Vape cartridge packaging for a brand is usually a printed carton or drawer box with an insert cut to the cartridge. It is made child-resistant either by a certified outer carton or by a child-resistant primary container, depending on what your state accepts. Ask any supplier for the CPSC 16 CFR 1700.20 test report. Custom runs start at 5,000 units.
The problem: a cart is small, fragile and regulated
First packaging orders tend to go wrong in the same places. The cartridge itself was fine. The box around it was not. The trouble usually shows up in four places.
Fit. A stock box is sized for "a cart", not for your cart. The cartridge rattles, the mouthpiece rubs the board, and the pack looks cheap the moment a buyer opens it.
Breakage. A loose cart in a box takes every knock in the shipping carton, and a damaged unit is a lost sale.
Child resistance. The supplier called the box "child-resistant", but when a retail buyer or regulator asks for proof, there is a brochure and no test report.
Label space. A small box has very little room, and your required label text competes with the brand for every face.
Each of these is decided at the spec stage, before anything is printed. The rest of this guide walks through those decisions in the order we work through them on a quote.
Vape cartridge packaging formats compared
Here is what is common on the market. The formats marked below are the ones we make.
Stock CR pop-top tubes. Child-resistant tubes, commonly 80mm, sold blank and branded with an applied label. Common on the market.
Blister boxes and cart cards. A cart held in a formed blister, or a "cart card" CR container with a hang hole for peg display. Common on the market.
Stock CR slider boxes with a tray. Press-and-pull slider boxes sold in standard sizes, often branded with a sticker. Common on the market as stock items.
Custom printed child-resistant cartons (we make these). Push-and-pull and side-squeeze cartons for vape cartridges and disposables, printed to your artwork, with an insert cut to the product. From 5,000 units.
Custom drawer boxes (we make these). A slide-out tray in a printed sleeve. The format works well for pre-rolls, cartridges and gift sets, and holds a paperboard or moulded pulp insert cut to the product. From 5,000 units.
Fitted inserts (we make these). Paperboard, moulded pulp or foam, cut to the product and quoted with the box.
The real choice for most brands is stock packaging plus a label versus a custom printed carton or drawer box. Stock wins when you need small quantities fast. Custom wins when the pack has to sell the product on a shelf. With custom, your artwork covers every face instead of one sticker, the insert is cut to your exact cart, and each SKU carries its own minimum. We cover that trade-off in more detail in stock vs custom packaging, and the structures we build are on our custom packaging boxes page.
Child resistance: certified outer carton or CR primary container
This is the decision that changes the whole spec, so settle it first.
What the federal test actually is
The federal test procedure for child-resistant ("special") packaging is 16 CFR 1700.20, published in the eCFR. It uses panels of children aged 42 to 51 months and a panel of senior adults aged 50 to 70. Under 16 CFR 1700.15(b), a package must show child-resistant effectiveness of not less than 85% without a demonstration and not less than 80% after a demonstration, and senior adult use effectiveness of not less than 90%.
A box that passes that test comes with a test report. A box that merely looks like a CR box does not. The quickest check is the one on our child-resistant packaging page: certified, or just CR-style? Ask for the test report. If the answer is a brochure, it isn't certified.
Every certified line we make has a CPSC 16 CFR 1700.20 test report, and we send it on request, before you order if you like.
Which layer has to be child-resistant
Here is the part buyers get wrong. A certified outer carton means the item inside does not have to be child-resistant on its own. But that only helps if your state accepts it. Some states accept a CR carton with non-CR items inside. Others want the primary container to be CR. Check before you commit to a format.
State cannabis rules decide whether child resistance applies to the outer package or to the primary container, so confirm with your state regulator before artwork goes to print. Our overview of cannabis packaging regulations is a good starting point, and child-resistant caps and closures covers the closure side if your plan relies on a CR primary container.
Two things CR does not mean
CR is not airtight. Child resistance keeps children out. It does not always keep air out. If you need a seal, that is a separate spec.
CR is not tamper-evident. CR means the pack was tested so young children cannot open it. Tamper-evident means it is obvious if the pack has been opened. They are different features, and you may need to plan for both.
Inserts and fit: sizing to the cart or the disposable
The insert is what stops the rattle and the breakage. It is also the part most stock packaging skips.
Sizing to your product
Carts on the market are commonly 0.5ml and 1ml, and they differ in length, mouthpiece shape and diameter from one maker to the next. That is why we cut the insert to your product, not to a size chart. Send us the actual cartridge or its exact dimensions, and the insert is cut so it holds the cart snug, top and bottom.
