Packaging for Food: Match It to Wet, Oily, Hot or Dry

The simplest way to choose packaging for food is to sort by what the food is like, not what it's called: wet or saucy, oily or fried, hot, cold, or dry. Each of those needs a different material, from PLA-coated paper and sugarcane for sauces and hot meals to corrugated boxes, greaseproof paper and kraft bags for fried and dry items.

Key takeaways

• Wet and saucy food goes in a coated container: the PLA-coated noodle box and lunch box are lined paper made for it.
• Oily and fried food needs something between the food and the box: greaseproof paper sheets inside a corrugated snack box.
• Hot mains and sides can go in sugarcane: the unbleached clamshell closes in one piece, and the 2oz cup holds a side or sauce.
• Dry, handheld food is the easy case: a flat kraft bag does the job, and a twisted-handle kraft bag carries the order.
• Everything is sold by the carton, and each product page shows carton price and price per item.

Why sort packaging by the food, not the dish?

Because the same dish name can mean very different food. A "chicken bowl" might be dry grilled chicken on rice or chicken in curry, and those need different containers. Sorting by texture and temperature usually leaves a short list of containers that covers most of the menu.

A quick way to do it: go through your menu and tag each item as wet, oily, hot, cold or dry (some will be two at once, like a hot curry). Then match each tag to one material below.

What packaging works for wet or saucy food?

Use a container with a coated lining. The 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 1000) and the PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Lunch Box Extra Large (Carton of 200) are both paper with a PLA coating, so the sauce sits against the lining rather than the bare board.

The noodle box is 8oz and suits single serves of noodles, stir-fries, saucy rice and dumplings in sauce. The lunch box is 197x140x90mm and fits a full main with sides, such as curry and rice side by side. For small amounts of dressing or dipping sauce, a separate portion cup keeps the main dry until it's eaten; our guide to disposable sauce cups covers that side of the order.

For smaller saucy sides, the 4oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Bowl is bamboo fibre with a PLA coating.

What should I put oily or fried food in?

Line it. Fried food goes into a corrugated box or onto a tray, but with greaseproof paper between the food and the board. The Corrugated Takeaway Container – Brown Snack Box Large Plain (Carton of 200) is corrugated board at 205x106x76mm, a good shape for chips, wings, fried chicken pieces or a burger and chips.

For the liner, Greaseproof Paper – Yellow Gingham (Carton of 200) is 190x300mm and suits lining a snack box or wrapping a single burger or hot dog. The large version, Greaseproof Paper – Yellow Gingham Large, is 400x330mm for wrapping bigger items or lining a basket. Both are yellow gingham paper.

Which containers suit hot meals?

For a hot main, a sugarcane clamshell is a simple option. The 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell (Carton of 200) is unbleached sugarcane, 229x152x75mm, with a hinged lid, so a hot main closes in one piece with nothing extra to match up.

It suits burgers, grilled meat and veg, rice plates and breakfast boxes. For small hot sides or sauces served alongside, the 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached (Carton of 2000) is a 2oz sugarcane cup in a natural colour.

Hot drinks need cups rather than containers: the 12oz Kraft Coffee Cups – Lined SW Print 90mm are paper with a PLA coating, and the 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print are double wall paper with an aqueous coating.

What about cold and dry food?

Dry food is the most forgiving: pastries, sandwiches, cookies, toasties and bread rolls go straight into a paper bag. The Kraft Bag – 2WB Flat (Carton of 500) is a 200x200mm flat kraft paper bag at $0.02 each, and it can be custom printed with your logo.

Cold food that's also wet, like a dressed salad, belongs back in the "wet" group with the PLA-coated lunch box. Cold food that's dry, like a wrap or a cold sandwich, can go in a flat bag or a snack box.

To carry the whole order, the Kraft Bag – Brown Twisted Handle Takeaway Medium (Carton of 250) is recycled paper, 305x305x175mm, with twisted paper handles.

How do the options compare?

Which one should I buy?

Start from the food you sell most:

• Noodle bars and Asian takeaway (wet, saucy): the 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box for single serves, plus the PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Lunch Box Extra Large for combo meals.
• Fish and chips, chicken shops, burger bars (oily, fried): the Corrugated Takeaway Container – Brown Snack Box Large Plain lined with Greaseproof Paper – Yellow Gingham.
• Cafés doing hot breakfasts and lunches: the 9x6x3 Sugarcane Takeaway Container – Unbleached Clamshell, with the 2oz Sugarcane Serving Container – Cup Unbleached for sauces and sides.
• Bakeries and sandwich counters (dry): the Kraft Bag – 2WB Flat, with the Kraft Bag – Brown Twisted Handle Takeaway Medium for larger orders.
• Caterers with mixed menus: one container from each group, so every dish has a home. If you're planning stock levels, our guide to buying takeaway containers in bulk goes through carton planning.

You can see the full range of takeaway containers side by side, with carton and per-item prices on every product page.

Ordering

There's no minimum order. Delivery is a flat fee set by your postcode, and free once an order passes a set amount; checkout shows the exact cost, and today's rates are on the shipping page. Delivery takes 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days regional. All orders are prepaid online. Damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free; unopened stock cartons can be returned within 7 days of delivery (10% restocking fee, return delivery at your cost). If you already know your list, the quick order page lets you add several cartons at once.

Setting up or restocking your packaging?

Send us your list for a trade quote, or price it yourself in the cost calculator.

No minimum order · free delivery over $750 (metro) / $1000 (regional) · damaged items replaced free · Delivery details