Kraft Mailer Boxes

Kraft mailer boxes in unbleached brown board — the cheapest liner we stock, because nobody paid to whiten it. Strength is identical to white board at the same flute; what changes is how ink sits on a brown ground.

• Unbleached kraft liner, E-flute or B-flute corrugated
• Best with one or two strong inks rather than photography
• Curbside recyclable — ask for varnish instead of laminate to keep it that way
• Recycled-content and FSC-sourced stock available on request
• From 50 units, cut to your own dimensions

Kraft is the unbleached liner — brown because nobody took the colour out of it. That single fact drives everything else about the material: it costs less than bleached board, it carries an obvious environmental signal, and it changes how every ink you print on it behaves.

Why brown board costs less

Bleaching is a process, and processes are billed. Skipping it removes a step from the mill, which is why kraft sits at the bottom of the price ladder for a given flute and strength. You are not buying a cheaper box in structural terms — a kraft E-flute and a white-top E-flute carry the same load. You are buying the same box without the whitening.

How colour behaves on a brown ground

This is the part that surprises first-time buyers. Printing inks are transparent, so whatever is underneath shows through. On brown, every colour warms and darkens: blues turn muddy, pale greys disappear, and there is no white ink in standard four-colour process, so anything meant to be white simply stays brown.

Designs that work on kraft are built for it. One or two strong inks, generous negative space, and line work rather than photography. A bold single-colour logo on brown board reads as deliberate and confident. The same file with a photographic background reads as a printing mistake.

If your artwork genuinely needs accurate colour, we will say so and quote white-top and printed colour instead rather than let you find out at the proof stage.

What kraft signals to your customer

Brown board has become shorthand for considered packaging. It reads as unfussy and honest, which is why it dominates in coffee, skincare, supplements and anything positioned as small-batch. That association is doing real work for your brand before a single word is read.

Worth knowing: kraft is recyclable in ordinary curbside collection, and it stays that way as long as nothing plastic is laminated over it. If you want scuff protection without losing that, ask for a water-based varnish rather than a film. The wider trade-off is set out on finishes.

Frequently asked questions

Is kraft weaker than white board?

No. Strength comes from the flute and the board grade, not the liner colour. A kraft B-flute and a white B-flute perform identically in transit.

Can I print white on kraft?

Not in standard process printing. It needs a spot white ink laid down as an extra pass, which adds cost. Most designs are better off working with the brown rather than fighting it.

Does kraft come recycled?

Yes, and recycled-content kraft is widely available. Tell us if you need a specific recycled percentage or FSC-sourced stock and we will quote to that.

Send us the artwork

We will tell you honestly whether it will hold up on brown board before anything goes to press, and show you a 3D mockup on kraft so you can see it rather than imagine it.