Buying and supplier planning
Box blank cost worksheet
Estimate a custom box blank's modeled unit and order cost from converter blank dimensions, board price, print, setup, quantity and material waste allowance.
The Custom Box Cost Calculator turns converter blank dimensions and your quoted board, print and setup figures into a modeled unit cost and order cost. It converts blank area to square feet, applies a material allowance, adds per-box print and spreads setup across quantity. Results are estimates, not supplier quotes.
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Inputs stay in this tab. Results are planning estimates.
Downloads a plain text report of your inputs, results and limitations.
What the worksheet calculates
This worksheet builds a modeled cost for a custom box blank from seven inputs: converter blank width, converter blank height, board price per 1,000 square feet, print and finish per box, setup and tooling, quantity and material allowance. It is a cost worksheet, not a quoting engine. The output rows show purchased area per blank before allowance, material cost per box, setup per box, modeled unit cost and modeled order cost. Every dollar figure depends on the quoted values you enter; the worksheet does not supply market prices or Teal pricing.
Blank dimensions and purchased area
Enter the converter blank width and height in inches. The worksheet multiplies those two dimensions and divides by 144 to convert square inches into square feet. That result appears as purchased area per blank before allowance and is displayed to four decimal places. Use the blank rectangle the converter supplies, not the finished box footprint. The blank is the purchased material area, so substituting a finished box size would change the area base and every material calculation that follows.
Board price and material allowance
Board price is entered per 1,000 square feet, not per sheet or per box. The worksheet divides purchased area by 1,000, multiplies by the board price and then applies the material allowance percentage. The allowance increases only the board material component. A zero percent allowance leaves material at the base board cost; a higher percentage raises material cost proportionally. The area row stays before allowance, so you can see the purchased rectangle separately from the allowance-adjusted material cost.
Print, setup and quantity
Print and finish per box is a recurring per-box amount added after material. Setup and tooling is a total entered amount, not a per-box charge, so the worksheet divides it by quantity to get setup per box. Quantity must be at least 1 because setup is spread across the order. At low quantities the setup division has a large effect on modeled unit cost. At higher quantities the same setup total is spread more thinly, while material and print remain per-box components.
Reading the modeled outputs
Material cost per box is the board component after allowance. Setup per box is the entered setup total divided by quantity. Modeled unit cost adds material, print and setup per box. Modeled order cost multiplies the modeled unit cost by quantity. Money rows are rounded to cents for display, while the order row is calculated from the modeled unit cost before that display rounding. As a result, multiplying the displayed unit cost by quantity can differ by cents from the displayed order cost.
Worked examples with entered quotes
Starting scenario: a 30 by 20 inch blank gives 4.1667 square feet. With board price, print, setup and waste all at zero and quantity 1,000, material is $0.00, setup per box is $0.00, modeled unit cost is $0.00 and modeled order cost is $0.00. This shows the worksheet structure with no quoted costs entered.
Changed scenario: keep the same blank and quantity, then enter an illustrative board price of $80 per 1,000 square feet and setup of $350. Material is $0.33 per box before any waste allowance, setup per box is $0.35, modeled unit cost is $0.68 and modeled order cost is $683.33. The order row reflects the unrounded unit cost, so it is not the displayed $0.68 multiplied by 1,000.
Edge cases and operational checks
A 100 percent material allowance doubles the board component before print and setup are added. A zero board price keeps material at zero even when waste is entered, because the allowance multiplies the board component. At quantity 1, setup per box equals the full setup entry, which can dominate the modeled unit cost. Check that board price is per 1,000 square feet, print is per box and setup is a total. Those unit choices matter more than small input differences.
Limitations and source note
This worksheet deliberately asks for blank dimensions rather than inventing a universal die layout. Sheet nesting, conversion labor, freight, tax and minimum charges need the supplier quote. Ask the converter to confirm the actual purchased blank size and whether its board quote already includes trim loss, so the same allowance is not counted twice. Treat the modeled unit and order costs as a screening estimate for the entered figures, not as a supplier quote or a guarantee.
Questions about box blank cost worksheet
Should I enter the finished box size or the converter blank size?
Enter the converter blank size. The worksheet multiplies blank width by blank height to get purchased area; finished box dimensions would understate the rectangle the converter supplies and change material cost.
Why is the modeled order cost not simply the displayed unit cost times quantity?
The order row is calculated from the unrounded modeled unit cost and then rounded to cents. Multiplying the displayed unit cost by quantity can differ by cents because the unit row has already been rounded.
Does the material allowance apply to print and setup as well as board?
No. The waste percentage multiplies only the board material component. Print and finish per box and setup and tooling are added after the material allowance, so changing waste does not change those entered costs.
Can this worksheet replace a supplier quote for a custom box?
No. It is a modeled worksheet for the entered blank rectangle and quoted figures. Sheet nesting, conversion labor, freight, tax and minimum charges are outside the model and need the supplier quote.
Sources and further reading
- Original worksheet method: The original calculation or decision rules, units, examples and limitations are explained on this page; this is not an external performance standard.