ASC Direct vs RAJAPACK: Which Is Best for Custom Boxes?
23rd Sep 2025
ASC Direct and RAJAPACK both supply cardboard boxes to UK businesses – but they approach packaging in very different ways.
If you're searching online for cardboard boxes, there's a good chance you'll come across RAJAPACK.
And it's easy to understand why.
RAJAPACK offers an enormous packaging range, including hundreds of cardboard box sizes alongside tape, protective packaging, mailing bags, warehouse equipment and thousands of other products.
ASC Direct takes a different approach.
While we also sell packaging products, our main specialism is manufacturing custom-sized corrugated cardboard boxes.
Instead of searching through hundreds of stock sizes trying to find the closest match, you can tell us the dimensions you actually need.
And we'll manufacture the box for you.
So, if you're comparing ASC Direct vs RAJAPACK for cardboard boxes, which should you choose?
As you'd probably expect us to say:
It depends on what you need.
What's the main difference between ASC Direct and RAJAPACK?
Perhaps the simplest way of explaining the difference is this:
RAJAPACK gives you an enormous choice of stock boxes.
ASC Direct lets you create the size you actually need.
RAJAPACK currently advertises more than 900 cardboard box sizes.
That's a huge selection.
If you're looking for a standard-sized box, there's a good chance you'll find something relatively close to your requirements.
ASC Direct's Box Builder works differently.
You don't start by searching a catalogue of existing dimensions.
You start with your product.
Measure what you need and enter your required internal:
Length × Width × Depth
Then choose your box style, cardboard grade and quantity.
We manufacture the boxes to those dimensions.
Does RAJAPACK make custom-sized cardboard boxes?
Yes.
This is important to clarify.
RAJAPACK isn't limited to stock boxes.
It also offers bespoke and made-to-measure cardboard boxes, including printed packaging.
So both ASC Direct and RAJAPACK can potentially provide a box manufactured specifically for your product.
But the buying process is different.
RAJAPACK's bespoke cardboard box service currently asks customers to request a quote for their requirements.
ASC Direct's Box Builder is designed around giving you an instant online price.
Enter your dimensions.
Choose your specification.
Choose your quantity.
See the price.
No need to wait for a bespoke quotation before finding out what your boxes will cost.
Custom-sized boxes from just 25
There's another important difference if you're a smaller business or simply don't need huge quantities.
ASC Direct manufactures custom-sized cardboard boxes from just:
25 boxes.
That's useful if you're:
-
Launching a new product
-
Testing a new box size
-
A small ecommerce business
-
Selling handmade products
-
Running an Etsy, eBay or marketplace business
-
Packaging a low-volume product
-
Selling seasonal products
-
Short of storage space
You don't need to buy a huge quantity simply because you want the dimensions made specifically for you.
Start with 25.
If they work, order them again.
When could RAJAPACK be the better choice?
We're ASC Direct, but we're not going to pretend we're automatically the best place to buy every cardboard box.
RAJAPACK has a significant advantage:
Its stock range is enormous.
With more than 900 cardboard box sizes available, if one of those boxes closely matches what you need, it could be a very sensible option.
Stock boxes are manufactured in large quantities.
That can make them extremely cost-effective.
They're already made.
And many stocked RAJAPACK products are available for next-working-day delivery.
If you've suddenly realised you've run out of boxes and need another 100 tomorrow, a stocked product could make far more sense than having something manufactured specifically for you.
Likewise, if you need cardboard boxes, stretch wrap, bags, labels, warehouse equipment and numerous other supplies from one company, RAJAPACK's huge product range is a genuine advantage.
Sometimes stock packaging is exactly the right answer.
When could ASC Direct be the better choice?
The comparison changes when none of those hundreds of stock sizes is quite right.
Imagine your product requires a box around:
320mm × 220mm × 120mm
but the closest economical stock box you can find is:
400mm × 300mm × 200mm
Your product fits.
Problem solved?
Not necessarily.
