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FEFCO 0457

Ear-Hook Pallet Lid and 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

  • Locks manually via sideways ear hooks without adhesive
  • Single-layer walls use less board than roll-over display trays
  • Requires precise slot tuning when paired with thick double-wall board

About this product

The ear-hook tray is a one-piece, unglued corrugated container that locks together using mechanical friction. Instead of folding walls over themselves, operators lift the sides 90 degrees and push profiled tabs sideways into receiving slots on the adjacent panels.

This single-layer wall construction uses less corrugated board than a traditional roll-over tray. It is a standard choice for heavy-duty pallet lids, Eurobox caps, and shallow industrial totes assembled manually at a pack bench.

Common uses

  • Eurobox pallet lids
  • Shallow agricultural trays
  • Internal warehouse totes
  • Confectionery transport trays

Get a quote

Share what you know. We'll take it from there. Or email us at info@herculeindustrial.com

Best Price Guarantee

Already have a packaging quote? Let us beat it.

Send us the quote you have. We will beat it for the same specifications, quantity, and delivery requirements.

Upload a competing quote

Free quote review. No obligation.

30+specialist partner plants

We supply through the plant best suited to your price, material, production, and delivery requirements.

Why we can beat a lower quote

30+ plants give us more ways to lower the price.

Each plant has different machinery, material costs, order minimums, and freight rates. Our buying volume helps us secure better pricing. We then quote through the plant that gives you the lowest total price for your requirements.

Send us your current quote. Watch us beat it.

Attach it to the quote form or email it to us. We'll review it free and send you our price.

Upload a competing quoteinfo@herculeindustrial.com
Best Price Guarantee terms

To qualify, send a written supplier quote dated within the past 30 days and addressed to your company. It must cover the same dimensions, construction, material, print, finish, quantity, tooling, freight, delivery date, and delivery location. The guarantee does not cover taxes, expired quotes, liquidation or clearance sales, or obvious pricing errors.

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Pallet capping and shallow industrial packing

Pallet and Eurobox lids

Sized to cap large bulk bins or Euro-pallets, the tray provides a rigid, custom-fit cover. The mechanical corners hold the lid square while operators apply stretch wrap or strapping.

Internal warehouse totes

Warehouse teams can assemble these trays on demand to move parts between workstations. The unglued corners allow the tray to be unhooked and stored flat when not in use, though repeated cycling will eventually soften the tabs.

Shallow agricultural trays

For produce packing, the open top provides ventilation and access. The glueless construction keeps adhesives away from the packing environment.

Confectionery and bakery transport

Functions as a shallow, self-assembling tray for moving baked goods to retail points without requiring a gluing station on the production floor.

Logistics, agriculture, and internal kitting

Industrial logistics

Facilities shipping heavy, palletized goods need reliable top caps that assemble quickly without a gluing station. The ear-hook design provides immediate rigidity for strapping.

Manual fulfillment centers

Operations relying on pack benches rather than automated tray erectors benefit from the tool-free assembly. Operators simply fold the walls and push the tabs through the slots.

Agricultural and food packing

Environments that require rapid, seasonal tray forming without hot-melt glue systems rely on mechanical friction locks to keep the packing area clean.

When to evaluate roll-over or glued trays

High top-crush requirements

Because this tray uses single-layer 90-degree walls, it cannot bear the same vertical weight as a tray with double-thick rolled edges. If the tray itself must support heavy stacked pallets, a roll-over style is usually a safer choice.

Automated packing lines

The sideways insertion of the ear hooks requires human hands. If you are running high-speed automated tray erectors, you need a glued or stitched corner design.

Close variants and lookalike dielines

The closest library neighbors include EVF41167_1, 0452, EVF41168_1. 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.

Board thickness, stripping, and assembly planning

Board thickness and lock binding

This structure is highly sensitive to board caliper. If you specify a thick double-wall board for a heavy-duty lid, the receiving slots must be widened and offset. Otherwise, the ear hooks will bind, crush, or tear the slots during assembly.

