FedEx Custom Boxes: How to Order Branded Boxes

FedEx custom boxes are branded shipping boxes you design online and order through FedEx Office, with your own logo or artwork printed on them and, according to FedEx, no minimum order. FedEx Office stores also sell specialty boxes for items like bikes, guitars and artwork, and the FedEx Packaging Lab can test a box design before you commit to it.

Custom boxes are not the same as FedEx’s free Express packaging. You buy them, they can ship with any carrier or service, and they don’t qualify for FedEx One Rate. This guide covers each option, how ordering works, and how to get the most from a branded box once it’s packed.

What Custom Box Options Does FedEx Offer?

FedEx’s custom boxes page groups its options into four services. Each one solves a different problem, from branding to protecting an item that doesn’t fit a standard carton.

FedEx says branded box design is “easy, and there’s no minimum order,” which matters for small sellers who can’t commit to thousands of units. Custom packing at FedEx Office is backed by the FedEx Office Packing Pledge, and if a box design fails testing, FedEx’s lab staff can suggest changes or help build a different solution.

These options sit alongside FedEx’s regular FedEx labels and supplies, which covers the free envelopes, paks and boxes for Express shipments.

How Do You Order FedEx Custom Boxes?

Branded boxes are ordered online. The “Start designing” button on FedEx’s custom boxes page takes you to the FedEx Office site, where you pick a box and add your artwork.

1. Measure your product. Note the length, width and height of the item plus the cushioning it needs, so you can choose the smallest box that fits.
2. Choose a box on FedEx Office. Open the design tool from FedEx’s custom boxes page and select the box size and style that matches your measurements.
3. Add your design. Upload a logo or brand graphics and position them on the box panels.
4. Review the proof. Check spelling, colors and placement on every panel before you submit, since printed boxes can’t be changed afterward.
5. Order the quantity you need. With no minimum order, you can test a small batch before you reorder in volume.

For specialty boxes or custom packing, skip the website and bring the item to a FedEx Office store. Staff can match a specialty box to the item or pack it for you.

Are FedEx Custom Boxes Free?

No. FedEx’s free packaging is limited to FedEx-branded supplies, and FedEx says complimentary packaging “is only available for shipments using FedEx expedited, FedEx Express Saver” and select FedEx international services. Custom-printed boxes, specialty boxes and custom packing are paid services, and FedEx Office shows the price while you configure an order.

What you pay depends on the box size, the number of printed panels and the quantity. If you only need a standard box for an Express shipment, the free FedEx boxes are covered in our FedEx box sizes guide.

How Do Custom Boxes Compare With Standard FedEx Packaging?

The biggest practical difference is which services each box can use. FedEx One Rate only accepts FedEx’s own Envelope, Pak, Tube and branded boxes, so a custom box is always priced by weight, dimensional weight and zone.

If a free box is close to the right size, the extra-large option may save you a custom order; our guide to what size the FedEx Extra Large Box is lists both versions. Flat items like documents and photos often fit one of the sizes in our FedEx envelope sizes guide, and anything very long or heavy should be checked against our FedEx oversize dimensions guide before you order a big custom carton.

How Do You Design a Custom Box That Ships Well?

A branded box still has to get through sorting hubs, so the best designs balance looks with how the box is handled and labeled. These rules keep a custom box readable and intact.

• Right-size the box. Every inch of empty space adds dimensional weight and needs filler, so size the box to your product plus cushioning.
• Leave a clear label area. Keep one large panel free of artwork so the shipping label and barcode sit flat and scan cleanly.
• Keep art away from tape lines. Seams get taped over, so don’t put your logo or website across the flaps.
• Use simple, high-contrast graphics. Fine detail can blur on corrugated board, while a bold logo reads from across a room.
• Print handling marks only when needed. “Fragile” or “This Side Up” printed on every box loses meaning, so add those as stickers for the items that need them.

When the boxes arrive, you’ll need labels for them. Our guide to creating a FedEx shipping label walks through the steps, and if a label prints badly or gets damaged, here’s how to reprint a FedEx label. If a package gets held up after it leaves, our page on fixing a FedEx delivery exception for an incorrect address covers the most common problem.

Which Carrier Should You Ship Custom Boxes With?

Because a custom box is your own packaging, it can ship with any carrier, not just FedEx. That gives you room to compare: FedEx ground and express services, UPS Ground, USPS Ground Advantage or Priority Mail. Our overview of FedEx shipping, rates, tracking and services explains FedEx’s own options, and our roundup of shipping services and solutions compares carriers more broadly.

If you’re open to UPS or USPS instead, ParcelPath offers up to 85% off UPS and up to 89% off USPS, free, with no subscription, per-label fee or minimum. Branded boxes also work with UPS Simple Rate, which prices your own box by size for packages up to 50 pounds. You can compare live UPS and USPS prices for your box size in the ParcelPath rate calculator.

If you stay with FedEx, our FedEx tracking and delivery guide explains each scan status once your branded boxes are on their way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does FedEx have a minimum order for custom boxes?

No. FedEx’s custom boxes page says designing a custom branded box is easy and that “there’s no minimum order.” That lets small businesses order a short run to test a design or a new product before reordering. Larger orders are still placed the same way, through the FedEx Office design tool linked from FedEx’s custom boxes page.

Can I use FedEx custom boxes with FedEx One Rate?

No. FedEx One Rate only applies to FedEx’s own packaging: the Envelope, Pak, Tube and the Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large boxes. A custom-printed box counts as your own packaging, so FedEx prices it by weight, dimensional weight and zone instead of One Rate.

Are FedEx custom boxes free like FedEx Express boxes?

No. FedEx says complimentary packaging is only available for shipments using FedEx expedited services, FedEx Express Saver and select international services, and it covers FedEx-branded supplies only. Custom-printed boxes, specialty boxes and in-store custom packing are paid services that you order through FedEx Office.

What specialty boxes does FedEx Office sell?

FedEx says its FedEx Office locations carry specialty boxes for art, golf clubs, bicycles, other sports equipment, guitars, clothes and documents. For items that don’t fit any of those, FedEx Office staff offer custom packing for things like electronics and antiques, backed by the FedEx Office Packing Pledge.

Can I ship a FedEx custom box with UPS or USPS?

Yes. A custom-printed box is your own packaging, so you can ship it with any carrier as long as it meets that carrier’s size and weight limits. UPS accepts packages up to 150 pounds, and USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail accept packages up to 70 pounds.

Sources

• FedEx: Custom boxes (branded boxes, specialty boxes, custom packing, Packaging Lab)
• FedEx: Packing supplies (complimentary packaging eligibility)
• FedEx: FedEx One Rate (qualifying packaging)
• USPS: Ground Advantage (70 lb limit)
• USPS: Priority Mail

Part of our FedEx Box Sizes and Prices guide. Related: FedEx Oversize Dimensions, FedEx Labels and Supplies, FedEx Envelope Sizes.