Kraft Paper Food Tray
The kraft paper food tray is the one shape that every counter ends up buying.
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Custom Food Trays in the United States
The United States is the largest single market we supply, and it is also the one with the most format variety. Portion conventions, tray sizing language and the whole "1lb to 5lb" system originate here, and menus differ enough between regions that a tray designed for a Northeastern deli often does not suit a Gulf Coast seafood operation.
We work in imperial units by default for US customers, size from your actual portions rather than a national average, and quote freight to your state and zip code so the number on the quote is the number you pay.
- 6
- trays shortlisted for this market
- 1 day
- typical quote turnaround
- Freight
- quoted to your address, not ex-works
- Made to order
- no stock sizes to work around
Quotes delivered to United States
Tell us the tray, the quantity and where it is going. Freight is quoted to your address rather than added later.
What is different about supplying US food businesses
Portion scale
US portions run larger than the equivalents in the UK and Australia, and packaging sized to a European standard consistently comes up short. This is the single most common problem when a business imports a format designed elsewhere.
Regional menu differences
A Louisiana crawfish operation, a New York deli, a Texas barbecue counter and a California produce packer need genuinely different specifications. We size from the product rather than from a catalogue, which matters more here than in smaller markets.
Freight distances
Domestic US freight distances are substantial and they show up in landed cost. Flat-packed trays ship efficiently; assembled and domed products do not. We quote to your zip code so you can see the real number.
Labelling requirements
Federal and state requirements for pre-packed food differ from those in the UK, Canada and Australia. We print what you supply on a defined panel; the content is yours to confirm against the rules that apply to your product.
Sectors we supply most often in the US
- Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants running high volumes through delivery platforms.
- Drop-off and corporate catering companies, where the tray is opened in front of clients.
- Stadium, arena and cinema concessions, where carrier trays set the transaction value.
- Bakeries and dessert businesses, from single counters to regional wholesale.
- Seafood counters and boil operations along the Gulf and both coasts.
- Retail delis, grocery food-to-go and prepared-food packers.
Sizing conventions we work to
For US customers we quote in inches by default and use the familiar portion-weight shorthand — 1lb, 2lb, 3lb, 5lb — as a starting point in conversation. But we never tool from it, because it is not a standard: two suppliers can produce very different shapes that both nominally hold two pounds.
What we tool from is your internal dimensions, or a physical sample. If you post us the tray you buy now, we reverse-engineer the flat blank and match it, so your racks, carriers, sleeves and portioning all stay exactly where they are.
How a US order works
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Send the specification or a sample
Internal dimensions, board, treatment, print and quantity — or post us a tray and we will work from that.
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We quote to your zip code
Unit price, tooling if any, and freight to your delivery address, itemised rather than buried.
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Dieline and artwork
We supply a flat template before your designer starts, so nothing lands across a crease.
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Proof and approval
Digital proof as standard; a physical proof on the actual board where colour accuracy matters.
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Production and delivery
With a real date rather than a generic lead-time range.
Trays we supply to United States
Chosen against the requirements described above, not as a general catalogue listing.
Corrugated Catering Tray
This is the working catering tray: fluted, deep, strong enough to hold several full foil pans, and usually built with a raised header board that turns t…
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Stadium Carrier Tray
A stadium carrier has to be usable by somebody walking up concrete steps in a crowd, holding a phone, wearing a coat, in the dark.
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Corrugated Crawfish Tray
A crawfish tray carries several pounds of hot, wet, seasoned shellfish, often with corn and potatoes, straight out of a boil.
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Burger Clamshell Tray
A burger clamshell is a hinged box that closes around a burger, and its whole purpose is to stop the build collapsing between the pass and the customer.
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Moulded Pulp Meat Tray
The whole argument for a fibre meat tray is what happens to the liquid.
View tray & get pricing →Supplying United States: common questions
Do you ship food trays anywhere in the United States?
Yes. Freight is quoted to your zip code so the landed cost is visible rather than added later. Flat-packed trays ship efficiently even over long domestic distances; assembled and domed products cost more to move.
Do you work in inches or millimetres?
Inches by default for US customers, though we work in either. Just be consistent within a single specification and tell us which you have used.
Can you match a tray I currently buy from a US distributor?
In almost every case. Post us the tray, or send photographs beside a ruler. Matching the internal dimensions means nothing else in your operation has to change.
Is US portion sizing different from other markets?
Materially, yes — US portions run larger than the UK and Australian equivalents. A tray designed to a European standard consistently comes up short here, which is why we size from your actual portions.
What about labelling for pre-packed retail products?
We print what you supply on a clearly defined panel. The content requirements are federal and state matters that depend on your product, so that copy has to come from you or your regulatory advisor.
Can you supply multiple US sites from one order?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper than separate orders because setup and tooling are shared. Tell us the delivery addresses and split quantities and we will quote the consolidated position.
What lead time should I plan for?
It depends on the format, the print and whether new tooling is needed. Folding board is quickest, moulded fibre slowest. We give a real production date on the quote rather than a generic range.
Do you supply plain as well as printed trays?
Yes. A great many US customers run plain stock for a first order while artwork is developed, then move to printed on the repeat — the die is reusable, so the second order only carries plate cost.
Get a quote delivered to United States
Send the specification, the quantity and the delivery address. We come back with unit price, tooling if any, freight and a real production date.