides down to the new height and close it up like any other box. The whole process is that easy.
The score lines come pre-built into the box right from the start, which means there’s no need to measure or guess and no extra tools to track down. Once you’ve picked the height that works best for whatever you’re packing, just cut along that line and fold the flaps down. From there, it looks and works just like any standard box would at that size.
Cut it down to the first score line, and it turns into a medium-sized box. Drop it down one more, and now it’s a shallow box. The base (the length and width) doesn’t change through any of it. The only part that changes is the depth – it’s just a matter of which score line you cut at.
Multi-depth boxes were first designed to solve a very real problem – you’d otherwise need to stock multiple box sizes just to accommodate products of different heights. With a single box style on hand, you can cover three or four different product heights, and you’ll never need to reorder anything else. That flexibility is already built right into the box, which is what sets it apart from a standard shipping box – and in my experience, this tends to be one of the biggest benefits in packaging.
Score Lines Make a Box Adjustable
Score lines are the horizontal creases that run across the outside of your box walls, and they’re usually located on the upper half. To cut the box down to a shorter height, just find the score line that matches the depth that you’re after and run a utility knife or scissors right along it.
Once that cut is made, the wall panels fold down along the score lines below it. The top flaps close flush against whatever’s packed inside, and what you get is a well-fitted box with no wasted space at the top.
Most multi-depth boxes have two to four height options, which is a pretty decent range that covers a whole bunch of different product sizes. With the height options available, a single box style can work across multiple products, so you don’t need a separate box for each one. For smaller operations, especially, that flexibility can help cut back on storage space and costs.
Anyone who packs orders every day will pick this up pretty fast – the steps are easy enough to follow. You size up the item, find the right score line, make the cut and fold everything down. Once you’re used to it, the whole process takes maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and at that point it’s nearly automatic.
The score lines on these boxes are actually pre-pressed right into the cardboard at the factory – no measuring, no marking and nothing extra on your end. The guides are already built in – it’s what makes the whole process so repeatable, whether you’re new to it or you’re moving through dozens of packages in a single shift. Each line lands in the exact same place on every box, so the workflow stays fast and predictable no matter how busy it gets.
Empty Boxes Cost You More Than You Think
Once you see what score lines can do (how a full-sized box folds down to a fraction of its original footprint), the next question that’s worth asking is what that translates to in dollars. A box that’s too big for its contents will have empty space. That space has to be filled with something – packing peanuts, air pillows, crumpled paper, whatever you have on hand. None of them are free, and once you’re moving hundreds or thousands of shipments a month, all that void fill adds up and starts to show on your budget.
Dimensional weight pricing is another cost on your radar. Carriers like UPS and FedEx don’t only charge based on how much a package weighs – they also charge based on how much physical space it takes up on their trucks. A half-empty box can cost nearly as much to ship as a packed one, and in some cases even more.
The packing station is where hidden time goes, and most businesses don’t think to account for it. When a box is too big for what’s inside, the packer has to grab extra filler, fill the gaps and tack on steps that just shouldn’t need to be there. It’s more materials, more effort, more time per order – and at a handful of orders a day, it barely registers. Scale it up, and it’s the cost I’d put near the top of the list to fix.
And customers do see it. A small item that rattles around inside an oversized box (surrounded by filler) doesn’t leave them with the impression that much care went into their order. A well-fitted box takes care of all that. There’s less void fill to buy, less time at the packing station and a package that actually looks like thought went into it. From a pure cost standpoint, the right-sized box pays for itself pretty quickly.
Who Gets the Most From Multi-Depth Boxes
For the right type of seller, multi-depth boxes are one of the most flexible packaging formats available.
Small businesses with a number of products are where these boxes work well. If your inventory changes from month to month, you won’t need to stock multiple box sizes, since a single multi-depth box adjusts to fit different product heights.
E-commerce sellers with seasonal product lines run into a very similar challenge. A store that ships small gifts in December and bulkier items in the spring can use the exact same base box for both product runs. With a standard fixed-depth box, that flexibility just isn’t an option.
Subscription box businesses are also a great match for this format. Every order in that world tends to be a slightly different combination of products at varying heights, and a box that scores down to just the right depth holds everything in place more securely. It also cuts down on how much filler material you’d otherwise need to pack in around everything.
That said, if your products are all roughly the same size and your inventory stays pretty steady from month to month, a standard box will probably do the job just as well. It’s worth taking a look at your own product range before you settle on anything. If your shipments don’t change much in height and you don’t pack different combinations with each order, multi-depth boxes probably won’t add much value.
