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FEFCO 0201 vs 0427: Shipping Carton or Mailer Box?
By Nguyễn Thành Dân, Founder of Drint · · Updated
Choose FEFCO 0201 when the box only has to protect goods in transit. Choose FEFCO 0427 when the box is part of the customer's first look at the product. 0201 is the standard slotted shipping carton, with flaps that meet in the middle. 0427 is a mailer box with a hinged lid. Drint generates either one at an exact size, with a 3D preview, free to design on.
What are FEFCO codes?
FEFCO is the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers. Its code catalogue gives each common corrugated box style a four-digit number, so a designer, a printer and a die-maker can name the same structure without a drawing. Folding cartons use a separate catalogue from ECMA, with codes such as A20.20.03.01 for a reverse tuck end box.
Drint's dieline catalogue lists about 180 FEFCO and ECMA codes. Each entry has a default size and a link that starts a design on that die.
What is FEFCO 0201?
In Drint's catalogue FEFCO 0201 is the "standard box, flaps meet in the middle". It is a shipping carton made from one sheet: four panels, a glue flap, and four flaps on top and bottom that meet at the centre when closed. Its default size in Drint is 300 × 200 × 220 mm (length × width × height).
It is the box most people picture when they think of a cardboard shipping box. It is supplied flat, set up by the packer, and closed with tape or glue. Its neighbour, FEFCO 0203, has full-overlap flaps instead of flaps that meet.
What is FEFCO 0427?
FEFCO 0427 is a mailer box with a hinged lid. The base, the walls and the lid are one piece, and the lid folds over the box and tucks into the front. Its default size in Drint is 250 × 200 × 80 mm, a shallow box. It is the style behind most e-commerce mailers and pizza boxes.
Similar structures in the same family include FEFCO 0420 (a flip-top mailer with a tuck front) and FEFCO 0885 (a flip-top box with a zipper tear strip).
How do they compare?
| FEFCO 0201 | FEFCO 0427 | |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue name in Drint | Standard box, flaps meet in the middle | Mailer box with hinged lid |
| Default size (L × W × H) | 300 × 200 × 220 mm | 250 × 200 × 80 mm |
| Typical proportions | Taller, deeper boxes | Shallow boxes |
| Closing | Tape or glue on the flaps | Lid tucks into the front |
| Mostly the outside faces, often one or two colours | Outside and inside of the lid are both visible when opened | |
| Best for | Shipping, storage, bulk packing | E-commerce mailers, subscription boxes, gift boxes |
When should I choose 0201?
Choose it when the box is a container for transport and the product has its own retail packaging. It makes sense for heavier or taller products, for bulk orders, and when your packers already work with tape. It is also the most common style, so ask your printer whether they already have a die close to your size.
When should I choose 0427?
Choose it when the customer opens the box and sees the product at once. The lid has an inside face you can print, and no tape is needed to close it. That suits cosmetics, apparel, candles and subscription products, where the unboxing is part of the offer. It works best with shallow products. For a tall product, a different structure fits better.
How do I get the right size?
Both structures depend on knowing which dimensions you give. Say whether your numbers are inside or outside dimensions, and tell the printer the board type and thickness, because thickness changes the dieline. For a mailer, measure the product with its protective packing, then add the clearance you want on each side.
Examples of prompts that work in an AI assistant connected to Drint MCP:
- "List FEFCO 0201 and 0427 dielines and compare them in a table."
- "Create a mailer box, inside 300 × 220 × 80 mm, and export the dieline as PDF."
- "Make a shipping carton FEFCO 0201, inside 400 × 300 × 150 mm, as SVG."
Free accounts get 3 SVG dieline files a month. PDF / AI, and DXF or CF2 files for the die-maker, need Pro, which is unlimited. Setup steps are in the connection guide.
What about printing on corrugated?
Printing on corrugated board is usually flexographic, and fine detail behaves differently from offset on paper. Drint's preflight has rules for it. Text below 8 pt on corrugated is flagged as likely to fill in. Barcodes printed straight on corrugated are flagged below 150% size, because ink spread thickens the bars. Keep logos, small text and barcodes away from folds and flap edges, and put the barcode on a flat panel.
How do I check the box before ordering a die?
- Generate the dieline at your size and look at it in 3D to confirm the fold.
- Print it at 100% on plain paper, cut it and fold it around a dummy of the product.
- Check the clearance, how the lid or flaps close and where the glue flap sits.
- Send the confirmed dieline to the die-maker in the format they ask for.
What other structures are close to these two?
| Structure | Catalogue note |
|---|---|
| FEFCO 0203 | Shipping carton with full-overlap flaps |
| FEFCO 0401 | One-piece wrap, two lid flaps meet in the middle |
| FEFCO 0420 | Flip-top mailer with a tuck front |
| FEFCO 0885 | Flip-top box with a zipper tear strip |
| FEFCO 0946 | Cell dividers for shipping boxes |
Next step
Open the FEFCO 0427 dieline or pick another from the structure codes, enter your size and check it in 3D. Ready to add artwork? Follow how to make a print-ready packaging file. To work from an AI assistant, start with the MCP connection guide.
Sources
- FEFCO, International Fibreboard Case Code, accessed 30 October 2026.
- ECMA (European Carton Makers Association), ECMA Code of folding carton styles.
Correction, 3 November 2026: an earlier version said Free accounts get 1 dieline file a month. Free accounts get 3 SVG dielines a month; PDF / AI, DXF and CF2 need Pro.
Frequently asked questions
Is 0201 or 0427 better for e-commerce?
0427 is usual for small and medium products where presentation matters. 0201 is usual when the outside is only protection, or the product is large or heavy.
Which one is easier to assemble?
0427 needs no tape because the lid tucks in. 0201 needs tape or glue on the flaps.
Can I print on the inside of both?
You can design the inside faces on either structure in Drint. Whether it is printed is up to the print process and cost; ask your printer.
Can I get a dieline in an exact size?
Yes. Enter the dimensions in Drint or ask an AI assistant connected to Drint MCP. The file comes as PDF, AI or SVG, and as DXF or CF2 for die-makers with Pro.
What is the default size of each?
In Drint, 300 × 200 × 220 mm for 0201 and 250 × 200 × 80 mm for 0427. You can change both.
Where is the full list of codes?
Drint's dieline library lists about 180 FEFCO and ECMA codes, each with a link that opens a design on that die.