What a corrugated tray is
A tray is the simplest corrugated structure after the pad: a rectangular base with four low walls that fold up, cornered by flaps that glue, staple, or lock. It has no top. Trays carry product where visibility and access matter — retail-ready shelf packs, produce, beverage multipacks — and an inverted tray doubles as the lid of a telescoping pack.
When to use a tray
- Retail-ready packaging. Cut the shrink film and the tray goes straight on shelf with the brand facing out.
- Produce and food service. Open access, ventilation, and stackable walls.
- Multipack bases and lids. A tray under shrink film is the cheapest case format going; a deeper tray telescopes over an HSC as a lid.
How it's specified
Trays are called out as length × width × wall height (inside dimensions). The blank folds up from a cross-shaped sheet:
| Blank dimension | Formula | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat width | L + 2·D | The base length plus a wall on each end |
| Flat height | W + 2·D | The base width plus a wall on each side |
Wall height is a structural decision: taller walls protect and stack better but hide the product and add board. See how the walls carry load in corrugated box strength.
Strengths and trade-offs
Trays use very little board, pack flat, and erect fast — often on automatic tray formers. The trade-offs are the open top (no protection from above without film or a lid) and corner strength, which depends on how the corner flaps are fixed. For display and controlled distribution they're hard to beat on cost.
Questions
What is a corrugated tray?
A corrugated tray is a shallow open box: a base and four low walls folded from one sheet, with corner flaps that glue, staple, or lock. It is used for retail-ready display, produce, multipack bases, and telescoping lids.
How do I calculate a tray blank size?
The flat blank is about (length plus twice the wall height) wide by (width plus twice the wall height) tall. Enter your base size and wall height in the tool above to see the sheet size.
What is retail-ready packaging?
Retail-ready packaging is a case designed to go from truck to shelf with minimal handling — typically a corrugated tray, often with shrink film, that displays the product the moment its film or hood is removed.
Can a tray be used as a lid?
Yes. An inverted tray telescoping over a half-slotted container or another tray is a standard two-piece pack, and it adds back the top-load path an open box gives up.
Put product on a tray.
PackOS turns dimensions into a dieline, a 3D proof, and a quote — with board, pallet, and freight worked out as you go.