Free tool · by Dharaksha
Free box dieline generator and box template maker
Make a dieline template for any box size in seconds. Pick a style, enter the inside size and your board, and download a true-scale PDF, SVG or DXF with cut, fold, bleed and glue lines. Then design a mycelium insert that fits your product and fold the box up in 3D with your logo. Free, with no sign-up.
About the tool
A dieline template drawn to your exact size
A dieline, also called a box template, box net or packaging template, is the flat shape a box is cut from, with every fold, flap and glue area marked. Most free box templates come in a few fixed sizes, and scaling them up or down breaks the fold allowances. This box template maker draws the dieline from scratch for the size you enter and the board you will use, so the panels, tucks and flaps fit when the box is folded.
Use it to make a printable box template for a quick paper sample, a custom box template to brief your designer, or a production-ready starting file for your printer. It covers six common styles, works in millimetres, centimetres or inches, and exports vector PDF, SVG and DXF files at true scale.
How to use it
How to make a box dieline online
Choose a box style
Pick a straight tuck end or reverse tuck end carton, a mailer box, a tray, a two-piece lid and base box or a sleeve.
Enter the inside size
Type the inside length, width and height your product needs, in mm, cm or inches.
Pick the board
Choose carton board, E-flute or B-flute corrugated, rigid board or honeycomb. The thickness sets the fold allowances.
Check the dieline
Review the cut, fold, bleed and glue lines and the flat blank size. Adjust the glue flap, tuck depth, bleed or notches if you need to.
Design the insert and preview in 3D
Add a mycelium insert with a product-shaped cavity, then fold the box up in 3D with your logo or full-wrap artwork.
Download the template
Export a true-scale PDF, an SVG or a DXF, print a sample at 100% and send the file to your printer.
Tip: measure your product first, add the clearance or insert wall it needs, and enter that as the inside size. The generator works outwards from there.
Box styles
Free box templates in six dieline styles
Each style has its own page with the tool preset to that box, example sizes and answers to common questions.
Tuck end box template
Both lids hinge on the back panel, so the front stays clean. For retail, cosmetic and window cartons.
Open the tuck end box template →
Reverse tuck end box template
Lids hinge on opposite panels and nest well on the sheet. The everyday perfume, cosmetic and pharma carton.
Open the reverse tuck end box template →
Mailer box template
Roll end tuck front mailer with double side walls and locking tabs. Strong, glue-free and made for e-commerce.
Open the mailer box template →
Tray box template
A base with four walls and glued corners. Use it alone, with a sleeve as a drawer box, or as a base.
Open the tray box template →
Lid and base box template
The premium two-piece rigid box. The lid is sized to slide over the base with the right clearance.
Open the lid and base box template →
Sleeve box template
A four-panel band with a glue flap and finger notches that slides over a tray or a box.
Open the sleeve box template →| Style | How panel sizes are worked out (t = board thickness) |
|---|---|
| Straight and reverse tuck end | Each panel = inside size + 1t, measured to the middle of the board. Tuck and dust flaps sized from the width. |
| Mailer box | Base = inside length and width + 3t (double walls and the front tuck); wall height = inside height + 1t. |
| Tray | Base = inside size + 1t; walls = inside height + ½t; corner glue flaps. |
| Lid and base | Base as a tray. Lid inside = base outside + 1 mm clearance on each side; lid depth about 35% of the height unless you set it. |
| Sleeve | Panels = opening size + 1t; length as entered. |
Reading a dieline
Cut, fold, bleed and glue lines explained
Cut lines
Solid red. The knife cuts here to free the box from the sheet.
Fold lines
Dashed blue. The board is creased here so it folds cleanly.
Bleed
The pink band, 3 mm by default. Run background colour and images to its outer edge.
Glue areas
Tinted yellow. Keep ink and varnish off them so the glue bonds.
Dieline PDF, SVG or DXF
The PDF is a vector file at 1:1 with a 100 mm scale-check bar: the one to print and send to your printer. The dieline SVG opens in Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity and Figma for artwork. The DXF box template has separate CUT and FOLD layers for CAD software, sample-making tables, laser cutters and cutting machines. The artwork guide SVG is sized to the bleed for full-wrap designs.
Packaging insert design
A mycelium insert that fits your product, and a box that fits the insert
Most dieline tools stop at the box. This one also designs what goes inside. Enter your product as a box, a cylinder or a bottle, how many go in each pack and how much each weighs. You get a top view and a section of a mycelium insert with a product-shaped cavity, a suggested wall thickness and an approximate insert weight. One click then sizes the outer box to the insert.