Die-cutter stripping

The female slots create small pieces of internal waste, known as chads. Your converter must be able to strip these cleanly on the die-cutter, or the slots will arrive plugged, slowing down your pack bench.

Hand assembly speed

Pushing the ear hooks through the tight female slots requires direct thumb pressure. In high-volume manual runs, this can lead to operator fatigue compared to a simple crash-lock base.

Outer strapping and pallet security

As an open tray or unsealed lid, the friction tabs can dislodge under drop shock. It requires heavy external strapping, banding, or an outer master carton for transit.

Adjusting the lock friction and tray profile

Locking flap and slot clearances

The exact shape of the ear hook and the height of the receiving slot can be adjusted to match your specific board grade, ensuring the lock snaps in securely without requiring excessive thumb pressure.

Carrying hand holes

Cutouts can be added to the side panels for manual lifting, though this removes material from the load-bearing walls and adds more internal stripping waste.

Wall height adjustments

The depth of the tray can be extended for deeper bins or kept shallow for simple pallet caps, depending on the required containment volume.

Board and packing details

Parcel shipping limits

As an open tray or unsealed lid, this package requires heavy external strapping, banding, or an outer master carton for parcel transit. The friction tabs can pop out under drop shock.

Locking mechanism variants

0457_1 (Clearance-optimized lock)

A variant that exposes highly granular control over the hook and slot dimensions. This is the preferred starting point when running thick, heavy-duty boards to prevent the locks from tearing.

Additional notes

Die-cut stripping and internal slot waste

The female slots create small pieces of internal waste. If your converter does not strip these cleanly on the die-cutter, the slots will arrive plugged, forcing your packing team to punch them out manually.

Related tray styles

0422: Roll-Over Display Tray

Evaluate this if you need higher side-crush resistance. It folds the walls 180 degrees to trap the corners, creating a stronger, double-thick perimeter.

0452: Glued End Slotted Tray

Evaluate this if moving to automated packing. It drops the mechanical friction locks entirely in favor of hot-melt glue applied by a machine erector.

EVF41167_1: Ear Hook Lock Corner Tray with Lid

EngView neighbor that can look close in CAD. Review it if a sample or dieline seems similar, then verify closure style, slots, wall build, and assembly before treating it as a substitute.

EVF41168_1: Ear Hook Lock Corner Tray with Lid

EngView neighbor that can look close in CAD. Review it if a sample or dieline seems similar, then verify closure style, slots, wall build, and assembly before treating it as a substitute.

FAQs

Shipping and route

Can we use this tray for ecommerce parcel shipping?

Not on its own. The mechanical ear hooks can dislodge if the box is dropped or twisted in transit. For parcel delivery, it must be secured with heavy strapping or placed inside a master shipper.

Assembly and packing

Does this tray require a gluing machine?

No. The corners lock entirely through mechanical friction. Operators fold the walls up and push the side tabs through the end-wall slots by hand.

Comparison

Why choose this over a roll-over tray?

Material efficiency. A roll-over tray folds its walls completely over themselves, which consumes more corrugated board. This ear-hook design achieves a locked corner with single-layer walls.

Board and finish

Can we make this out of heavy double-wall board?

Yes, it is frequently used as a heavy-duty pallet lid. However, the corner slots and hook offsets must be precisely recalibrated for the thicker board to prevent the tabs from tearing during assembly.

Assembly and packing

Can the tray be flattened and reused?

Yes, the ear hooks can be carefully backed out of the slots to return the tray to a flat state. Keep in mind that corrugated board softens with repeated bending, so the locks will lose tension over multiple cycles.

What slows down assembly on the pack bench?

The primary friction point is pushing the ear hooks through the slots. If the board is too thick for the slot, or if the die-cutter failed to remove the internal waste from the slots, operators will struggle to lock the corners.

Can this tray run on automated packing equipment?

No. The sideways insertion of the ear hooks requires manual two-hand assembly. Automated tray erectors typically require a glued or stitched corner design.

Print and finish

How does high-gloss varnish affect the tray?

Heavy coatings or varnishes can reduce the friction between the corrugated layers. If the board is too slick, the ear hooks may slide out of the slots under outward pressure.