10 Inch Pizza Boxes for the Small on Your Menu

Who sells pizza in a 10 inch box?

A 10 inch pizza is the small on most UK takeaway menus. It feeds one hungry person or two light eaters, and it sits just under the 12 inch medium on the price board.

You find it at counter pizzerias, kebab and pizza shops, pubs with a short food menu and dark kitchens running lunch deals. Street food vans with a compact deck or wood-fired oven often build the whole menu around it, because a 10 inch base bakes fast and fits a small peel.

It also suits children's meals, meal deals with a side and late-night single orders. See how it sits next to the other sizes in all our pizza boxes by size.

What size box does a 10 inch pizza need?

A 10 inch (254 mm) pizza goes in a box 10.25 x 10.25 x 1.75 in (260 x 260 x 44 mm) inside. That quarter inch of room lets you slide the pizza in without the crust catching on a wall.

Measure a few baked pizzas, not the dough ball. If your 10 inch bakes out wider than planned, move up a size or send us the measurement, as other sizes are made to order. The full chart is in our pizza box sizes in inches and mm guide.

Which board suits a 10 inch pizza box?

Most shops pack a 10 inch pizza in E-flute, about 1.5 mm corrugated. The span is short, so the lid stays flat and the walls stay square without thicker board.

E-flute also takes print with crisp edges, which matters on a small lid where the logo has less room. It folds quickly and takes up less shelf space.

B-flute, about 3 mm, earns its place on 14 and 16 inch boxes, where a wide lid needs the extra stiffness on a delivery run. Choose it for a 10 inch box only if your drivers stack tall or ride long rounds, since the thicker wall holds heat a little longer. There is more detail in our guide comparing E-flute and B-flute.

• White board: a clean base for bright full colour print
• Brown kraft: a warm, plain look that suits one colour in black or red
• E-flute: the usual pick for 10 inch counter and delivery orders
• B-flute: for tall stacks in the bag or longer delivery rounds

Printing on the lid, sides and inside

The lid of a 10 inch box is roughly the size of a dinner plate, so keep the design simple. One logo, a phone number and your web address read clearly at that size. A full menu does not.

One colour in black or red on brown kraft looks bold and keeps artwork easy. Two colours on white, such as a dark line with one bright accent, give a hand-drawn feel. Full colour can run across the lid and down all four sides.

You can also print inside the lid, where the customer sees it as the box opens. A matt or gloss varnish can go over the print on a 10 inch lid too. Lay out your artwork on the Design Your Pizza Box page and we send a free proof before anything is printed.

How does steam leave a 10 inch box?

A small pizza still gives off plenty of steam in the first few minutes. Trapped steam softens the base and turns the crust chewy before the box is opened.

Side vents near the top edge of the walls let steam out while the lid stays shut. Keep them clear of stickers and never tape over them.

For a crisper base, add a corrugated liner under the pizza. It sits between the base and the board and takes up oil from a well-dressed topping.

How the box folds and locks

Each box arrives as a flat, die-cut sheet. Once your team has folded a dozen, each one takes a few seconds.

1. Lay the sheet flat, printed side down.
2. Raise the front and back walls of the 10 inch sheet, folding on the scored lines.
3. Fold up the side walls and tuck the corner ears inside them.
4. Fold the inner lip of each side wall down so it locks over the ears.
5. Close the lid and push the front tuck flap into the slot behind the front wall.

The tuck-in front flap holds the lid shut without tape. It opens cleanly at the table and closes again for leftovers.

How many 10 inch boxes fit in a delivery bag?

Each box adds 1.75 in (44 mm) to a stack, so the count depends on the inside height of your bag. Measure it, divide by the box depth, and you have your number.

A bag built for 12 or 14 inch boxes leaves a gap round a 10 inch stack. Pizzas shift in transit, so fill that space with side orders. Two 10 inch stacks will not sit side by side in a 16 inch bag, so plan bags around your best seller.

Put the heaviest pizza at the bottom and keep the stack square, with every front flap facing the same way. The driver can then hand over the right box without lifting the others.

How is a 10 inch pizza cut for the box?

Most shops cut a 10 inch pizza into six slices. Six gives a slice a child can hold and an adult can finish in a few bites. Some cut four for a hand-held lunch or eight for sharing as a starter.

Cut on a board or tray, then slide the pizza in with a peel. Rolling a wheel inside the box scores the base board, and those cut lines let oil reach the outside.

If you prefer to cut in the box, a liner takes the blade instead of the board.

Arrival and storage beside the oven

Boxes come flat, packed in bundles, with free tracked UK mainland delivery in 2 to 3 working days. Production takes 4 to 6 working days after you approve the proof.

Flat 10 inch boxes stack on a narrow shelf beside the oven or under the counter. Fold a short tower before the evening rush and keep the rest flat and dry, away from the sink.

Store printed boxes face down so the lids do not scuff as you pull one from the pile.

Mistakes to avoid with 10 inch boxes

Ordering by dough weight instead of baked size. Measure the finished pizza and choose your box from that.

Packing a 10 inch pizza in a 12 inch box to keep one size on the shelf. The pizza slides, toppings drift to one side and the customer opens a mess.

Crowding the lid with text. On a small lid, one clear logo beats a list of offers.

Taping the box shut. The tuck flap does the job, and tape tears the print when the customer pulls it off.

How do I order 10 inch pizza boxes?

Send us the board, colour and print you want, plus your artwork if you have it. We reply by email with a quote within one working day, with prices from £0.25 a box.

Low minimums are quoted per job, so a new van or a pub trying pizza can start small. We send a free design proof and print nothing until you approve it.

Should any 10 inch boxes reach you misprinted or damaged, tell us within 10 days and we will reprint or refund them. To start, ask for a 10 inch box quote or call +44 7578 382054.