Corrugated Food Tray
Corrugated trays exist for one reason: a loaded tray that has to be picked up from the middle without folding in half.
View tray & get pricing →Corrugated Food Trays
Corrugated Appetizer Trays
- Shallow open format
- Scalloped front option
- Bar and sharing service
An appetiser tray is deliberately shallow. The food is meant to be seen and picked at rather than contained, so the walls come down low enough that a shared plate of wings, wedges or croquettes reads as generous rather than buried.
That shallowness is also what makes the format harder to get right than it looks — low walls in fluted board need the crease and the corner lock to be spot on, or the tray splays outward the moment it is loaded.
- Low walls that keep shared food visible
- Optional scalloped or curved front for counter display
- E-flute board with a good print surface
- Sized for one, two or a table of four
Pricing starts from $0.30 per tray
The unit price depends on the size, board, printing, finishing, quantity and delivery country, so every quote is worked out for your specification rather than taken from a list.
Get pricing for corrugated appetizer trays
Send the size and the run length. We reply with pricing, material options and a production date — usually within one working day.
01 — Specification
Specification at a glance
Every element below is set when we quote. Nothing here is a fixed catalogue entry — if a line does not match what you need, say so and we will change it.
- Wall height
- Typically 25–50 mm — low by design
- Flute
- E-flute as standard; F-flute for small footprints
- Front wall
- Straight, scalloped or curved
- Food contact
- Grease-resistant liner recommended for fried sharing food
- 1–4 colours; front wall is the display surface
02 — Build the spec
Design this tray in five steps
The same five questions we would ask on a phone call, with the corrugated appetizer tray already selected. You get a properly detailed brief at the end, which is what makes a first quote accurate rather than approximate.
Prefer the full builder with a live sketch? Open the tray designer.
03 — In detail
Shallow walls are a service decision
A deep tray hides its contents. That is fine for a takeaway portion the customer has already paid for, and actively bad for a sharing plate landing on a table where other people can see it. The appetiser tray gives up containment in exchange for visibility, and it is the right trade whenever the food is being shared or displayed.
The practical limit is around two inches of wall. Below that, loose items roll out when the tray is moved; above it, the food disappears into a box. Most operators settle somewhere between one and a half and two inches once they have seen a sample loaded with their own food.
Four ways this tray gets used
Bar sharing plates
Wings, wedges, croquettes, sliders. The tray goes straight onto the table and the low walls make a modest portion look generous.
Counter display
A scalloped front wall turns the tray into a display unit, which is why bakery and deli counters use this shape for hot snacks.
Event and canapé service
Carried by staff and offered to guests, which means the tray needs to look composed from above and be rigid enough to hold flat in one hand.
Meal-deal bases
A wide, shallow base that a smaller container, a drink or a dip pot sits inside — effectively a printed platform for a combined offer.
What to tell us for an accurate quote
Five things, and the quote comes back right first time:
- The food, and roughly how much of it goes in one tray.
- Whether it is served hot, warm or at ambient temperature.
- Whether the tray sits on a table, is carried by staff, or is handed over a counter.
- Whether you want a straight or a shaped front wall.
- The delivery country, so freight is in the number rather than added later.
04 — Nearby
Trays that work alongside this one
Chosen because operators who buy the corrugated appetizer tray usually need one of these in the same order, not because they happen to sit in the same category.
Chip and Dip Tray
The chip and dip tray is the simplest divided format there is: a main bay and one or two smaller wells.
View tray & get pricing →
Corrugated Deli Tray
A deli tray takes more punishment than most food packaging.
View tray & get pricing →
Corrugated Party Tray with Lid
A party tray is a divided platter under a clear lid.
View tray & get pricing →05 — Questions
Corrugated Appetizer Tray questions
How shallow can an appetiser tray be?
Around an inch is workable for flat items such as sliders or bruschetta. Below that the tray stops containing anything and becomes a board. For loose fried items, an inch and a half to two inches is the practical range.
Will low walls hold up when the tray is loaded?
If the flute grade and the crease are right, yes. Splaying walls on a shallow tray almost always mean the board was too light for the load or the corner lock was badly designed. Send us the loaded weight and we will specify against it.
What is a scalloped front for?
It lowers the front wall in the middle so the food is visible from a customer’s eye level while the sides stay tall enough to hold the tray together. It is a display feature, and it works well on a hot counter.
Can the tray hold a dip pot?
Yes — either loose, or in a die-cut well sized to your pot. If you want a well, send us the pot so we can cut to its actual rim and base diameters.
Is grease resistance necessary?
For anything fried, yes. Appetiser food is disproportionately fried, and the shallow format means the food is spread over more board rather than sitting in a deep pile, which increases the contact area.
Can I stack these trays when full?
Not reliably — low walls mean a stacked tray sits on the food below. If trays need to stack, use a deeper format or add a lid. The corrugated party tray with lid is the usual answer.
How much can I print on the front wall?
On a shallow tray the front wall is typically an inch to two inches tall and the full width of the tray. That is a good strip for a wordmark, and it faces the customer, which is the best position on the tray.
Do these work for cold food?
Very well. Cold sharing plates, charcuterie selections and canapés all suit the shallow open format. For chilled retail display where condensation is a factor, ask for a moisture-resistant liner.
Before you order, read
- Food Tray Size Guide — What tray sizes mean, and how to pick one from your own portions.
- Kraft vs Corrugated Food Trays — Solid board or fluted board — a direct comparison for buyers.
Who buys this tray
Ready to price the corrugated appetizer tray?
Send the dimensions, the quantity and the country you want it delivered to. We come back with a full quote — material, print, finishing, freight and a production date.