Buying
Stock Trays vs Custom Trays: When Custom Actually Pays
Custom packaging is not automatically better. Here is the arithmetic that decides it, and the three situations where stock is genuinely the right answer.
Published April 22, 2026 · About 10 minutes to read
We make custom packaging, so it would be convenient to argue that everyone should buy it. That is not true. Stock packaging is genuinely the right answer in several situations, and pushing a customer into tooling they do not need is a good way to lose them at the second order.
What follows is the actual comparison, including the arguments against us.
What each one really costs
Stock packaging
A visible unit price, no tooling, no lead time, no minimum beyond a carton. Available tomorrow. The costs that do not appear on the invoice are the ones that matter: food that does not fit the container properly, a second container bought because the first is the wrong shape, portion sizes adjusted to suit packaging rather than pricing, and no branding on anything that leaves the building.
Custom packaging
Tooling, a minimum quantity, a lead time, and artwork effort. In exchange, a container built around your product, one container where you previously needed two, portion control that matches your pricing, and every item that leaves the building carrying your name.
The comparison
| Stock | Custom | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit price | Higher at volume, lower at low volume | Lower at volume |
| Tooling | None | One-off, retained for repeats |
| Lead time | Days | Weeks for a first order |
| Minimum order | A carton | A production run |
| Fit to your product | Approximate | Exact |
| Branding | None | Yours |
| Number of lines to stock | Often more | Often fewer |
| Flexibility to change | Immediate | Requires a new run |
Three situations where stock is right
You are testing a concept
A new menu item, a pop-up, a trial site. Do not tool packaging for something that might not exist in three months. Run stock, prove the concept, then commission.
Volume is genuinely low
If you will not get through a production run within a year or so, the tooling and the storage do not pay back. Some businesses are simply below the threshold, and that is fine.
The item changes constantly
A tasting menu that changes weekly, or a seasonal range with no repeating format. Custom packaging suits repeated products, not constantly changing ones.
The arithmetic that actually decides it
Take your annual usage of a format. Multiply by the stock unit price. Then get a custom quote at that annual quantity, add the tooling, and compare the two totals.
What surprises most operators is how often the custom total is lower even before counting the branding value — because stock packaging carries a distributor margin and custom does not, and because one custom container frequently replaces two stock ones.
Then add the things that do not appear in either number: the staff time saved by a container that fits, the second container you no longer buy, the portion consistency, and the brand exposure on every delivery.
The middle route most people miss
It is not a binary. A sensible sequence for a growing business looks like this:
- Start on stock while the concept and the portion sizes settle.
- Once a format is stable, commission it plain — custom size, no print. You get the fit without the artwork effort.
- On the second order, add one-colour print. The die already exists, so you only pay plates.
- Later, add a second format to the same footprint family so they stack together.
- Add seasonal or site-specific designs, which cost plates only.
Each step is small, each is reversible, and none of them requires a large commitment up front.
The most useful first custom order is often plain, not printed. It gets you a container that actually fits your food, at a lower unit price than stock, with no artwork to organise. Print can wait for the second order, when the die is already paid for.
Quick answers
At what volume does custom become cheaper than stock?
There is no universal figure — it depends on the format and how much distributor margin sits in the stock price. Run the arithmetic on your own annual usage: stock price times annual volume, against a custom quote at the same volume plus tooling.
Can I get a custom size without printing?
Yes, and it is often the best first order. You get a container built around your food, usually at a lower unit price than stock, with no artwork to prepare. Add printing on the repeat when the die is already paid for.
What happens to the tooling if I change supplier?
Ask before you order. Practice varies. We keep dies on file against your account, and it is a reasonable question to put to any supplier before committing to a first run.