You've now created a lot of empty space around it.
You can solve that problem with void fill.
But another option is to remove the unnecessary space from the box in the first place.
That's where ASC Direct's approach comes in.
Don't find a box that's close enough. Build the size you actually need.
But won't a RAJAPACK stock box be cheaper?
Quite possibly.
Mass-produced stock cardboard boxes can be extremely inexpensive.
That's one of their biggest advantages.
If you find a £0.60 stock box that fits your product perfectly and does everything you need it to do, there's little reason to pay more simply to say your box is custom-made.
Use the stock box.
The interesting comparison starts when that cheap box doesn't fit particularly well.
Because the cost of packaging isn't necessarily just the price of the empty box.
Look at the cost of the complete parcel
Imagine you have two choices.
Option A: A cheaper stock box that's considerably larger than your product.
Option B: A custom box manufactured closer to the dimensions your product requires.
Option A wins if you only compare the price of the cardboard box.
But what happens next?
Does the larger box require more void fill?
Does it take longer to pack?
Does it use more tape?
Does the product have more room to move?
How much storage space do the flat-packed boxes require?
Is the finished parcel unnecessarily large?
Could its dimensions affect the delivery service you're using?
Suddenly the comparison isn't quite as simple as:
Which cardboard box costs less?
It's:
Which packaging solution works best overall?
900 box sizes sounds like a lot – because it is
RAJAPACK's range of more than 900 cardboard box sizes is impressive.
For many businesses, that's exactly what they need.
But there are almost unlimited combinations of length, width and depth.
Even 900 sizes can't cover every product.
Imagine the closest stock box is just:
50mm too long.
30mm too wide.
40mm too deep.
That might not sound significant.
But multiply that additional space across hundreds or thousands of parcels and you're potentially storing, packing and transporting a considerable amount of unnecessary volume.
With ASC Direct, you don't need us to have your particular dimensions sitting on a shelf.
We manufacture them.
What about multi-depth boxes?
RAJAPACK also offers multi-depth boxes in a number of its ranges.
These are a clever solution.
Pre-scored lines allow the height of the box to be reduced depending on the contents.
If your main problem is excessive depth, a multi-depth stock box could provide exactly the flexibility you need.
Again:
If it works, use it.
But multi-depth boxes don't solve every dimensional problem.
You might need a different length.
A different width.
A very specific combination of all three.
That's when made-to-measure packaging becomes more interesting.
Less empty space can mean less void fill
Void fill has an important purpose.
Products need to be appropriately protected during storage and transportation.
Fragile products may require cushioning regardless of how well the box fits.
But there's a difference between:
Protecting the product
and
Filling a large space because the box is oversized.
Starting with a box closer to the dimensions your product requires can reduce unnecessary empty space.
You can then use protective packaging where it's genuinely required.
Right-sized doesn't mean tight-sized.
Always leave enough room for the protection your product actually needs.
Could custom boxes make packing faster?
This becomes particularly important as your order volume increases.
Imagine someone packing 200 orders.
If every parcel requires them to:
Find the right stock box.
Add the product.
Fill large empty spaces.
Add more void fill.
Check whether the product still moves.
Then seal everything.
Those additional seconds start adding up.
A custom box can help create a more repeatable packing process.
Your team knows which product goes into which box.
They know how it fits.
They know how much protection it requires.
Build. Protect. Pack. Seal. Label.
Efficiency matters when you're doing something hundreds of times.
What about storage?
Cardboard boxes are generally supplied flat-packed.
But flat-packed doesn't mean they take up no space.
If you're buying oversized boxes, you're potentially storing more cardboard than necessary.
This is particularly important for smaller businesses.
Your packaging might be stored in:
A stockroom.
A workshop.
A garage.
A small warehouse.
Or even a spare bedroom.
Storage space has value.
Custom-sized boxes can allow you to hold packaging that's more closely aligned with the products you're actually sending.
And because ASC Direct starts at just 25 boxes, you don't necessarily have to fill that storage space with months of packaging at once.
