01What the lines on a dieline mean
Every dieline uses a few kinds of line. The names are standard; the colors and dash styles are not. The table shows one converter's legend, PakFactory's, where folds are solid red; others draw them differently. The legend that comes with your converter's dieline is the one that counts.
| Line | What happens there | In PakFactory's legend |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | The die cuts through the material: the outline and any slots or windows | Solid black line |
| Crease (fold, score) | The die presses a groove so the board folds cleanly | Solid red line |
| Perforation | A cut-and-tie line that tears by hand, for tear strips and shelf trays | Black dotted or dashed line |
| Glue area | Where adhesive goes to form the box (the glue flap or joint) | Green criss-cross tab |
| Bleed | How far the artwork must run past the cut so no white edge shows | Solid green line outside the cut |
| Safe zone | How far text and logos must stay inside the cut and folds | Green dotted line inside the cut |
The European corrugated standard, the FEFCO Code, goes further and gives each line a code: CL for cutting lines and contours, CI and CO for creases that bend inward or outward, PL for perforations, SC for slotted cuts and GJ for a glued joint. FEFCO built the Code so that simple symbols and style numbers replace long verbal descriptions, understood regardless of language. It also draws every style as seen from the inside of the case.
02Dimensions: inside, outside and board thickness
Box sizes are given as inside dimensions, the space your product gets. FEFCO writes them as L x B x H in millimeters: L is the longer side of the opening, B (breadth) the shorter side, and H the height from the opening to the base. In the US, sizes are usually written length x width x depth, the order ASTM D2658 uses for measuring fiberboard boxes.
Board has thickness, and a fold eats some of it: the inside of the fold loses space while the outside gains it, so converters add a scoring allowance that depends on the board's caliper, as The Packaging School explains for corrugated, which folds at about its midpoint. This is why a dieline from a template site is a starting point: the converter adjusts each panel for the exact board they run, and their dieline is the one the art goes on.
03How a dieline becomes a box
- The supplier draws the dieline for your style, size and board.
- Your designer places the artwork on it, extending background art into the bleed.
- The supplier makes a cutting die shaped to the dieline, with cutting rules for the cuts and creasing rules for the folds.
- Printed sheets are die cut: the die cuts and creases them.
- Cartons are glued on the glue flap and usually ship flat to be folded at packing.
A die is built to one dieline, so PakFactory stresses finalizing the dieline before the die is made: a structural change afterwards means changing or remaking it. Settle the structure on a plain, unprinted sample before artwork. Approving the dieline with the real product inside is part of the packaging lesson in the Product Sourcing Secrets course.
04Box styles and their dielines
Many boxes are one of a few standard styles, and suppliers know them by name or code. Corrugated styles are numbered in the FEFCO Code (0201 is the regular slotted container, the everyday shipping box; 0427 is the roll end tuck front mailer). Folding cartons follow the ECMA Code, where tuck end cartons sit in the A20.20 family.
| Style | Code suppliers use | Where you see it | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular slotted container (RSC) | FEFCO 0201 | Shipping cartons, master cartons | Corrugated boxes |
| Roll end tuck front mailer | FEFCO 0427 | DTC mailers, subscription boxes | Mailer boxes |
| Reverse tuck end | ECMA A20.20 family | Cosmetics, supplements, small goods | Folding cartons |
| Straight tuck end | ECMA A20.20 family | Cartons with a clean front panel | Folding cartons |
You can download all four as free, scalable dielines on our box templates page, in your own size.
05Dieline vs template vs mockup
- Dieline: the production drawing for one specific box, sized for one board, from the supplier.
- Template: a generic dieline for a style, used to plan size and art before you have a supplier's file.
- Mockup: a picture or 3D render of the finished box with art on it, for approvals and marketing. It does not tell anyone where to cut.
Separately, The Dieline is a packaging design website, which is why searching the word turns up design news. This page is about the drawing.
06How to spec it with a supplier
Ask the supplier for their dieline before your designer starts. To get the right one, send these lines.
| No. | Field | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Style | Name and code if known: FEFCO 0201, FEFCO 0427, ECMA reverse tuck end, or a sketch |
| 02 | Inside dimensions | L x W x D in mm or inches, the space the product needs |
| 03 | Board | Board grade or caliper, and flute for corrugated, so they can set allowances |
| 04 | Print side | Outside only, or inside as well |
| 05 | File | Vector PDF or AI, dieline on its own layer, with their line legend, bleed and safe zone |
| 06 | Extras | Windows, tear strips, inserts or hang holes that need their own lines |
Questions to ask the supplier
- Is this dieline drawn for the exact board you will run?
- Which side of the board does the drawing show, outside or inside?
- What bleed and safe zone do you want, and which color is the dieline layer?
- Do you charge for a new cutting die, and do we own it?
07FAQ
Q01What is a dieline?
The flat drawing of a package that shows where it is cut, creased, perforated and glued. Artwork is placed on it, and it is used to make the cutting die.
Q02What is the difference between a dieline and a template?
A template is a generic layout for a box style. A dieline is the production drawing for your exact size and board, usually from your supplier. Start with a template, print on the supplier's dieline.
Q03What do the colors on a dieline mean?
There is no universal color code. Most use one style for cuts and another for creases, plus bleed and safe zone lines. Follow the legend your printer sends with the file.
Q04What file format should a dieline be?
A vector file, usually PDF or Adobe Illustrator, with the dieline on its own layer or spot color set not to print. DXF also turns up from CAD and template tools.
Q05Who makes the dieline, the printer or the designer?
Usually the printer or box maker, because they know the board and their allowances. Designers can draw one for a standard style, but the supplier should check or replace it before the die is made.
Q06Are box dimensions inside or outside?
Inside, by convention. The FEFCO Code gives inside dimensions, length first. US sizes are usually written length x width x depth, the order ASTM D2658 uses.