The crash-lock bottom box template, flat and folded
What this template is for
A carton whose bottom is glued while it is still flat, so it pops open with the base already shut. Cosmetics, candles, tea, anything packed in numbers.
Also called auto lock bottom box · crash bottom carton · auto bottom box · self-erecting carton — all the same shape, and this is it.
- Cosmetics and skincare cartons
- Candles, tea and coffee
- Products packed in numbers
- Heavier items that need a strong base
How to use this template
All four downloads are the same crash-lock bottom box at the same size — only the format changes.
- PDF printing at home
- Print at 100 per cent, or hand it to a print shop as "actual size, no scaling".
- PNG 300 dpi Canva, Photoshop, Procreate
- Upload, lock it in place and design your crash-lock bottom box on top. Free plan and phone included. Full Canva walkthrough →
- SVG Cricut, Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity
- Vector, with cuts, folds and labels on separate layers. Cricut and Silhouette walkthrough →
- DXF Silhouette, laser and vinyl cutters
- Two layers, CUT and FOLD — and the one free Silhouette Studio Basic will open.
Printing it
- Type your size above, then download the PDF.
- Print at 100% — never “fit to page”, or every measurement comes out wrong.
- Too big for the paper? Pick your paper size and leave Fit the pieces to the page ticked: each piece gets its own place on a sheet and the PDF comes out with every page in it, nothing cut in half and nothing to tape.
How to put it together
These pictures are the crash-lock bottom box itself, not a generic diagram — change the measurements above and the template changes, but the three steps never do.
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Cut the solid lines
Every solid line is a cut. Do the inside shapes first, while the sheet is still whole and easy to hold.
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Score every dashed line
Dashed lines are folds. Score each one first — an empty ballpoint against a ruler — or the card cracks along the outside of the bend.
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Fold, glue and hold
Glue the side seam. Put glue on the two triangles marked (glue), fold every bottom flap up inside, and press the carton flat so the triangles stick to the flaps marked A. Let it dry flat. To use it, squeeze the corners: the bottom snaps shut. Fill and tuck the lid in.
Glue: a glue stick for paper, white PVA on card — hold each seam thirty seconds, and let the box dry standing up.
Questions about the crash-lock bottom box
- How does the bottom close by itself?
- Two of the bottom flaps have a scored triangle, marked (glue). With the carton flat, you glue those triangles to the flaps marked A. When you open the carton, the glued flaps pull each other round and the base locks shut with no folding.
- Why does the score run at 45 degrees?
- Because that is the only angle where the bond you make flat is the same bond the open carton needs. The tool checks every size: each score runs at exactly 45 degrees from its corner and the glue triangle lands wholly on flap A.
- Is it different from the snap-lock (1-2-3) bottom?
- Yes. The 1-2-3 bottom has no glue and you fold it shut by hand each time. The crash-lock bottom is glued once and then opens itself in a second, which is why packing lines use it.
- Will it print on one sheet?
- Yes, at the size it opens with — 70 × 50 mm and 100 mm tall comes to about 257 × 192 mm, which fits A4 and US Letter turned sideways.
Print your own design on it
Add a logo, photo or pattern in the panel on the left and drag it onto the crash-lock bottom box. It is trimmed to the cut outline, embedded properly in the PDF, and never leaves your computer — most free template sites hand you the outline and stop there. How printing your own design works.
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