What if I need my boxes tomorrow?
This is an area where stock packaging has a clear advantage.
RAJAPACK advertises next-working-day delivery across much of its stocked range.
Those boxes already exist.
Custom manufacturing is different.
Your boxes need to be made.
ASC Direct offers different manufacturing service levels depending on how quickly you require your boxes, including an Express option for particularly urgent orders.
But if there's already a suitable stock box sitting in a warehouse ready for next-day delivery, that's difficult for custom manufacturing to beat.
So if your requirement is:
"I need a box tomorrow."
Look at stock packaging first.
If your requirement is:
"I keep buying boxes that don't fit my product properly."
That's when we'd suggest looking at custom manufacture.
What about larger quantities?
ASC Direct's low minimum quantity doesn't mean our boxes are only suitable for businesses needing 25.
You can order larger quantities too.
And as quantities increase, it's worth comparing your options.
Get a price from RAJAPACK.
Get a price from ASC Direct.
Compare the same dimensions and appropriate board specifications.
Then consider the overall packaging process as well as the unit price.
At high volumes, even very small differences in box price matter.
But so can small differences in packing time, material usage and storage.
What about printed boxes?
Both companies offer custom printed packaging.
Printing your cardboard boxes can turn something you already need for delivery into part of your marketing.
Add your:
Logo.
Branding.
Instructions.
Social media details.
Marketing message.
At ASC Direct, you can combine custom printing with the dimensions created through our Box Builder.
This means the packaging can be designed around both:
Your product and your brand.
If printed packaging is your priority, compare the available print options, minimum quantities, lead times and pricing from both suppliers for your particular requirement.
Which has the biggest packaging range?
RAJAPACK.
There's no competition here.
RAJAPACK advertises more than 5,000 packaging and equipment products, covering far more than cardboard boxes.
That's one of the company's biggest strengths.
ASC Direct's proposition is more specialised.
We manufacture cardboard boxes.
More specifically, we're particularly focused on helping businesses order custom-sized corrugated cardboard boxes online without requiring huge order quantities.
If you want thousands of different packaging, warehouse and workplace products under one roof, RAJAPACK has an obvious advantage.
If you want to enter three dimensions and have a corrugated cardboard box manufactured around them, that's where ASC Direct specialises.
Which is best for custom boxes?
There's no universal answer.
It depends on what you're buying.
RAJAPACK could make more sense if:
You can find a suitable box within its extensive stock range.
You need packaging quickly.
You want to consolidate lots of different packaging and warehouse products with one supplier.
You want a multi-depth stock box.
Or its bespoke service meets your requirements.
ASC Direct could make more sense if:
You want a box manufactured to specific dimensions.
You only need a small quantity.
You want an instant online custom-box price.
You want to test a new box size without committing to a large quantity.
You can't find a stock box that fits properly.
Or you're regularly filling unnecessary space inside your existing packaging.
Don't choose ASC Direct just because we're ASC Direct
We'd rather you use the right packaging.
If RAJAPACK has a stock box that fits your product perfectly, offers the strength you need and is available at a great price:
Buy it.
There's little point manufacturing something custom just for the sake of it.
But if you've searched through the stock sizes and you're still compromising, ask yourself why.
Why store a box that's bigger than necessary?
Why buy void fill simply to fill unnecessary space?
Why adapt your product to the packaging?
That's when custom-sized boxes start to make sense.
Find the box – or build the box?
Ultimately, the difference between the two approaches can be summed up with one question.
Do you want to find the closest box – or create the box you actually need?
RAJAPACK gives you an enormous selection to search.
ASC Direct gives you the ability to specify your own dimensions.
And you can start with just 25 custom-sized boxes.
So before placing your next packaging order:
Measure your product.
Work out how much room it needs for appropriate protection.
See whether a stock box already does the job.
If it does, great.
If it doesn't:
Don't make your product fit the box. Make the box fit your product.