Buyer’s guide
Packaging for Small Businesses in South Africa
Published 6 November 2026 by Timepack
A small business can buy plain stock boxes by the bundle, brand them with printed tape, and move to custom printed boxes once its orders reach the minimum run, which at Timepack starts from about 500 square metres of board. This guide shows what you can buy at each stage and what that minimum means in boxes for your size.
Stage 1: stock boxes by the bundle
Stock boxes need no production run, so this is where to start. Timepack holds standard sizes at the factory and sells them through ShopXpress by the bundle, usually of 15 or 20 boxes, in single or double wall. Stock pizza boxes are sold from one bundle of 50.
Timepack sells business to business, and a bundle is the smallest order on most stock sizes. Ask for the stock size closest to your product, because a box that fits needs less filler.
- Stock box sizes: Stock 1 to Stock 7 and the deep TVL cartons
- Pizza boxes: 10″ and 12″ in kraft or white, from one bundle of 50
Stage 2: brand the box without printing it
Printed tape puts your logo on every parcel without a printed box run. Timepack prints packaging tape in 1, 2 or 3 colours, in 48 mm and 72 mm widths. It also shows if a parcel has been opened in transit, which plain boxes do not.
- Custom printed tape: widths, roll lengths and colours
Stage 3: your own size, your own print
Custom boxes make sense when a stock size wastes space, or when the box itself has to carry the brand. Minimum orders generally start from ±500 m² of board, so the number of boxes depends on how big the box is. A bigger box reaches the minimum at a lower count, so a business with a larger product reaches a custom run sooner.
| Internal size (L × W × H) | About this many boxes from 500 m² |
|---|---|
| 200 × 150 × 100 mm | 2 530 boxes |
| 300 × 200 × 150 mm | 1 310 boxes |
| 300 × 230 × 300 mm | 830 boxes |
| 450 × 300 × 300 mm | 530 boxes |
| 600 × 450 × 300 mm | 300 boxes |
What a first custom order involves
A first printed order carries one extra cost and one extra step: the print stereo, a once-off plate that takes 3 to 5 working days from artwork approval. The stereo is kept, so reorders skip both. Standard lead time is 7–10 working days. If your order needs a new stereo, the clock starts once that stereo lands with us — 3 to 5 working days from the moment you approve artwork.
We can put a physical sample in your hands to confirm board composition and dimensions before anything goes into production.
- Custom cardboard boxes: made to your size
- Custom printed boxes: up to 4 colours
- What affects the cost of a box: and how to bring it down
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a small number of boxes?
Yes, in bundles. Stock boxes are sold through ShopXpress by the bundle, usually of 15 or 20. Archive boxes come in bundles of 10, and stock pizza boxes in bundles of 50.
What is the smallest custom box order?
Custom orders generally start from ±500 m² of board. That is about 830 boxes at 300 × 230 × 300 mm and about 530 at 450 × 300 × 300 mm, so the count depends on the size.
How can a small business brand its packaging cheaply?
Printed tape is the usual first step: plain stock boxes, sealed with tape printed with your logo in 1, 2 or 3 colours. Move to printed boxes once your volume reaches a custom run.
Does Timepack sell to individuals?
Timepack sells business to business. Stock items are sold by the bundle, box or roll through ShopXpress, and manufactured boxes are made to order.
Also from Timepack
Tell us what you need made
Send us the size, the quantity and what has to go inside it. We will come back with a spec and a price.