Food Trays

Custom Cardboard Food Trays

Not every operation needs a tray designed around one dish. A general-purpose tray in two or three sizes covers a varied menu without holding five different lines in stock.

This is the option for kitchens whose menu changes more often than their packaging order does.

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Cut to your own product, not a stock size
Board, print and finish confirmed in writing
Delivered across the UK on national carriers

Short enquiry

Quote for This Product

Tell us the quantity and any date you are working to. We reply with the board, print and finish, plus the minimum order quantity and lead time.

Design Your Own

Design Your Custom Cardboard Food Trays

Pick a colour, put your name on it, and see how the idea reads before you ask anyone for a price. It is a sketch rather than a manufacturing proof — the real shape is cut from the product you already serve.

Sleeve colour

Name on the pack

Finish

Show a repeating pattern

Put the branding on the face that points upwards. That is the one a customer looks at while carrying the tray back to a table.

Carry this into the full designer

The full page adds the size, board, print and quantity, then sends the whole specification over in one go. Nothing is committed to at any point.

One Tray Across a Changing Menu

Street-food traders and event caterers often serve something different each week. A tray specified for a single dish becomes dead stock when the menu moves on.

A general tray in a grease-resistant board handles most things adequately and nothing perfectly, which is usually the right trade for a varied operation.

Where one dish dominates your sales, trays shaped for specific dishes will outperform a general size.

Choosing Sizes for a General Range

Two sizes cover most menus; three is usually the practical limit.
Size the larger one for your heaviest, wettest dish.
Keep both in the same board so the printed look is consistent.
Check they nest, or storage becomes the limiting factor.

Ordering both sizes in one run shares the setup cost across them.

Ordering, Artwork and Delivery

Getting a Quote

Tell us the internal size you need and what the tray has to carry. We reply with a written specification, the minimum order quantity and the lead time for your job.

Artwork

Artwork sits on the rim and outer faces; the base is covered by food. Full file requirements are set out in our artwork guidelines.

Turnaround

Lead times depend on the print method, run length and press schedule, so we confirm yours on the quote rather than publishing a single figure.

Delivery in the UK

Orders are dispatched on national carriers to any UK address. Seedelivery information for how dates are given.

Custom Cardboard Food Trays: Common Questions

Is a general tray a compromise?

It is, and knowingly so. It will not hold a hot dog as neatly as a channelled tray or nachos as well as a divided one. For a menu that changes weekly, that trade is usually worth making.

How many sizes should we stock?

Two in most cases. A third gets used rarely and takes up the same storage as the ones that move, which is why it tends to be the first thing dropped at a reorder.

What board should a general tray use?

Specify for the wettest, heaviest thing you serve. A tray lined for that handles dry food perfectly well; the reverse is not true.

Do they nest?

They should, or storage becomes the limiting factor. Check that before ordering two sizes rather than after.

Can we order both sizes in one run?

Yes, and it shares the setup cost between them rather than repeating it, which usually makes the second size considerably cheaper.

Will one artwork work across sizes?

The elements carry over but each size needs its own layout, because the flat shape differs. We re-lay it from your original file.

Do these suit event catering?

They are mostly bought for exactly that, where the menu changes weekly and dish-specific containers would become dead stock.

Where should the print go?

The rim and outer faces. On a general tray the base is covered whatever is served on it.

Can we add a dish-specific tray later?

Yes, and many sites do once a dish settles. The general sizes keep working for everything else in the meantime.

What is the commonest sizing mistake?

Choosing from a stated volume rather than a weighed portion. Volumes describe the tray; weight describes what you actually serve.

Prefer to Talk It Through?

Sizing questions are usually quicker on the phone, especially if you have the product in front of you.

+44 7458 651107 info@conesleeves.co.uk