Wrapping Paper Size Chart: Sheet to Cut for 14 Common Boxes

Wrapping paper chart for common boxes

The box sizes are examples, so measure yours: two shirt boxes from different stores can differ by an inch or two. "Boxes per roll" assumes a roll 25 ft long, cut with the paper turned whichever way wastes less. The last column says whether the piece fits on a flat 20 × 30 in sheet.

9 of the 14 boxes fit on a 20 × 30 in sheet. On a 24 inch roll, the toy or small appliance box, large toy box and very large box are too big to wrap in one piece, because the shorter side of the piece is wider than the roll. Even a 30 inch roll is too narrow for the very large box.

The per-roll counts assume one piece across the roll, which is how most people cut. Small pieces can go side by side: the gift card box piece (10.0 × 6.0 in) fits 3 across a 30 inch roll, so you get 3 times as many as the chart shows.

When a box is too big for the roll

The piece for a boot box is 38.0 × 24.0 in. Its short side is 24.0 in, so a 30 inch roll covers it in one piece and so does a 24 inch roll (7 boxes). The very large box needs 58.0 × 35.0 in, wider than a 30 inch roll and much wider than a 24 inch roll.

For a box that is too wide, there are three ways around it:

• Join two pieces with tape on the back before you wrap, and put the seam on the bottom of the box.
• Wrap the box in two halves: one piece over the top and down the sides, and a second piece over the bottom, overlapping by an inch or two.
• Use a gift bag, a large sack or a sheet of kraft paper from a wider roll, and save the patterned paper for the smaller gifts.

Height uses more paper than you expect

The height of a box counts twice going around it and once more along it, so a deep box takes far more paper than a flat one with the same top. The same 12 × 9 in footprint at different heights:

The 8 inch deep box uses 2.5 times the paper of the 1 inch box and you get 8 from a roll instead of 21. The count falls fastest at 6 inches deep: the long side of the piece (32.0 in) is now wider than the roll, so the piece has to run along it, and a roll gives 9 instead of 17. If you are boxing up a small gift, the shallowest box it fits in saves paper.

How many rolls for a gift list

A typical family list of 20 gifts, all on 30 inch by 25 ft rolls:

The 5 gift card boxes need only a 10.0 × 6.0 in piece each, so cut them from the scraps. The big boxes add up to 1.03 rolls, so buy 2 rolls, and about 114 ft of ribbon (38 yards) for crossed bows on all 20 gifts. The pieces cover 52 sq ft and one roll holds 62.5 sq ft, so careful cutting can get close to one roll, but the second roll leaves room for mistakes and late gifts.

For the paper for each box and how to fold the ends, see how much wrapping paper do I need.

Measuring a box quickly

• Measure the length, width and height of the box in inches, to the nearest half inch.
• Check the box against the chart, or enter the sizes in the calculator for the exact piece.
• Mark the two lengths on the back of the paper (many rolls have a printed grid there) and cut. Add an inch if the paper is thick or you want the pattern to line up across the seam.

Frequently asked questions