What custom made boxes does

Custom Made Boxes, Inc. is a privately held U.S. packaging manufacturer founded in 1998 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The company manufactures on-demand custom corrugated cardboard boxes, stock boxes and mailers, die cut cartons, plastic corrugated boxes, and a broad assortment of packing materials (bubble pack, stretch film, strapping, tape, tags, warehouse supplies). Its core technical capability is short-run custom box production — including custom sizes and shapes, custom printing without die charges or set-up fees, and order quantities as low as a single box — serving a market segment (1–1000 unit runs) that mass converters typically decline. Material grades include ECT 32/44 single-wall and ECT 51 double-wall corrugated kraft, single-wall white corrugated, and 4-mil Coroplast plastic in multiple colors.

The company operates two Des Moines facilities (4121 Dixon Street and 2308 Sunset Road) and a Chicago warehouse for stock-item distribution. It runs a direct-to-customer model combining an e-commerce storefront (custommadeboxes.shoppkg.com), phone sales, and a free-quote system, with no order minimums on custom boxes and bundle-quantity pricing on stock items. Customers include a mix of SMBs (e-commerce sellers, crafts businesses, UPS Store franchisees) and large institutional buyers (FBI, John Deere, US Mint, Dali Museum), with several multi-year customer relationships (6–7+ years) cited as evidence of retention.

Revenue is generated entirely from one-time product sales across four streams: custom box manufacturing, stock boxes and mailers, packing materials, and die cut boxes. Pricing is quote-based for custom work and unit-based for stock items, with shipping charged separately based on weight and dimensions; standard production time is 2–4 days plus roughly one-week delivery, with same-day shipping available. The business is funded entirely by the founder/owner — there are no venture capital, private equity, or debt rounds disclosed in the source data — and there is no parent company, no acquisitions, and no leadership transitions on record.

Name

custom made boxes

Legal name

Custom Made Boxes, Inc.

Website

https://custom-made-boxes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Custom Made Boxes is a privately held Des Moines, Iowa manufacturer founded in 1998 that produces on-demand custom and stock corrugated boxes, die cut cartons, plastic corrugated boxes, and packing materials. It specializes in short-run custom orders (1–1000 units) with no minimums, serving SMBs through enterprise and government buyers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Corrugated Packaging

NAICS

Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing (322211), Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers (4241)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH), Packaging, Containers & Shipping Supplies Marketplaces (CRAFAHAJ), Envelopes & Mailing Products (mailers, padded envelopes) (IMAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Custom packaging boxes
• Corrugated boxes
• Cardboard containers
• Die cut cartons
• Packing materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Box Manufacturing: On-demand custom cardboard box manufacturing since 1998. Specializes in short-run custom boxes (1-1000 units) at affordable prices with no order minimums. Revenue generated from manufacturing and selling custom-sized and custom-printed boxes.
2. Stock Boxes & Mailers: Sale of pre-made stock boxes and mailers including corrugated boxes, bin boxes, envelopes, mailing tubes, and various storage solutions. Stock items are sold in bundle quantities.
3. Packing Materials: Sale of packing materials including anti-static supplies, bubble pack, foam cushioning, cable ties, labels, packing tape, paper, peanuts, poly bags, stretch film, strapping, tags, and warehouse supplies.
4. Die Cut Boxes: Manufacture of die cut cartons designed to hold specific products, help end users display products inside, or offer packaging benefits that cannot be obtained using standard cartons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Custom Made Boxes manufactures custom corrugated cardboard boxes, stock boxes, die cut cartons, plastic corrugated boxes, and packing materials on-demand since 1998. The company specializes in short-run custom boxes with no order minimums, serving customers printing between 1 and 1000 boxes at affordable prices. Core capabilities include custom sizes and shapes, custom box printing without setup fees or die charges, and a wide range of stock packaging supplies shipped nationwide from Iowa.

