FEFCO codes explained
The FEFCO code is the international shorthand for a box style: the first two digits are the family, the last two the variant. Tell a box maker "0201" and they know the shape before you give a single dimension.
02 — Slotted boxes (0200–0299)
One piece of board with a glued, stitched or taped joint along one edge, and flaps that fold in to close the top and the bottom. They ship flat and are squared up at the packing table. This is the family most shipping boxes belong to.
- FEFCO 0200
- Half slotted box: flaps on the bottom only, the top is left open.
- FEFCO 0201
- Regular slotted box (RSC): all flaps the same length, the outer flaps meet in the middle.
- FEFCO 0203
- Full overlap box: the outer flaps run the full width of the box and lie over each other completely.
Other codes in this family, such as 0202, 0204, 0205, 0206 and 0215, change the flap lengths, add a second joint or leave flaps off.
In the generator: Regular slotted box (FEFCO 0201), Full overlap box (FEFCO 0203), Open shipping tray (FEFCO 0200), Overlap slotted box (FEFCO 0201), Long narrow box (FEFCO 0201), Cube box (FEFCO 0201).
03 — Telescope boxes (0300–0399)
More than one piece: a lid and/or a bottom that slides over the body. The classic two-piece box with a base and a lid that fits over it belongs here, and so do boxes where a separate lid and base close a tube.
- FEFCO 0301
- Telescope box: a tray-shaped base and a tray-shaped lid that slides over it.
Codes like 0302, 0304, 0306, 0310 and 0314 change how the lid and the base are formed and how deep the lid goes. The generator draws 0301, with a shallow, a regular and a deep lid.
In the generator: Telescope box (FEFCO 0301), Flat telescope box (FEFCO 0301), Telescope with deep lid (FEFCO 0301).
04 — Folder boxes and trays (0400–0499)
Usually one piece of board. The bottom is hinged to form two or all of the side walls and often the lid as well, and the box is held by locking tabs or folded-in walls rather than a glued joint. Mailer boxes and most trays are in this family.
- FEFCO 0427
- Mailer box (roll end tuck top): one piece, no glue, a hinged lid with a tuck flap and double walls at the front.
The 04 family is large — 0401 to 0470 and beyond — with wrap-around folders, trays with and without lids, and many locking variants.
In the generator: Mailer box (FEFCO 0427), Mailer with slot lock (FEFCO 0427), Flat mailer (FEFCO 0427), Mailer without dust flaps (FEFCO 0427), Mailer for tape (FEFCO 0427), Glued corner tray (FEFCO 0422), Low display tray (FEFCO 0422), Deep storage tray (FEFCO 0422).
05 — Slide boxes (0500–0599)
Several pieces that slide into each other, like a tray in a sleeve. Not in the generator; the sleeves below can be combined with a tray.
06 — Rigid boxes (0600–0699)
Two separate end pieces and a body, which have to be stapled or taped together before the box can be used. Not in the generator.
07 — Ready-glued boxes (0700–0799)
One piece, glued at the factory and shipped flat, that is ready to use by simply opening it up — crash-lock bottoms are the best known. Not in the generator.
09 — Interior fittings (0900–0999)
Everything that goes inside a box rather than being one: pads, liners, partitions, dividers and inserts. Codes like 0900, 0914 and 0933 are in this family. Not in the generator.
Folding cartons: ECMA codes
Thin printed cartons — the kind on a shop shelf — use the ECMA code instead of FEFCO. It works the same way: a letter for the family and four digits for the style.
In the generator: Reverse tuck carton (ECMA A6040), Straight tuck carton (ECMA A6050), Tall slim carton (ECMA A6040), Flat card carton (ECMA A6040), Sleeve (ECMA A9000), Sleeve with window (ECMA A9000), Narrow belly band (ECMA A9000).