What California Box does

California Box (operating as CalBox Group) is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of custom corrugated boxes and point-of-purchase displays, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, California. The company operates five manufacturing facilities spanning Southern California (Santa Fe Springs and Rancho Cucamonga), Arizona (Mesa and Tucson), and Texas (El Paso), supported by warehouses in Mexico, totaling more than 800,000 square feet and over 400 employees. Core manufacturing is anchored by a 98-inch BHS corrugator with vacuum-transfer no-crush flute technology, in-house corrugated sheet production (CB Sheets), laser die making, Baumer integrated gluing systems, and a 137-inch 1,200 DPI digital printer that supports photographic-quality graphics and inside-outside single-pass flexo printing.

CalBox produces custom corrugated boxes across the full spectrum of industry styles (RSC, HSC, FOL, OPF, FPF, auto-lock bottoms, partitions, trays, mailers), POP and retail displays (counter, shelf, floor, and large-format movie displays), and complementary services including structural and graphic design (10 designers, 2,000+ box style CAD library), fulfillment and kitting, and just-in-time logistics via its own truck fleet. The company is ISO 9001-2015 certified across all five plants and reports less than 0.5% on-time delivery errors and returns/allowances below 0.25%.

The revenue model is a direct B2B sales-led motion: 12 Sales/Service Agents quote and service short- to medium-run custom orders (average 1,100 boxes / 10,000 sq.ft. at a $200 minimum), with free local delivery and JIT logistics reducing customer inventory costs. In California, CalBox operates as a "RESALE" manufacturer selling to distributors, packaging contractors, jobbers, box plants, and sheet plants, while serving end-use verticals directly in Arizona and Texas including high-tech, specialty foods, sporting goods, toys, beverages, furniture, automotive, retail, and entertainment. Pricing is unit-based and quote-driven rather than subscription or recurring.

Name

California Box

Legal name

California Box

Website

https://calbox.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

California Box (CalBox Group) is a family-owned custom corrugated box and POP display manufacturer operating five plants across California, Arizona, Texas, and Mexico, serving distributors and end-users in high-tech, food and beverage, retail, and industrial verticals with JIT delivery and in-house design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corrugated Packaging Manufacturing

NAICS

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing (322211)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)

akta.pro primary industry

Corrugated Packaging & Boxes (RSC, die-cut, bulk bins) (IMAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Custom corrugated boxes
• Point of purchase displays
• Corrugated packaging manufacturer
• Retail packaging solutions
• Industrial shipping containers

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Corrugated Boxes: Manufacturing and selling custom corrugated boxes in various styles including RSC, auto-lock bottom, trays, and specialty boxes. Orders typically minimum $200 with average order of 1,100 boxes (10,000 sq.ft.).
2. Point of Purchase Displays: Design and manufacture of corrugated POP displays including floor displays, shelf displays, and counter displays with high-quality graphics.
3. Fulfillment/Kitting Services: Contract packaging, kitting, and assembly services where products are shipped to CalBox, packaged, and shipped out per customer instructions.
4. Industry Publications: Sale of books written by John Widera including 'Swimming with the Paper Whales' and 'Entrepreneurs of the 21st Century' series at $30 plus shipping.
5. Design Services: Structural and graphic design services including 3D renderings, mock-ups, and custom designs included with product orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

California Box is a custom corrugated box and display manufacturer that designs, prints, fabricates, and delivers custom corrugated packaging and point-of-purchase (POP) displays to distributors, packaging contractors, and end-user brands. The company produces boxes in all standard and specialty styles, POP displays, and corrugated sheets from its five ISO 9001-certified plants, supported by in-house structural and graphic design, kitting/fulfillment, and just-in-time logistics delivered on its own truck fleet.

Product overview

California Box operates as a custom corrugated box and display manufacturer under the CalBox Group, offering an integrated portfolio of manufacturing and design services. The core offering consists of custom corrugated boxes in all styles (RSC, HSC, FOL, OPF, FPF, RETT, DST, auto lock bottoms, partitions, trays) and POP displays for retail environments. Supporting the manufacturing are design service modules including structural design (10 designers, 2,000+ style library), graphic design, and inside-outside/litho-laminating printing capabilities. The company provides digital direct printing (137 inch, 1200 DPI) and traditional flexo printing with up to 5 colors. Fulfillment services handle kitting and assembly, while the Customer Care Portal enables real-time order tracking and logistics monitoring. Manufacturing is powered by in-house corrugated sheet production (CB Sheets division) using state-of-the-art 98-inch BHS corrugators. All five manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 certified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CB Sheets: Division of CalBox that manufactures corrugated sheets for boxes and displays
• Kino Packaging Co.
• Kino Foam Co.

