The snap-lock bottom box template, flat and folded
What this template is for
A card box whose bottom locks itself in three moves — no glue, no tape underneath — with a tuck top. Candles, cosmetics, soap, tea, jars and anything a little heavy.
Also called 1-2-3 bottom box · lock bottom carton · snap lock box — all the same shape, and this is it.
- Candles and jars
- Cosmetics, soap and skincare
- Tea, coffee and spice tins
- Product boxes for heavier items
How to use this template
All four downloads are the same snap-lock bottom box at the same size — only the format changes.
Which file goes where: PDF, PNG, SVG or DXF
- 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 snap-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.
Getting it printed properly → · Putting your own design on it →
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 snap-lock bottom box itself, not a generic diagram — change the measurements above and the template changes, but the steps never do. The names in capitals are the labels printed on the template.
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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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Step by step
- Cut the outline and the slit in flap 2.
- Glue the (glue) flap inside the far panel to make a tube.
- Turn it upside down. Fold both flaps marked 1 in.
- Fold flap 2 in, then bring flap 3 over it and push its tongue up through the slit in flap 2. Press the middle down firmly.
- Fill from the top, fold the (dust) flaps in and tuck the TOP shut.
Glue: a glue stick for paper, white PVA on card — hold each seam thirty seconds, and let it dry before you use it.
Questions about the snap-lock bottom box
How does the bottom lock?
In three moves, numbered on the flaps. Fold both side flaps (1) in. Fold the front flap (2) in. Fold the back flap (3) over it and push its tongue up through the slit in flap 2. Each of the two big flaps reaches past the middle, so each one’s tip rests on the other, and the tongue stops the back flap dropping. Weight inside pushes them together harder, not apart.
Where does the slit go?
Exactly where the back flap’s tip lands. The back flap reaches half the depth plus the overlap from the back, so its tip is half the depth less the overlap from the front — and that is how far along the front flap the slit is cut. Change the overlap and both move together.
How is it different from the card box?
The card box closes its bottom with a tuck flap, which can push open under weight. The snap-lock bottom interlocks and takes a heavier load, and it is still quick to put together by hand — it is the bottom most retail cartons for candles and jars use.
Will it print on one sheet?
Yes, at the size it opens with — 60 × 40 × 100 mm inside comes to about 217 × 198 mm, which fits A4 and US Letter turned sideways.
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