Choosing the insert material
Paperboard. A clean, printable default, available in drawer boxes and cartons.
Moulded pulp. The other insert option we offer in drawer boxes, cut to the product.
Foam. Available as a fitted insert, cut to the product and quoted with the box.
Inserts are quoted with the box, so you see one number for the finished pack.
Disposable vape packaging: what changes
For disposables, the packaging logic is the same. What changes is the shape you are packing around. A disposable is a different shape from a cart, so the carton and insert are sized to that device instead.
Our push-and-pull and side-squeeze child-resistant cartons are made for both vape cartridges and disposables. The carton and the insert are what we supply. The device itself is outside the scope of this guide. The same CR question applies: confirm whether your state accepts a certified outer carton with the device inside, or wants the primary container to be child-resistant.
Printing, finishes and label space
Custom boxes are printed to your artwork. Finishes on our master box sets include soft-touch, foil and emboss, which is how premium lines separate themselves on a crowded shelf.
On a small vape carton, label space is the real constraint. Plan the faces early:
Front: brand, product name and the claim a shopper reads in two seconds.
Back and sides: the required state label text, batch or lot details, and any warnings.
Inside the sleeve or lid: room for a message the buyer sees on opening, if your artwork calls for it.
Many brands on stock packaging rely on applied labels. That works, but it limits you to one face and adds a labelling step for every unit. With a printed carton, the required text is part of the artwork from the start.
Minimums, lead time and what a quote needs
Minimums and per-unit cost
Custom cartons, CR cartons and drawer boxes start at 5,000 units. The minimum is per structure and artwork, so two flavours with different artwork are two minimums. Custom die lines carry a tooling cost, quoted separately.
Running more units lowers the per-unit price, because tooling, plate setup and press makeready spread across a longer run. The jump from the minimum to double the minimum is usually the largest single saving. That is why our quotes show pricing at two or three quantities.
Child-resistant packaging and boxes are quoted individually, so there is no published price list for these lines.
The order path
Send your spec. Dimensions (or the product the packaging has to fit) and artwork or a brief.
Die line and pricing. Within two business days you get a die line and pricing at two or three quantities, plus the real minimum and a production timeline.
Physical proof. You approve a physical proof before production. A custom die line adds a proof step at the start.
Production. 20 business days after proof approval.
Freight. Prices are ex-works. Freight and import duty are quoted with the order. Sea freight is the default and is what our lead times assume, with air available. Packaging is made in China and we ship to the US.
If the boxes need a printed shipping outer as well, we make printed corrugated custom mailer boxes.
Quote checklist
Have these ready and the first reply can be a real number, not a list of questions:
Format: CR carton, drawer box, or both
Cartridge or disposable dimensions, or a sample of the product the pack must fit
Count per pack (single, or a multi-pack)
CR mechanism: push-and-pull or side-squeeze, and whether your state requires CR certification
Insert material: paperboard, moulded pulp or foam
Finish you have in mind, or plain print
Quantity per SKU
The state you sell in
Where your artwork is at: final files, a brief, or nothing yet
Send it through our quote page and we come back within two business days.
FAQ
What is the minimum order for custom vape cartridge packaging?
5,000 units for custom cartons, child-resistant cartons and drawer boxes. The minimum is per structure and artwork, so each SKU with its own artwork carries its own minimum.
Does vape cartridge packaging have to be child-resistant?
That is set by state cannabis rules, so check with your state regulator. Where child resistance is required, the federal test procedure for certified CR packaging is CPSC 16 CFR 1700.20, and a certified pack comes with a test report.
Is a child-resistant outer carton enough, or does the cartridge need its own CR container?
It depends on the state. A certified outer carton means the item inside does not have to be CR on its own, and some states accept a CR carton with non-CR items inside. Others want the primary container to be CR. Check before you commit to a format.
How long does a custom vape packaging run take?
You get a die line and pricing within two business days. After you approve the physical proof, production takes 20 business days. A custom die line adds a proof step at the start, and freight is on top, with sea freight as the default.
Can you send the child-resistant test report before I order?
Yes. Every certified line we make has a CPSC 16 CFR 1700.20 test report, and we send it on request, before you order if you like.
Get your vape packaging quoted
Send us the cart or disposable, the count per pack, your state and your quantity per SKU. We will come back within two business days with a die line, pricing at two or three quantities and a production timeline. Request a quote.