Products and services

• Custom Corrugated Boxes Custom corrugated boxes manufactured in all styles including RSC, HSC, FOL, OPF, FPF, RETT, DST, CSSC, POL, auto-lock bottom boxes, partitions, trays, and specialty configurations for industries ranging from high-tech to specialty foods, sporting goods, toys, beverages, furniture, and automotive.
• Point of Purchase (POP) Displays Point-of-purchase counter, shelf, and floor displays that function as silent salesmen to engage consumers and drive impulse buys in retail environments, leveraging the company's flexo, digital, and litho-laminating print capabilities.
• Fulfillment and Kitting Services Kit assembly, product packaging, and contract fulfillment services performed in secured logistics warehouses with 24-hour video monitoring, where products are shipped to CalBox, packaged/kitted, and shipped out per customer instructions.
• Corrugated Mailer Boxes Corrugated mailer boxes designed for e-commerce and subscription services with front lock tabs, tear strips, auto bottoms, and various tuck-end styles.
• Slotted Corrugated Boxes Common slotted box styles including Regular Slotted Corrugated Carton (RSC), Partial Overlap Container (POL), Full Overlap Carton (FOC), and self-locking varieties, delivered with 30-50% more stacking strength than standard designs.
• Corrugated Sheets (CB Sheets) State-of-the-art corrugated sheet manufacturing at the CB Sheets division using the 98-inch BHS corrugator, producing superior board grades with consistent moisture profile, caliper control, and porosity for internal box and display production.
• Structural Design Services Structural packaging design services delivered by ten professional designers using five CAD systems and a library of over 2,000 box styles, including 3D renderings, mock-ups, and complete 3D graphic integration for rapid prototyping of custom boxes and displays.
• Graphic Design Services High-end graphic design services for POP displays and packaging, supporting printing up to 5 colors, custom ink formulas from over 100 basic water-based process colors, and 3D renderings.
• Logistics Services Just-in-Time delivery and logistics services operated with CalBox's own fleet of trucks, including GPS tracking, computerized receiving, lean warehousing, and real-time order monitoring across the Southwest US and Mexico.
• Custom Corrugated Boxes (Summary Description) Aggregate name for CalBox's custom corrugated box product line covering slotted, mailer, auto-lock, partition, tray, and specialty box configurations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of orders delivered within 48 hours
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BHS (Bauer + Holzmann GmbH & Co. KG)coreTechnology or IntegrationBHS is the manufacturer of the 98-inch wide corrugator used at Arizona Corrugated Container in Mesa, Arizona. The state-of-the-art corrugator is described as providing advantages of no high-low or misformed flutes, no washboarding, and almost no cracked scores.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pratt Industries: Largest privately held US corrugated packaging manufacturer with integrated paper mills and converting operations. Closely comparable to CalBox's custom-converter model with proprietary sheet-making and a focus on sustainability, though at materially larger national scale.
• Atlas Holdings (Schwarz Partners): Private-equity-backed holding company with corrugated converting and distribution operations through Schwarz Partners. Closely comparable custom corrugated converter model serving similar regional end markets with multi-plant footprints.

Broad incumbents

• Mondi Group: European-headquartered integrated paper and packaging group with corrugated operations in multiple regions. Comparable product set but primarily serves European and emerging markets, making it a more regional than direct peer.
• Cascades: North American-focused manufacturer of recycled containerboard and corrugated packaging with West Coast operations overlapping CalBox's Southwest footprint. Comparable product portfolio but at meaningfully larger scale and publicly listed.
• Smurfit Westrock: Global integrated paper and corrugated packaging leader formed from the Smurfit Kappa and WestRock merger. Comparable corrugated product lines, but operates at massive global scale across containerboard mills, corrugated plants, and consumer packaging.
• Graphic Packaging: US paperboard packaging producer serving food, beverage, and consumer goods with custom printed folding cartons and displays. Comparable custom display and retail packaging capabilities, though focused on coated paperboard rather than corrugated.
• Greif Inc: Global industrial packaging producer with corrugated, plastic, and steel container operations. Comparable on corrugated box manufacturing for industrial customers, but operates at much larger global scale.
• Packaging Corporation of America: Major US producer of containerboard and corrugated products with integrated mills and converting plants. Comparable in core corrugated output, though PCA is a public, large-cap national producer with significantly broader geographic reach.
• Sonoco Products: Diversified global packaging manufacturer with operations in corrugated, protective, and consumer packaging. Overlaps with CalBox on protective corrugated and fulfillment services, though with much broader end-market and product diversification.

Others

• Pactiv Evergreen: North American producer of food and beverage packaging including paper-based and fiber products. Adjacent in fiber-based packaging and food-service end markets that overlap with CalBox's specialty foods and beverage customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-box

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Box