What an HSC is
A half-slotted container is a regular slotted container with one set of flaps deleted — usually the top. You get the same four glued walls and a normal flap-closed bottom, but the top stays open. It's the box you reach for when the opening is the point: hand-loading on a line, order-picking bins, or a two-piece pack where a second HSC or a tray telescopes over the first as a lid.
When to use an HSC
- Telescoping two-piece packs. An HSC body plus an inverted HSC or tray lid adjusts to variable product heights.
- Line-side loading and bins. No flaps in the way for repeated access.
- Heavy items lowered in by machine. The open top suits automated case packing from above.
How it's specified
Like every corrugated box: length × width × depth, inside dimensions. The blank is an RSC's minus one flap row:
| Blank dimension | Formula | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat width | 2·L + 2·W + joint | Four wall panels plus the glue joint |
| Flat height | D + W/2 | The wall depth plus half-width flaps on one end only |
The open top removes the flap layer that carries stacking load on an RSC — check the stack with the box compression calculator, or add a telescoping lid to restore it.
Strengths and trade-offs
An HSC saves board versus an RSC and makes loading fast, but an open box protects nothing above the walls and stacks poorly on its own. Pair it with a lid for shipping, or keep it for in-plant handling where nothing rides on top.
Questions
What is a half-slotted container?
A half-slotted container (HSC) is a corrugated box identical to an RSC except one set of flaps is omitted, leaving the top open. It is used for telescoping two-piece packs, bins, and fast loading.
What is the difference between an HSC and an RSC?
An RSC has flaps top and bottom and seals fully. An HSC keeps the bottom flaps but has an open top, using less board and giving free access — at the cost of protection and stacking strength unless a lid is added.
How do I calculate an HSC blank size?
The flat blank is about (2 times length plus 2 times width plus the glue joint) wide, by (depth plus half the width) tall. Enter your dimensions in the tool above to see the flat sheet size.
Can you stack half-slotted containers?
Only carefully. Without a closed top, the walls carry all the load and nothing protects the contents. For stacking or shipping, add a telescoping HSC or tray lid, which also lets the pack height adjust.
Spec an open-top box, priced.
PackOS turns dimensions into a dieline, a 3D proof, and a quote — with board, pallet, and freight worked out as you go.