Are these boxes food-safe?

The templates are only a shape — whether the finished box is safe depends entirely on the card and ink you use, and ordinary home printer ink and craft card are not rated for food contact. Line the box with greaseproof paper or parchment, or wrap the food first. If you are selling food in them, buy card that carries a food-contact certificate and have it printed with food-safe ink.

Will they hold up to grease?

Not on their own. Untreated card darkens and softens wherever fat touches it, usually within the hour. A greaseproof liner solves it for a short carry; for anything hot or oily you want board that has been laminated or coated for the purpose.

Can I use these for a food business?

You can use the templates for anything, including commercial work — the licence allows it. Whether you may sell food in the resulting box is a separate question answered by your local food-contact rules and by the material you choose, not by us.

What size should a cake box be?

Add two to three centimetres to the diameter of the cake and two to the height, so it goes in without the icing touching the walls. For cupcakes, start from the insert instead: set the hole size to your cases and it tells you the box that fits them.

Can I print my shop name on them?

Yes. Add a picture in the tool and drag it where you want it; it is trimmed to the cut outline so nothing prints off the card. Keep printed artwork away from the panels that will touch food, and keep the liner between the two regardless.

Food Box Templates — Free Bakery & Takeaway

One thing first, because it matters more than the shape: ordinary card and ordinary printer ink are not food-safe, and nothing you print at home should touch food directly. Use a greaseproof or parchment liner, or wrap the food, and treat the box as the thing that carries it rather than the thing that touches it. With that settled, these are the shapes that suit food and the reasons they do.

The 8 shapes, and when each one is the right answer

Clamshell box template

Base and lid hinged at the back, shut with a tongue that locks into a slit — the burger box. One piece, no glue, and it opens flat, which is why every takeaway uses it for anything that needs to be eaten out of the box.

Also called burger box or clamshell food box
Takeout box template

The oyster-pail carton. The walls flare out and the top folds shut in four moves, so it holds something loose — chips, noodles, popcorn — without a lid to lose.

Also called chinese takeout box or noodle box
Paper cup template

A rolled cup for something dry: popcorn, sweets, nuts at a party. Size it by how much it should hold rather than by how tall it should look, because a cup that is too narrow tips over the moment it is put down.

Also called paper cup template or pen holder
Cupcake insert template

A platform with round holes so cupcakes stand upright instead of sliding into each other. Set the hole size to your cases and it works out the box you need — this is the piece people forget until the icing has already moved.

Also called cupcake box insert or cupcake holder
Cake slice box template

A wedge for a single slice, sized around the radius of the cake it came from. Good for sending guests home with the leftovers, and it stacks in a way a square box does not.

Also called cake slice box or wedge box
Handle box template

A carry box with the handle built into the walls, which is the difference between a cake that arrives and a cake that arrives on its side. Worth the extra height it costs.

Also called cake box with handle or carry box
Milk carton template

The gable top, which you can staple, tape or tie shut. It suits something loose and dry and it stands up on a table better than a bag.

Also called gable top carton or gable box
Shallow box template

The pizza and tart shape: low walls, big footprint, tuck top. When what you are carrying is wide and flat, nothing else on the site wastes less board.

Also called tuck-top box or one-piece folding box

Every one of these is sized by you

None of these is a fixed template. Open any of them, type the measurements of what is going inside, and the drawing redraws to fit — then download it as a PDF to print, or as SVG or DXF for a cutting machine. Solid lines are cuts, dashed lines are folds, and you should always print at 100% rather than “fit to page”, or the box comes out the wrong size.

Questions

Are these boxes food-safe?: The templates are only a shape — whether the finished box is safe depends entirely on the card and ink you use, and ordinary home printer ink and craft card are not rated for food contact. Line the box with greaseproof paper or parchment, or wrap the food first. If you are selling food in them, buy card that carries a food-contact certificate and have it printed with food-safe ink.
Will they hold up to grease?: Not on their own. Untreated card darkens and softens wherever fat touches it, usually within the hour. A greaseproof liner solves it for a short carry; for anything hot or oily you want board that has been laminated or coated for the purpose.
Can I use these for a food business?: You can use the templates for anything, including commercial work — the licence allows it. Whether you may sell food in the resulting box is a separate question answered by your local food-contact rules and by the material you choose, not by us.
What size should a cake box be?: Add two to three centimetres to the diameter of the cake and two to the height, so it goes in without the icing touching the walls. For cupcakes, start from the insert instead: set the hole size to your cases and it tells you the box that fits them.
Can I print my shop name on them?: Yes. Add a picture in the tool and drag it where you want it; it is trimmed to the cut outline so nothing prints off the card. Keep printed artwork away from the panels that will touch food, and keep the liner between the two regardless.

See all 59 templates · Wedding and party favour box templates · Christmas box templates