Product overview

Custom Made Boxes operates as a packaging solutions provider offering custom and stock packaging products. The core offering includes Custom Boxes with on-demand manufacturing since 1998, featuring custom sizes, custom box printing, and no order minimums (specializing in 1-1000 boxes). The product portfolio spans four main categories: Custom Boxes (custom cardboard, plastic corrugated, die cut boxes), Stock Boxes & Mailers (corrugated boxes, bookfolds, bin boxes, envelopes, tubes), Packing Materials (tags, stretch film, strapping, warehouse supplies), and specialty box styles (Regular Slotted Carton, Five Panel Folder, Telescoping Tray, Half-Slotted Carton, Full Overlap Carton, Double Cover Box, One-Piece Folder, Divider Elements, Pads & Packing Pieces). The company also offers complementary warehouse and shipping supplies including bins, shelving, labels, safety products, and industrial tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Boxes On-demand custom cardboard box manufacturing with custom sizes and custom box printing. No order minimums; specializes in quantities of 1-1000 boxes. Available in virtually any size and shape using ECT 32 Single Wall Corrugated Kraft, ECT 44 Heavy Duty Single Wall Corrugated Kraft, ECT 51 Double Wall Corrugated Kraft, ECT 32 Single Wall Corrugated White, and various styles including Regular Slotted Carton, Half-Slotted Carton, Full Overlap Carton, Five Panel Folder, Telescoping Tray, Double Cover Box, One-Piece Folder, Divider Elements, and Pads/Packing Pieces.
• Stock Boxes & Mailers Pre-made boxes and mailers available for businesses, including corrugated boxes, envelopes, mailing tubes, multi-depth boxes, white corrugated boxes, and white mailers in various sizes. Stock items are sold in bundle quantities.
• Die Cut Boxes Specialty cartons designed to hold specific products with custom shapes including custom pizza boxes, snap lock bottom tuck top boxes, reverse tuck top and bottom, tri-tube, two-sided rollover with locking ears, two-sided rollover tray, and two-sided rollover top tuck. Designed to help end users display products inside or offer packaging benefits not available with standard cartons.
• Plastic Corrugated Boxes Plastic boxes alternative to corrugated cardboard, available in multiple colors with 4 Mil thickness rating using Plastic Coroplast material. Used as durable or weather-resistant alternative to cardboard.
• Packing Materials Comprehensive range of packing supplies including anti-static materials, bubble pack, foam cushioning, cable ties, labels, packing tape, paper/newsprint/tissue, packing peanuts, poly bags, polyethylene sheets, shrink film, stretch film, strapping, identification tags, janitorial supplies, safety products, and warehouse supplies.
• Corrugated Bookfolds Lightweight mailers for shipping books, catalogs, and picture mailings. Made from 200#-B Oyster White corrugated with 'Wave-Rule' edge. Includes White Easy-Fold Mailers, Deluxe Easy-Fold Mailers, Kraft Easy-Fold Mailers, and Jumbo variants. Shipped from Chicago, IL location.
• Bin Boxes Lightweight, protective, easy-to-assemble boxes for organizing products in storage rooms and warehouses. Available with custom printing and labeling options.
• Bins, Shelving & Storage Bin organizers, corrugated totes, file storage boxes (Auto-Lock, Deluxe, Economy, Interlocking Flap, R-KIVE), plastic shelf bins, wire shelving units, label holders, and storage totes for warehouse and storage facility use.
• Tags Complete range of identification tags including badge holders, lanyards, claim tags, shipping tags (Tyvek, Manila, fluorescent, colored), inspection tags, inventory tags, merchandise tags, metal rim tags, parking permits, plastic tags, repair tags, garment tags, safety tags, wristbands, and self-laminating tags.
• Stretch Film Packaging film solutions including anti-static, opaque/black UVI, cast, blown, pre-stretched, extended core, Goodwrappers brand, color-tinted, VCI stretch film, vented pallet wrap, and top sheeting.
• Strapping Strapping materials including poly strapping, polyester strapping, steel strapping, edge protectors, strapping kits, tensioners, sealers, and strapping carts for securing packages and pallet loads.
• Warehouse Supplies Operational supplies including carton stands, door/facility signs, ADA compliant signs, desiccants (clay, silica gel), adhesives (Gorilla brand), rubber bands, pallet bands, job ticket holders, utility knives, stencils, markers, and label holders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Standard 1 week delivery with same-day available
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PDS (Packaging Design & Supply)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPDS logo appears on the Custom Made Boxes website as a partner brand. PDS is a packaging company (pdspack.com) that appears to work with Custom Made Boxes as part of their distribution network.
• Serenity PackagingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSerenity Packaging logo appears on the Custom Made Boxes website as a partner brand (serenitypkg.com). Appears to be part of the packaging industry partner network.
• Box PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBox Partners (boxpartners.com) products are featured on the Custom Made Boxes website. Their products are displayed with credit attribution indicating a supplier/partner relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Arka: Custom packaging provider offering low-MOQ printed boxes, mailers, and inserts targeted at DTC and e-commerce brands. Directly comparable to Custom Made Boxes' short-run, no-minimum custom-box positioning.
• Box Genie: Online custom-box supplier with no minimum order quantities, custom printing, and stock boxes/mailers. Closely mirrors Custom Made Boxes' core value proposition around short-run, low-MOQ custom packaging.
• The Boxery: Online retailer of shipping boxes, mailers, and packaging materials serving SMBs and e-commerce sellers. Overlaps directly with Custom Made Boxes' stock-boxes and mailers categories and online GTM motion.
• Box Partners: Wholesale distributor of packaging, shipping, and warehouse supplies, with a broad catalog including bookfolds, mailers, and warehouse products. Listed as a partner on Custom Made Boxes' site and directly comparable across product lines.
• Paper Mart: Direct-to-customer online retailer of boxes, mailers, and packing supplies, including custom-printed options. Closely matches Custom Made Boxes' e-commerce storefront model, product breadth, and SMB target customer.

Broad incumbents

• ULINE: North America's largest direct distributor of shipping, industrial, and packaging materials including boxes, mailers, tape, and stretch film. Overlaps with Custom Made Boxes across the full stock-boxes and packing-materials catalog, but ULINE competes at scale via a 200,000+ SKU catalog and next-day delivery.
• International Paper: Global leader in corrugated packaging and paper, serving industrial and consumer-goods shippers across the same RSC and specialty box categories as Custom Made Boxes, but at mass-production volumes.
• Pratt Industries: US corrugated packaging manufacturer with 70+ plants, focused on sustainable, recycled-content boxes. Competes in the same RSC and custom-corrugated space as Custom Made Boxes but at far larger order volumes.
• Smurfit Kappa: Global paper-based packaging giant with significant US corrugated operations, serving FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce customers. Comparable in product category but operates at global, mass-volume scale unlike Custom Made Boxes' SMB focus.
• Packaging Corporation of America: One of the largest US producers of corrugated packaging, including RSC, die-cut, and specialty containers. Operates at industrial scale opposite Custom Made Boxes' short-run focus but increasingly encroaches on smaller runs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 custom made boxes