Packaging sourced overseas carries a longer lead time from order to delivery, typically 10 to 16 weeks for a Far East supplier, and rarely inside six weeks even from Europe.
Those windows don’t account for specification changes, port delays or accelerated retail timelines, and it does not flex when any of those pressures arrive.
Custom Pack Studio manufactures packaging in Britain, at our facility in Irvine, Scotland.
We produce cardboard boxes, cartons, mailers, sleeves, and more, on site in full colour and at custom dimensions. All delivered straight to your door across the United Kingdom without the freight or the wait that overseas suppliers add as standard.
What UK manufacturing means for your packaging
Domestic supply means shorter lead times than overseas alternatives, which reduces how much packaging stock you need to hold on site. When a retail deadline moves or a specification changes, a UK supplier can respond in a way that an overseas manufacturer simply cannot.
By choosing Custom Pack Studio, quality control sits in one place too.
Our Irvine facility holds BRC Global Packaging (High Hygiene) certification and operates in alignment with ISO 14001 environmental management standards.
Every run is quality-checked by the same team that produced it. Each job runs through the same machinery in sequence.
When you buy packaging from a certified UK manufacturer, the documentation covering quality materials, board specifications and production conditions is domestic, auditable and in plain English.
There is no overseas supply chain to chase, no time zone delays, and no back-and-forth across language barriers to get a straight answer.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations are also tightening the compliance requirements for UK businesses.
Packaging sourced from a UK-based producer with certified materials simplifies EPR reporting considerably, since the supply chain is short, traceable and covered by documentation that a UK compliance team can verify without translation.
The packaging we manufacture in the UK
We make the full range of custom printed packaging at our Scotland facility.
Every format is built to bespoke dimensions, printed in full colour and available with no minimum order.
Cardboard boxes and retail cartons
Reverse tuck-end cartons are the standard retail format for health, beauty and supplement brands, with print across all six faces and a clean fit on the shelf.
Food packaging is covered under our BRC Global Packaging (High Hygiene) certification, so food brands can order cartons and boxes without needing a separate food-contact audit.
Crash-lock cartons have a base that clicks shut without taping. On a packing line where teams assemble by hand at volume, that saves real time.
Corrugated cardboard boxes in single wall and double wall board handle heavier goods through the courier network.
Single wall suits most consumer products going direct to customers, while double wall adds compression resistance for dense or fragile items and for palletised wholesale deliveries that need to be strapped and stacked.
Both board grades are available as custom printed boxes in any size, with full-colour branding on all panels.
Custom printed mailers and shipping boxes
Mailer boxes are the go-to format for UK e-commerce and subscription brands.
Each one folds from a single corrugated sheet, self-locks without tape, and carries two full print surfaces: the exterior and the inside of the lid.
Interior printing is available on both lid and base panels, and brands use that surface for repeat purchase prompts, care instructions or a short brand story.
Printed shipping boxes carry that branding through the courier network, so a delivery arriving at a retailer or distribution centre arrives branded rather than as an anonymous brown carton.
Wholesale accounts receive packaging to the same print specification across every production run, with consistent board grade and colour accuracy on reorders.
UK packaging and Extended Producer Responsibility
EPR regulations now require UK businesses with an annual turnover of £1 million or more that handle more than 25 tonnes of packaging annually to register, report and pay fees based on packaging weight and material type.
Businesses handling over 50 tonnes with a turnover above £2 million are classed as large producers and carry additional obligations.
Working with a UK-based packaging specialist simplifies that obligation.
The supply chain is domestic, the material certification is straightforward to obtain, and a producer operating under BRC and ISO standards holds the records that the Environment Agency and retail compliance teams ask for.
An international packaging supply chain adds import documentation and material standards across multiple country origins, all of which need reconciling before a UK EPR submission.
100% recyclable UK packaging materials
Every format we produce is made from 100% recyclable board, sourced through FSC and PEFC certified supply chains.
FSC and PEFC certification covers the documentation UK retailers and wholesale buyers ask for as a condition of listing, and confirms the supply chain is managed to an independently audited standard.
Our customers can recycle every format through standard kerbside collections across the UK, with no plastic coatings that block the process.
Production in Scotland has a built-in advantage on the environmental side.
A UK manufacturer has a significantly shorter supply chain than one shipping containers from abroad.
Shorter logistics means lower transport emissions, no ocean freight and a simpler carbon footprint to calculate and report.
Recyclable and compostable packaging options are available across our range for brands with specific retailer requirements.
Our full environmental approach is on our environmental standards page.
Custom UK Packaging Boxes with No Minimum Order
Standard industry minimum orders for custom printed packaging run 500 to 1,000 units. Their pricing models are built for volume, which excludes smaller runs entirely.
We have no minimum order on any format we produce.
A single unit can be ordered to verify the fit, colour and print quality before committing to volume.
Pricing is transparent and scales with quantity: a written quote confirms the price before production starts, with no hidden charges and no obligation to proceed.
You deal with the same team at every stage of the order, without being routed through separate account managers or handed to a different inbox to chase production updates.
How to order made in the UK packaging
- Call us on 01294 314 919 or email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk, or use our 3D design tool to build a box before getting in touch. Tell us the format, dimensions and print requirements, and if you’re not sure which format suits your product, the team will work it out before quoting.
- We set up the print artwork, or work with yours if you have it, and send a proof for your review at full size. Colour accuracy, resolution and bleed are all checked before anything goes to press.
- Once approved, your packaging is manufactured in our Irvine facility. Most orders dispatch within two to three weeks of proof approval.
- Orders deliver directly from Irvine to your address across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including businesses across the Midlands and Greater London.
Made in the UK packaging: your questions answered
What products are actually made in the UK?
Custom Pack Studio manufactures its full packaging range at our Scotland facility, including cardboard boxes, custom printed boxes, retail cartons, and more. Every format is produced in-house, not sourced from a third-party manufacturer and relabelled.
Which brands make their packaging in the UK?
Custom Pack Studio is a UK-based packaging specialist with production in Irvine, Scotland, backed by KennedySmith (Press) Ltd, a family-run printing and packaging business established in 1997. Every format we supply is made on site by our own team with a production record we can provide for any compliance audit.
How will Extended Producer Responsibility affect my packaging costs?
EPR fees are based on packaging weight and material type. Recyclable, FSC and PEFC certified packaging materials typically attract lower fees than non-recyclable alternatives, and sourcing from a UK manufacturer simplifies the reporting obligation. Our team can advise on the materials and certifications most relevant to your EPR submission.
Can I get UK-made packaging with no minimum order?
Yes. There is no minimum order on any format we manufacture. The same bespoke sizing, full-colour print and Scotland-based production apply at any quantity. Request a packaging sample to check the quality and fit before committing to a full order.
Is your packaging recyclable?
Every format we make is 100% recyclable and accepted in standard kerbside recycling collections across the UK. Compostable options are available for specific retail and foodservice requirements. For more on our environmental credentials, see our environmental standards page.
Get a free quote for UK-made packaging
Custom Pack Studio works with businesses at every stage, from independent makers ordering their first run of packaging to established brands scaling production through wholesale accounts.
If you’re just starting out, there’s no minimum order and design support is included. You can order a single unit to check the fit and print quality before committing to volume, and reorder as your business grows without re-briefing from scratch.
For businesses ordering at scale, the same specification, board grade and colour accuracy carries across every production run. One team, one point of contact, and consistent packaging that your customers recognise.
Call us on 01294 314 919 or email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk and the team will put together a written quote for your packaging.
