Custom Printed Octagonal and Shaped Pizza Boxes for Your Pizzeria

What counts as a shaped pizza box?

A shaped pizza box is any pizza carton that is not a plain square. The most common style is the octagon, where the four corners are cut away at 45 degrees.

Other shapes in this range include the heart box, the cut-corner square and the handle-top carrier. Each one is die-cut from a single corrugated sheet and folds up with no glue.

If you need the standard square carton instead, our full pizza boxes and slice trays range covers every plain style.

Which shape suits your menu?

Pick the shape by what goes inside and how it leaves your shop. A round pizza sits snugly in an octagon, while a heart pizza needs a heart box cut to match.

The table compares the four main shapes in plain terms.

Who orders octagonal and shaped boxes?

Independent pizzerias use octagons to look different from chain-style squares on a delivery doorstep. Street food traders like the handle-top box because customers can walk away without a carrier bag.

Event caterers and restaurants running a Valentine's special often order a short run of heart boxes. Cafés selling a personal pizza at lunch tend to choose the smaller handle-top style.

How do you size a shaped box?

Measure the pizza after baking, not the dough ball. Then add 10 to 15 mm so the crust does not press on the walls.

For an octagon, the size is measured across the flat sides, not corner to corner. A 12 inch pizza usually goes in a box listed as 12 inch across the flats.

Our guide to pizza box sizes and board lists common sizes side by side. Send your measurements in mm or inches and we will check the fit on the proof.

E flute or B flute for a shaped carton?

The thinner E flute, roughly 1.5 mm, gives octagons the sharpest print and the crispest angled corners. It suits thin-crust pizzas and most octagons up to 12 inch.

At around 3 mm, B flute keeps heat in for longer on long delivery runs. Choose it for 14 inch boxes, deep-pan pizzas and handle-top carriers that take more strain at the handle.

Both come in white or kraft. A grease-resistant coating on the inside is available on request if oil marks are a concern.

Printing branding on angled panels

Shaped boxes give you more side panels to print on. An octagon has eight walls, so a short slogan can run all the way round.

Print runs from a plain board up to full colour CMYK, and the inside of the lid can be printed too. Matte or gloss varnish can be added to the outside.

Keep logos away from the fold lines on the cut corners. Our designers lay out your artwork free and mark every crease on the proof.

• Lid top: main logo and pizza name
• Front angled panel: website or social handle
• Inside lid: a thank-you line or reheating tip
• Heart box: one bold graphic works better than lots of text

Folding and stacking at the pass

Shaped boxes arrive flat, so they take up little shelf space before service. Fold a batch before the rush rather than one at a time with dough on your hands.

Octagons and cut-corner squares stack as neatly as a square box. Heart boxes and handle-top carriers stack less evenly, so keep stacks lower on the pass.

In a delivery bag, put the largest octagon at the bottom and work upwards. The angled walls stop smaller boxes sliding off the edge.

1. Fold the base walls up and lock the corner tabs.
2. Slide the pizza in on the peel or a server.
3. Close the lid and push the tuck flap fully home.
4. Stack hot boxes no more than five high.

Common mistakes with shaped boxes

Ordering an octagon by its corner-to-corner width is the most frequent error. The pizza then rattles inside a box one size too big.

Another mistake is choosing a handle-top carrier for a heavy pizza. The handle is made for a personal size, not a loaded 12 inch.

Finally, check any heart artwork on the proof. Text placed near the dip of the heart can end up split across the fold.

It also helps to fold one sample box before service. That shows staff which tab locks first and saves torn corners in the rush.

Using shaped boxes for events and specials

A shaped box is an easy way to mark a special without changing your whole packaging stock. Many shops keep standard squares for everyday orders and bring out a shaped box for a few weeks.

Heart boxes are the obvious pick for Valentine's, but they also turn up at engagement parties and birthday orders. Octagons with a seasonal print work well for Halloween or Easter menus.

Because the boxes ship flat, a short run tucks away in a storeroom until the date comes round. Plan the artwork a few weeks ahead so the proof, production and delivery all land in time.

Are shaped boxes harder to order than square ones?

No. You send the shape, the size and your artwork, and the process runs the same way as any other box.

You see a free proof of the shaped layout before any printing starts. Production takes 4 to 6 business days once you approve it. Your flat octagons and hearts then arrive free, tracked, 2 to 3 business days later at any UK address.

Shaped cartons are from £0.25 per unit, and your figure always comes on a written quote. Quantities are quoted per order, which makes a short heart run for one weekend easy to ask about.

How to get a quote for shaped pizza boxes

Send the shape, size, board and print to info@thefoodpackaging.co.uk, or drop the same details into a WhatsApp chat. You can also fill in the quick quote form for shaped boxes.

A rough sketch or a photo of a box you like is enough to start. We reply with a written price and a proof date.

Should a shaped carton turn up misprinted or crushed, send photos within 10 days. Those cartons get reprinted or refunded.