Mycelium inserts are plastic-free, home compostable in about 60 days in soil, and give 3× the shock absorption of thermocol (EPS) at equivalent density. As India’s largest mycelium packaging manufacturer, Dharaksha is trusted by brands such as Dabur, Havells and V-Guard. See our mycelium packaging range and luxury packaging for perfume, cosmetic and Ayurveda brands. Shipping something temperature-sensitive? Try the cold chain packaging calculator, and read more on the Dharaksha blog.
True scale, every time
Vector PDF and SVG at 1:1 with a 100 mm scale-check bar, and DXF with separate CUT and FOLD layers.
3D fold-up mock-up
Fold the box up step by step, add your logo or a full wrap and download a PNG mock-up.
Private by design
Your artwork never leaves your device. Share a spec link that recreates your exact box, or send it to us for a quote.
FAQ
Box dieline generator: questions, answered
What is a dieline?
A dieline is the flat, unfolded outline of a box or package. It shows where the sheet is cut, where it is creased and folded, where glue goes and how far artwork should run past the cut (the bleed). Printers and die makers use it to make the cutting die, and designers place the artwork on it.
Is it dieline or die line?
Both spellings are used and mean the same thing. The name comes from the steel cutting die that stamps the box out of the sheet. “Dye line” is a common misspelling.
Is a dieline the same as a box template or a box net?
Yes, for practical purposes. Packaging printers say dieline, designers often say box template or packaging template, and in school maths the flat shape of a box is called a net. This generator makes all of them.
How do I make a dieline for a box?
Choose a box style, enter the inside length, width and height, and pick the board. The generator adds the board-thickness allowances, flaps and glue areas, and you download the result as a PDF, SVG or DXF. The steps above walk through it.
Where can I get free dieline templates?
Right here. Every template is generated to your size, for free, with no sign-up and no watermark. Start from the main tool or open a style page such as the tuck end box template or the mailer box template.
What is the difference between a straight tuck end and a reverse tuck end box?
On a straight tuck end box the top and bottom lids are both hinged on the back panel, so the front stays clean. On a reverse tuck end box the bottom lid is hinged on the front panel, so the two ends tuck in opposite directions and the blanks nest well on the printing sheet.
Why are the dieline panels bigger than my box size?
Board has thickness, so a box folded to the exact inside size would be too tight. Panels are sized to the middle of the board: for a tuck end box each panel is the inside size plus one board thickness, a tray base is the inside size plus one thickness, and a mailer with double walls adds three thicknesses to the base. The rule used is shown under the size inputs.
Which lines are cut lines and which are fold lines?
Cut lines are solid red. Fold (crease) lines are dashed blue. The pink band is the bleed: run your artwork to its outer edge so no white shows after cutting. Glue areas are tinted yellow. The DXF puts cuts on a CUT layer and folds on a dashed FOLD layer.
Is the PDF dieline at true scale?
Yes. The PDF and SVG are vector files drawn at 1:1, and every PDF has a 100 mm scale-check bar. Print at 100% or actual size, not fit to page, and measure the bar.
Can I print a box template on A4 paper?
Yes, if the box is small enough. The flat blank size is shown under the preview. If it fits within 210 × 297 mm, print the PDF at 100% on A4 and cut it out to make a test sample. Larger dielines need A3, a large-format printer or a plotter.
Which file format should I use: PDF, SVG or DXF?
Use the PDF for printing and for sending to your printer, the SVG for editing in Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity or Figma, and the DXF for CAD software, sample-making tables and laser cutters. The artwork guide SVG is the dieline alone, sized to the bleed, for laying out a full-wrap design.
Can I use the SVG or DXF with a Cricut, Silhouette or laser cutter?
Yes. Import the SVG or DXF into your cutting software, set the red lines to cut and the dashed blue lines to score, and check the size before you cut. Use card that matches the board thickness you chose.
Can I open the dieline in Illustrator or Canva?
Yes. Open the PDF or SVG in Illustrator and keep the dieline on its own locked layer. In Canva, upload the PDF or SVG and place your design over it as a guide.
What is a mycelium insert and how thick should its walls be?
A mycelium insert is a moulded cushion grown from agricultural residue and mycelium, with a cavity shaped to your product. It replaces thermocol (EPS) and plastic foam. As a starting point the generator suggests about 12 mm of wall for products up to 250 g, 4 mm more for each extra 250 g, and 3 mm more for glass. Confirm it with a drop test on your product.
Is my logo or artwork uploaded anywhere?
No. Artwork you add for the 3D mock-up stays in your browser and is never sent to a server. The PNG mock-up is also made on your device.
Is the box dieline generator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and the files are yours to use. Check the dieline with your printer or converter and make a physical sample before a production run.
Ready to move your packaging off plastic?
Send us your dieline spec and we will quote a mycelium insert or moulded pack to match, with samples to test on your own line.