FEFCO box styles explained for packaging buyers
What FEFCO codes mean, the most common corrugated box styles, and how to use them in a packaging specification.
What is a FEFCO code?
The FEFCO code is an international system for describing corrugated box constructions. Developed by FEFCO, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, it gives each style a four-digit reference that buyers, designers and manufacturers all recognise.
For procurement teams, that shared language matters. It removes ambiguity when the same box is quoted by several suppliers, and makes specifications easier to compare.
How to read a FEFCO code
The first two digits identify the series: the family of construction. The last two identify the individual style within it.
- 02: slotted-type boxes
- 03: telescope-type boxes
- 04: folder-type boxes and trays
- 05: slide-type boxes
- 07: ready-glued cases
- 09: interior fittings
The most common styles
FEFCO 0201, the regular slotted case, is the most widely used corrugated box. FEFCO 0203 has fully overlapping flaps for extra protection top and bottom, while FEFCO 0427 is a die-cut, self-locking box popular for postal and e-commerce packaging.
See 15 common styles, with drawings, in the RightBox FEFCO style guide.
Specifying beyond the code
A FEFCO code describes the shape of a box, not its full specification. A complete specification also needs board grade and flute, internal dimensions, print requirements and tolerances. Read Understanding corrugated board grades for the next step.