Fit the packets exactly
Packets that slide about crush their corners and tear their wrappers. A carton cut to the packet arrangement holds them still.
Corrugated packaging · Lahore
Matchbox Master Cartons
The corrugated outer carton for safety matches — sized to your packets, printed with your brand and count, and strong enough to stack in a godown.
We make the carton, not the matchbox
A matchbox is made of thin printed board, and the packet of ten or twelve is wrapped in paper or film. The box that carries hundreds of them from the factory to the wholesaler — the master carton, the outer — is corrugated, and that is what we make.
We have supplied master cartons to the match trade from our plant in Mehmood Booti, Lahore. You tell us how your packets are made and how many go in a carton; we size the carton to them and print it.
How matches are counted into a carton
Every factory has its own count. These are the ones match exporters most often publish, and the way each is built up:
1 matchbox
Slide and sleeve — made by the match factory
× 10Packet of 10
Wrapped in paper or film
× 10Bundle of 10
Ten packets, banded or wrapped
× 10Master carton
Ten bundles — the box we make
10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000 matchboxes in one master carton
| Count | Built up as | Boxes per carton |
|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 × 10 | 10 boxes to a packet, 10 packets to a bundle, 10 bundles to a carton | 1,000 |
| 50 × 12 | 50 packets of a dozen boxes each | 600 |
| 1 gross | 12 dozen — a counting unit, not a carton | 144 |
The carton is sized around the packets, not around a single matchbox. We need the outside dimensions of one wrapped packet and how the packets are laid in — how many long, how many wide and how many layers high — and the carton is worked out from that. The master carton guide shows the method.
What a matchbox carton has to do
Stand in a stack
Cartons stand many high in a godown or a wholesaler's store, and the bottom one carries the rest. That load is what decides the ply.
Stay dry
Matches have to be kept dry, and corrugated board weakens as it takes up damp. Store cartons off the floor and away from walls, especially through the monsoon.
Say what is inside
Brand, count, a keep-dry mark and a carton number — and for export, the shipping marks your buyer and your forwarder ask for.
Exporting matches
Pakistan exports safety matches to Afghanistan, Central Asia, Africa and Europe, and an export carton is built and marked to the buyer's instructions — shipping marks, carton numbers, gross and net weight.
For sea and air freight, safety matches are dangerous goods: UN 1944, Class 4.1. Some consignments must travel in UN-specification packaging, which is a tested and marked construction rather than an ordinary carton. Whether yours does is decided by your freight forwarder under the dangerous-goods rules for your route — ask them first, and tell us when you enquire. We will not describe a plain carton as UN-rated.
Where the match trade is, and how far we deliver
Much of Pakistan's match industry is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — around Peshawar's industrial estates and Gadoon Amazai — with more in Punjab, including on the Lahore–Sheikhupura Road. We deliver from Lahore to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2–3 days, within Punjab in same day – 1 day and to Sindh in 3–4 days.
A match factory reorders the same carton month after month. Once a specification is agreed, a repeat order is that carton again — same size, same board, same print.
What to send us
- The outside dimensions of one wrapped packet, in inches
- How many boxes to a packet, and packets to a carton — or your count, such as 10 × 10 × 10
- How the packets are laid in, if you already pack by hand
- The weight of one full carton, and how many high they are stacked
- What goes on the outside, and whether the cartons are for export
- How many cartons a month
That is enough for a specification. Send it on the quote form or ring either number at the foot of this page.
Common questions
Do you make the matchboxes themselves?
No. We make the corrugated master carton the matchboxes are shipped in. The matchbox — the slide and the sleeve — and the packet wrapper are made from thin printed board and paper by the match factory or its board supplier. We size the carton around the packets they produce.
How many matchboxes go in one carton?
It is your count, not ours. Two counts that match exporters commonly publish are 1,000 boxes — ten boxes to a packet, ten packets to a bundle, ten bundles to a carton — and 600 boxes, as fifty packets of a dozen. Tell us how your packets are made and how many go in a carton, and we size the carton to that.
What is a gross of matches?
A gross is 144 matchboxes — twelve dozen. It is a counting unit the trade still uses for selling and invoicing, not a carton size, although some factories pack in multiples of a gross.
Which ply is used for a matchbox carton?
The weight of the full carton and how high it will be stacked decide it. The master carton is the only rigid thing in the load — the packets inside are paper — so it takes all the handling and all the stacking weight itself. Weigh one full carton and tell us how many high they stand in your godown, and we will propose a ply — our 3-ply, 5-ply or 7-ply guide gives the ranges typically used.
Can you print our brand and the count on the carton?
Yes. The outer is printed at our plant — your brand, the count, a keep-dry mark, and for export the shipping marks your buyer asks for. Keep it to one or two colours; a master carton is handled, not displayed.
Can you supply cartons for export shipments of matches?
We make export cartons with the shipping marks your buyer specifies. Safety matches are dangerous goods for sea and air freight — UN 1944, Class 4.1 — and some consignments need UN-specification packaging, which is a tested and marked construction. Ask your freight forwarder whether yours does and tell us when you enquire. We will not describe a plain carton as UN-rated.
Do you deliver to Peshawar and Gadoon?
Yes. We deliver across Pakistan from our plant in Lahore — to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2–3 days, within Punjab in same day – 1 day, and to Sindh in 3–4 days. Delivery is quoted with the order.
Have you made cartons for match factories before?
Yes. We have supplied master cartons to the match trade from our plant in Mehmood Booti, Lahore.
Before you specify
Worth reading first
No price list, and that is deliberate
Tell us what you need to pack
Every job is specified for one customer, so cost depends on size, board, quantity and print. Describe the product and the journey it makes, and we will propose a specification and quote it.
Request a quote