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A 3ml vial box is the printed outer carton that holds one or more 3ml glass vials — usually together with a paper or plastic tray and the vial's label. We print those boxes at our Wenzhou factory from 100 pcs, with free design and proofing, so you can test a real box on a real vial before committing to a bulk run. Quotes go back within 24 hours, samples in 1–3 business days, bulk in 7–15 business days. If you sell peptides, supplements or cosmetics in 3ml vials and you need the outer packaging only, this is the page to start from.

What a 3ml Vial Box Actually Has To Do

Most buyers come to a 3ml vial box for one of three reasons: the vial has to survive shipping, the box has to carry regulated product information, or the box has to make a small product look like a legitimate brand. All three are geometry problems before they are printing problems, which is why we start from the vial and work outward.

A 3ml vial is roughly the size of a thumb, so a loose vial rattles. A box that is 4 mm too wide will let the vial move inside the carton; a box that is 1 mm too narrow will not close once the label is applied. We therefore ask for the vial’s outer diameter, its height including cap, and the label’s finished thickness before quoting. From those three numbers we propose the carton’s internal dimensions, the clearance, and whether a tray is needed at all.

If the box is going into a shelf or a fulfilment bag, the outer dimensions matter too — a carton that is 2 mm too tall can push a mailer into the next postal band. We work from the outer dimension you need rather than the material we prefer, and we will tell you when a requested size is going to cause a problem.

Paper Trays, Plastic Trays and Storage Boxes for 3ml Vials

Inside the box you have three common choices, and the right one depends on how the product travels.

A paper tray is the lightest and cheapest option. It is folded from the same board as the carton, and it holds the vial upright so the cap does not touch the lid. It is the usual choice for a single vial in a retail carton, and it can be printed and finished like the box itself.

A thermoformed plastic tray is the choice when the vial must not move at all, or when more than one vial sits in the same box. Thermoformed trays are shaped to the vial, so each cavity grips the glass, and the tray can be printed or left clear. Cosmetic and pen-style presentations usually go this way. Our trays are made from 100 pcs, the same as our boxes.

A peptide vials storage box is a different job: it is a box for several vials at once, usually with a divider or a multi-cavity tray, and it is built for handling rather than shelf display. If you are shipping six or ten vials to a distributor, this is the format that survives the journey intact.

We produce all three shapes from the same facility, so you are not coordinating a box supplier, a tray supplier and a printer — one artwork approval covers the whole set, and the tolerance relationship between vial, tray and carton is our problem rather than yours.

Printing and Finishing That Suit Small Pharma-Style Packaging

The finish does more work on a small-format box than on a large one, because there is less surface to read. Four options cover almost every request we receive.

Hot foil stamping — gold, silver, red gold or laser silver — gives a vial carton its perceived weight. On a 3ml box the stamp is usually limited to the logo, the product name and a thin rule, because large foil fields on small cartons tend to scuff in transit.

UV spot coating adds a gloss contrast without adding a separate foil step. It is the cheapest way to make one element — often the molecule name or a dosage badge — stand out against a matte background.

Matte or gloss lamination protects the print against the rubbing that happens when boxes are packed into a master carton. Matte film is the more common choice for peptide and supplement branding; gloss film is common for cosmetic cartons.

Embossing raises the logo or a pattern off the surface. It reads as texture rather than colour and is often used on a drawer-style medicine box where the front panel is otherwise plain.

We print on coated paper, kraft, silver card and synthetic stock, and we will tell you when your chosen stock will not hold the finish you have asked for — a heavy emboss on a thin coated sheet will crack, and it is better to hear that before the run than after.

Low MOQ: Why 100 pcs Matters for a First Order

Our boxes, cards and plastic trays start at 100 pcs; labels start at 1,000 pcs. That threshold is deliberate. It is low enough to cover a first order, a product launch or a short seasonal run, and high enough for the printing and die-cutting setup to be done properly rather than approximated.

For a small brand this changes the sequence of the whole project. You can order 100 boxes, fill them, see how the vial sits, photograph the result, and only then decide the size of the next run. You are not pricing a 10,000-piece commitment on the strength of a digital mock-up.

Two practical notes. First, 100 pcs is a production minimum, not a sample quantity — physical samples are a separate, faster step. Second, because a small run amortises setup over fewer units, the per-unit cost of 100 pcs is higher than the per-unit cost of 5,000; we quote both so you can see the trade-off rather than guess at it.

If your launch is genuinely uncertain, order the 100, keep the artwork on file with us, and re-run at the larger quantity once the product sells. Nothing about the artwork or the die changes in between.

How an Order Runs: Design, Sample, Print, Deliver

1. Send the vial data and the quantity. Diameter, height with cap, and how many vials go in one box.
2. We come back with a structural drawing and a quote within 24 hours, including the tray option if one is needed.
3. Free design. If you have artwork, we place it on the dieline. If you do not, we propose one to three structural and visual directions — normally within two to three days — and revise them until the proof is right.
4. Physical sample in 1–3 business days. You check it against the real vial. This is the step that catches a 1 mm error while it is still cheap to fix.
5. Bulk production in 7–15 business days after sample approval, with four quality gates: incoming material, first article, in-process random sampling, and final AQL inspection with any defect held back.
6. Shipping by sea, air or express, to any of the seven regions we currently serve. Payment is by T/T with a 30–50% deposit.

Throughout, the person answering your emails is the person who quoted the job. If something in the tolerance stack needs to change, you hear it from someone who has seen the drawing.

FAQ

What is the minimum order for a 3ml vial box?
100 pcs for boxes and trays. Labels are 1,000 pcs. Physical samples are ordered separately and take 1–3 business days.

Do you supply the tray as well as the box?
Yes. Paper trays and thermoformed plastic trays are both produced here, from 100 pcs, so the box, the tray and the print come from one supplier and one artwork approval.

Can you make a peptide vials storage box that holds several vials?
Yes. Multi-vial storage boxes with dividers or multi-cavity trays are a standard request. Tell us how many vials per box and whether they travel upright.

Can you print into a box that will hold a 3ml cartridge instead of a vial?
Yes — cartridge boxes and blister trays are produced on the same lines. See our cartridge packaging pages for the dimensions that change.

How fast can I see a sample?
Structural drawing and quote within 24 hours; free design proposals in about two to three days; physical sample in 1–3 business days.

What do you need from me to quote?
The vial’s outer diameter, its height with the cap on, how many vials fit in one box, and the quantity you have in mind. Artwork is helpful but not required to start.

Do you make the vials or the labels?
We print the outer packaging — boxes, trays, labels and cards — for peptide, supplement and cosmetic products. We are a packaging supplier, not a pharmaceutical manufacturer. If you need matched vials, caps and stoppers together with the packaging, tell us in the enquiry and we will confirm what we can supply.

Start a 3ml vial box project — send the vial dimensions and your target quantity, and you will have a structural drawing and a price within 24 hours. Free design and free proofing included; boxes and trays from 100 pcs; samples in 1–3 business days.