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FEFCO 0453

End Slotted Tray

Available in a wide range of custom configurations & material selection.
Order 1 sample. Or order 100K+ units. Or anything in between.
Affordable delivery across North America.
Design support, warehousing, testing, assembly available.
Widest machinery capability in America via 30+ specialist partner plants.

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Product details

Top highlights

Requires hot-melt glue or wire stitching to hold its shape
Optimized for high-speed automated tray erectors
Leaves the top open, requiring a master carton, lid, or shrink wrap for transit

About this product

The end slotted tray is a material-efficient corrugated base designed for high-volume automated packing. Delivered as a flat blank, it relies on hot-melt glue or wire stitching at the four corners to hold its shape, making it a staple for produce lines, shrink-wrapped multi-packs, and heavy-duty pallet caps.

Because it uses simple slots rather than complex folding mechanisms, it minimizes corrugated waste. However, the lack of friction locks means it is a poor fit for manual pack stations without dedicated gluing fixtures.

Common uses

Automated produce packing
Base trays for shrink-wrapped beverage packs
Inverted as heavy-duty pallet caps
Low-profile e-commerce mailers

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High-volume transit, capping, and fulfillment

Automated produce and beverage packing

The flat blanks feed predictably into plunger-style tray erectors, which fold and glue the corners in a single stroke. This makes it a standard base for shrink-wrapped bottles, cans, and dense agricultural goods.

Heavy-duty pallet caps

When inverted, a shallow end slotted tray serves as a rigid lid for bulk bins or heavy-duty corrugated sleeves. The glued corners provide excellent lateral stability to keep stacked pallets aligned.

Internal staging and kitting

Manufacturing facilities use these trays to hold heavy components as they move down an assembly line. The glued corners resist the outward pressure of dense metal or plastic parts better than unglued friction tabs.

Low-profile e-commerce mailers

The flat, shallow profile fits through standard mailboxes, making it a frequent choice for automated fulfillment lines processing books, documents, and flat apparel.

Industries relying on automated tray packing

High-volume fulfillment operations

Operations running thousands of trays per shift benefit from the minimal blank sprawl. The simple slotted design nests tightly during manufacturing, reducing the per-unit material cost compared to complex folding trays.

Food and beverage processors

Processors pairing corrugated bases with automated shrink-wrapping equipment rely on this tray. The glued corners ensure the tray remains perfectly square before the film is applied.

Agricultural packers

Operations packing dense produce rely on the glued corners to maintain a rigid, square shape that resists outward bulging during transit.

When to evaluate self-locking or side-slotted trays

Manual packing stations

If your team erects trays by hand, evaluate a roll-over display tray. Hand-gluing or stapling four corners is slow and often results in skewed trays, whereas a roll-over tray locks together quickly without tools.

Parcel and courier shipping

This is an open tray. If you are shipping individual items through a courier network, you will need a matching lid to create a telescopic box, or you should evaluate a fully enclosed mailer.

Close variants and lookalike dielines

The closest library neighbors include 0452, 0450, 0451. Use this as a variant check if a buyer brings an old code, sample, or dieline that looks close. The deciding details are usually the lock, slot, closure, wall build, part count, or fold sequence.

Fastening, tooling, and board choices

Hot-melt glue versus wire stitching

Standard corrugated boards bond well with hot-melt adhesive. If you are packing heavy industrial goods in double-wall board, the high spring-back tension of the thick flaps may require wire stitching to prevent the corners from popping open.

Straight slots versus offset cuts

A basic tray with straight slots can often be produced on a rotary slotter without custom cutting dies. If your automated erector requires angled flaps or offset scores to fold cleanly, the production route shifts to die-cutting, which involves tooling.

Board caliper and machine tolerances

The fold clearances must match your exact board thickness. If the board is too thick for the slot width, the corner flaps will bind during machine assembly and jam the erector.

Corner flap placement

Depending on your tray erector's plow geometry, the corner flaps can fold inside or outside the end walls. This choice affects the internal packing clearance and the external visual presentation.

Slot, flap, and height modifications

Flap height and glue area

The corner flaps can be extended to provide a larger surface area for adhesive. A wider flap ensures a stronger bond, provided it does not interfere with the tray's internal payload.

Offset scoring

Scores can be slightly offset to help the flaps fold perfectly square. This is often necessary for thicker boards to prevent the corners from bulging outward.

Height reduction compatibility

For operations using automated carton sealers, the tray walls can be scored to allow the machine to trim or fold the height down, matching the exact volume of the packed goods.

Board and packing details

Grain direction and compression strength

In an end slotted tray, the corner flaps are attached to the long side walls. This rotates the corrugated grain direction compared to a side slotted tray, which changes how the tray absorbs vertical stacking weight and how the blank feeds through converter machinery.

Additional notes

Automated mandrel tolerances

If you are using an automated tray erector, the tray's fold clearances must be calibrated to your specific machine's mandrel to prevent jams.

FAQs

Assembly and packing

Can this tray be assembled by hand?

It is highly inefficient to assemble by hand. Because it lacks friction locks, a packer must hold the corners perfectly square while applying hot-melt glue or staples. It is designed for automated tray erectors.

Production and tooling

Does this tray require a custom cutting die?

Not always. If the tray uses straight slots and standard right-angle flaps, it can often be run on a rotary slotter without custom tooling. Angled flaps or offset scores will require a cutting die.

Shipping and route

Can I use this tray for parcel shipping?

Only if you pair it with an outer master carton or a structural lid. As an open-top tray, it cannot secure goods through a mixed-carrier courier network on its own.

Board and finish

Will hot-melt glue work on waxed or coated boards?

Standard hot-melt adhesive often fails on waxed or heavily coated water-resistant boards. In those cases, the corners usually require wire stitching or specialized cold glues.

How does double-wall board affect this tray?

Thick double-wall board creates high spring-back tension when folded. This tension can overpower standard hot-melt glue, causing the corners to pop open. Thick boards also require precise slot widening to prevent the flaps from binding.

Comparison

What is the difference between this and a side-slotted tray?

The difference lies in the flat blank. On an end slotted tray, the corner flaps attach to the long side walls. On a side slotted tray, they attach to the short end walls. This changes the corrugated grain direction and how the blank feeds into automated machinery.

Product fit

Can this tray be used as a lid?

Yes. When inverted, a shallow end slotted tray serves as a rigid, heavy-duty cap for bulk bins or corrugated sleeves, keeping stacked pallets aligned.

What product context helps guide the tray choice?

Share your expected packing volume, whether you use an automated tray erector, the weight of the product, and whether the tray will be shrink-wrapped or palletized.