If your product sizes or volumes change from order to order (or just at certain times of the year), this format is worth a look. For the right operation, it matters.
How Do Multi-Depth Boxes Compare to Others
Of course, they’re not the only option out there, and a few alternatives are worth a look before you land on a final pick.
Telescoping boxes are a great option when durability is the main priority. A separate lid slides down over the base, and the design itself is actually what gives them their strength. The trade-off is that they need more storage space, and they aren’t very forgiving if your product dimensions start to change.
Mailer boxes are another popular option, and they work extremely well when your products are flat and roughly the same size. The presentation is clean and polished, which makes them a great pick for subscription boxes and retail shipments alike. The one area where they can struggle is with products that are all different heights – a mailer box won’t do much to cut down on dead space inside the package.
A box that’s made to the exact size of your product can lower your cost-per-unit over time. The trade-off is that you’re locked into one size – and if your product line ever changes, you have to start the whole process over again.
Multi-depth boxes are a pretty comfortable middle ground – they give you flexibility without the long lead times or the long-term commitment that comes along with custom packaging. The downside is that they won’t always be the most affordable option per unit, and they’re not the most heavy-duty choice out there either. The right pick can depend on what matters the most to your operation – figure out what you need first, and the rest of it gets a whole lot easier.
Is the Higher Cost Worth It?
Multi-depth boxes do cost more per unit than standard boxes, and it’s worth being straight about that.
The math can start working in your favor pretty quickly when your product lineup covers a number of sizes. With just one or two multi-depth options, you can replace what would have otherwise been five or six separate box sizes. That means fewer SKUs to track, less warehouse space taken up by packaging inventory and much easier restocking decisions – and that translates to actual savings over time.
The same logic applies when you’re ordering in smaller quantities. With standard boxes, the price per unit drops the more you buy. But that only works if you actually have somewhere to store a large order like that. Multi-depth boxes let you order a more manageable amount without having to dedicate an entire corner of your space just to packaging inventory.
Whenever a new item doesn’t fit your existing box sizes, a multi-depth option can cover it without requiring you to source and stock an entirely new size. That alone can cut back on the back-and-forth with your supplier.
Multi-depth boxes are worth the extra cost for the flexibility they bring, and standard boxes are worth it for their reliability. Take a look at how much your shipment sizes change from week to week – that’s going to give you most of the answer about which one makes sense for your operation.
Pick the Right Size and Depth
Before anything else, grab your five or ten most-shipped products and measure them. Write those dimensions down somewhere that you’ll be able to find them again. You don’t need exact measurements for every product that you carry – just the ones that you ship most. Those are the items that your box dimensions should be based on.
From there, you can move on to the base dimensions. You want a footprint that fits your most common products and doesn’t leave too much dead space along the sides. A little extra room is fine – though a box that’s way too wide for the product inside it will let your products slide around during shipping, and you’ll need quite a bit more filler just to hold everything in place. That extra filler adds up, and it’s easy to underestimate how much it can add to your cost per shipment.
Next, you should think about how many score lines you actually need. Most multi-depth boxes have two or three depth options, and for most businesses, that range will cover everything well – especially if your products are all fairly close in height. That said, if your item heights can vary quite a bit from one order to the next, a box with more score lines will give you a much wider range to work with – it also cuts back on the chance that you’ll need a different box size just to manage one type of order.
Tell Us About Your Project
A small test batch is usually the right place to start. Place a smaller order, run it through your normal packing process and see how it compares to what you already have. Your own results will always tell you far more than any estimate on a spreadsheet – your product either gets there in one piece or it doesn’t.
No data sheet will ever tell you any of that. Once you’ve put a box through some testing, the right call tends to become obvious.
Artisan Packaging Group was built to help businesses find the right box for the job. We design and manufacture custom corrugated boxes and engineered packaging at our Dallas-area facility, and we work with customers all across the country. A single prototype or a full production run – we can do either one. Everything stays under one roof, so our turnaround times stay tight, and we have quite a bit more control over the finished product. No outside vendors, no hand-offs, and no waiting around on anyone else’s schedule.
One of the most common mistakes a company can make is to wait until something goes wrong before they look at their packaging. Do a small test run first – it is worth the extra step. Ready to find packaging that actually fits what you ship? Contact our team or ask for a quote to get started.
