Short answer: Home bakers and food gifting brands usually pack in three layers. First, the food goes in a food-safe inner such as butter paper, a cupcake liner, a sealed food bag or a jar. Second, that goes in a mailer box, white for a premium look or brown for a natural look, with shredded paper to fill the gaps. Third, for courier, the mailer box goes inside a corrugated box with cushioning. On SecureShip, white mailer boxes start at ₹169 + GST per pack, brown mailer boxes at ₹149 + GST and crinkle shredded paper at ₹179 + GST.
Important: mailer boxes and corrugated boxes are outer packaging, not food-contact packaging. Never put food directly on the cardboard. Always wrap or seal it first.
Which box for which bake or gift?
We checked these sizes against common item sizes. Measure your own item first, and leave about 1 cm on each side for liners and filler.
| What you are packing | Mailer box (inch) | Why this size |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 4 cookies or a few chocolates, as a sample or add-on | 4 × 4 × 2 white | Fits a short stack of cookies up to 3 inch across |
| 4 cookies up to 3 inch across, in one layer | 7 × 7 × 2 white | A 2 × 2 layout of 3 inch cookies is 6 × 6 inch, with room for liners |
| 6 brownies or barfi pieces of about 2 inch | 8 × 5 × 2 white | A 3 × 2 layout is 6 × 4 inch, leaving space for butter paper |
| 4 to 5 chocolate bars (about 6 × 2.5 inch each) | 7 × 3 × 2 white | Bars lie flat and stack 3 to 4 high |
| One or two small gift packs up to about 8 × 5 inch | 9 × 6 × 3 white | Room for shredded paper around the packs |
| Gift hamper with 3 or 4 small items | 12 × 10 × 3 white | Wide and shallow, so items sit on a bed of shredded paper |
| One jar about 3 inch across and 4 inch tall (cookies, ladoo, pickles) | 3 ply corrugated box 5 × 5 × 5 | A jar is too tall for a 2 or 3 inch mailer box; this leaves 1 inch on every side for wrap |
The same sizes come in brown kraft and cost less. See all white mailer boxes, brown mailer boxes and the mailer box size guide.
How to pack baked goods and food gifts, step by step
- Cool completely. Warm bakes sweat and go soft inside a closed box.
- Use a food-safe inner. Butter paper or cupcake liners for cookies and brownies, sealed food bags for snacks and dry fruits, sealed jars for ladoo, pickles and spreads.
- Fill the gaps with crinkle shredded paper so nothing slides. Colours such as pink, lavender, black, green, white and brown suit different occasions.
- Add a card with the ingredients, a best-before date and a thank-you note.
- Close the mailer box with a small sticker or a strip of tape.
- For courier, use an outer box. Put the mailer box inside a 3 ply corrugated box 2 to 5 cm bigger, fill the space with honeycomb paper or bubble wrap, and seal with H-taping.
- Wrap jars twice: bubble wrap around the jar, then filler around it, so it cannot touch the box walls. See how to pack fragile items for courier.
What not to send by courier
- Cream cakes, fresh cream desserts and anything that needs a fridge: deliver these yourself or through a local same-day service, not by normal courier.
- Soft bakes in hot weather: chocolate and frosting can melt in transit. Ship dry bakes such as cookies, rusks, nankhatai, brownies and dry fruit packs instead.
- Glass jars without double wrapping: they are the most common breakage.
Premium look on a small budget
- White mailer box plus coloured shredded paper is the simplest premium unboxing.
- Brown kraft box plus brown honeycomb paper gives a natural, plastic-free look that suits healthy and organic brands. Brown honeycomb paper starts at ₹149 + GST for a 10 inch roll.
- Stick one label with your logo on the lid instead of buying printed boxes.
- Stock two or three box sizes that fit most of your orders and buy bigger packs to cut the price per box. See the corrugated box price list.
Selling food from home: two checks
Food businesses in India, including home bakers, need FSSAI registration or a licence depending on turnover; check the current rules on the official FoSCoS portal. Your label or card should carry the details FSSAI asks for, such as ingredients and a best-before date. If you sell on Instagram or WhatsApp, see packaging for Instagram and home businesses and the packaging checklist for a new online business.
FAQ
What packaging do home bakers use for courier?
Food in a food-safe inner (butter paper, liner, sealed bag or jar), inside a mailer box with shredded paper, inside a corrugated outer box with cushioning.
Which box size is right for 6 brownies?
An 8 × 5 × 2 inch mailer box fits 6 brownies of about 2 inch in one layer, with room for butter paper.
Can I put cookies directly in a mailer box?
No. Mailer boxes are not food-contact packaging. Put cookies in butter paper, liners or a sealed food bag first.
Can I courier a cake?
Cream cakes and desserts that need a fridge should not go by normal courier. Deliver them locally. Dry bakes such as cookies and brownies ship well.
White or brown mailer box for food gifts?
White looks premium and shows colour well; brown kraft looks natural and costs a little less. Both come in the same sizes.
