Shop-bought Halloween boxes come in one size, and it is never the size of what you are putting in them. Making your own fixes that, and most of the shapes below take five to ten minutes each once you have made the first one. Every template here is free to resize: type the inside size you need and the cut and fold lines are redrawn to match.
Pick the shape by what goes inside
Wrapped sweets and mini chocolate bars. A Pillow pack is one of the quickest boxes to fold: one glued seam, then the curved ends press in and spring shut. It holds a handful of small sweets and stacks flat in a bag. Try an inside size of about 100 × 60 mm for a child's portion.
Loose sweets, popcorn and candy corn. A Cone holds loose sweets better than any box, because nothing falls out of the corners. Seal the top with a twist of cellophane and a ribbon, or stand the cones in a cup on the table.
Cupcakes and brownies. A Takeout box has a wide base and a top that closes with a tongue through a slot, so you do not need tape over iced bakes. Size the base 10 mm wider than the cake so the icing does not touch the walls.
The showpiece. The Coffin box is the shape everyone recognises. It works for a single cookie, a pair of earrings or a small toy. Black card with the lid in orange is the classic look; kraft card with a hand-drawn cross is quieter and photographs well.
Party bags. A Paper bag at any size you like, from a sweet bag to a full trick-or-treat bag. Add your own picture in the maker, a pumpkin, a ghost, a child's drawing, and it is printed on the bag, trimmed to the outline.
Something to give that is not sugar. A Pyramid box holds a small torch, stickers or a temporary tattoo. A child can fold one on their own.
Card for Halloween boxes
- Black card looks best but has two catches. A home printer's black ink barely shows on it, so print the template on the back (the inside of the box) and cut from that side. And score lines show up white on the outside, so score lightly and fold carefully.
- Orange or purple card shows the template lines if you print on the front, so print on the back here too, or print on white and colour the outside.
- Kraft card takes printing well on both sides and hides small mistakes.
- Weight. Around 250–300 gsm (roughly 0.3 mm) is right for every shape above. Thinner and the coffin lid will not stay on; thicker and the pillow pack is hard to press closed. The card guide explains the numbers.
Whatever card you use, set its thickness in the maker under Advanced settings. Flaps and lids are sized from it.
Making thirty before the party
Halloween boxes are rarely made one at a time. This order saves the most time:
- Make one from plain paper first. It takes five minutes and shows you whether the size is right before you print on good card.
- Print all the sheets in one go. Print at 100% or "actual size". If the first test box came out small, read why templates print the wrong size before printing the rest.
- Score everything, then cut everything. Scoring on an uncut sheet is easier because the sheet lies flat against the ruler. The scoring guide covers tools and pressure.
- Fold all the flaps on every piece, then glue all the seams. Doing one step across the whole pile is faster than finishing each box in turn.
- Fill on the day. Glued boxes keep for weeks flat; chocolate does not keep well in a warm room.
If you have a Cricut or Silhouette, download the SVG or DXF instead of the PDF and let the machine cut and score. The Cricut guide explains how the fold lines come through.
Lanterns for the doorstep
A Tea-light lantern or Paper lantern in orange card, with a face cut out of one side, is a pumpkin you do not have to carve.
Use battery tea lights only. Card catches fire quickly, a lantern on a doorstep gets knocked over, and children in costumes stand close to it. A battery tea light gives the same glow with none of that risk. If you cut faces or windows, back them with tracing paper or orange tissue so the light glows instead of showing the bulb.
Decorations in an evening
- Bunting in black and orange card, with a letter on each flag, spells out a name or "BOO" above the door.
- A Paper rosette in black card with a smaller orange one glued on top makes a quick wall decoration or table centre.
Questions
How far ahead can I make them?
Fold and glue up to a few weeks ahead and store them flat where they will not be squashed. Pillow packs and paper bags can be kept completely flat until the day; boxes with glued corners take more room once built.
Are paper boxes safe for food?
Wrapped sweets are fine in any card box. For unwrapped bakes, line the box with greaseproof paper or a cupcake case, because printer ink and coloured card are not made to touch food.
Can children make these?
The pyramid, pillow pack and paper bag are good for children from about seven, with an adult doing the craft-knife cuts. Let them score with an empty ballpoint pen; it is safe and works well.
Can I sell Halloween boxes made from these templates?
Not on the free licence, which covers personal use: your own party, gifts and school events. The licence explains what needs a commercial licence.