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EVF61020

Single-Piece Stepped Counter Display

This single-piece folding carton forms a tiered, staircase-style counter display for lightweight retail items. Instead of relying on separate shelf inserts that can get lost or misaligned, the entire stepped assembly rolls up from a single continuous extension and locks into the side walls.

Because it requires no glue and ships completely flat, it is highly efficient for distribution to retail stores. However, the unrolled staircase creates a very long, narrow blank, which means production planning must account for press size limits and nesting efficiency.

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  • Available in a wide variety of configurations.

At a glance

  • Single-piece construction with no loose inserts
  • Fully manual, glue-free assembly via locking tabs
  • Suited for lightweight items like cosmetics or cards

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Retail Point-of-Purchase Presentations

Retail Countertop Presentations

The stepped profile provides clear visibility for multiple rows of small products. It is designed to sit on retail counters or shelves, presenting items at an accessible angle while keeping them organized.

Store-Level Assembly and Setup

Because the display is cut from a single piece of board and requires no pre-gluing, it ships completely flat. Retail staff can erect it on-site by folding the side walls up and rolling the central panel into steps.

Organizing Small Packaged Goods

The tiered shelves keep small, uniform items from becoming jumbled on the counter. The side walls prevent goods from slipping off the edges, maintaining a neat presentation throughout the day.

Short-Term Promotional Campaigns

The glue-free, single-piece design makes this display highly efficient for temporary promotions. It can be distributed flat to hundreds of locations and assembled quickly without special tools or adhesives.

Product Categories for Stepped Displays

Cosmetics and Personal Care

The shallow treads and vertical risers are well-suited for small bottles, tubes, lip balms, and compacts. The paperboard construction allows for high-quality graphics on the back wall and front risers.

Trading Cards and Collectibles

Trading cards, gift cards, and small boxed items fit naturally on the horizontal shelves. The stepped arrangement ensures that artwork on the back rows remains visible to shoppers.

Pharmacy and Over-the-Counter Goods

Small boxes of medication, lozenges, or travel-sized health products can be arranged neatly near the register. The display keeps these small items accessible for impulse purchases.

When to Consider Multi-Piece Displays

Heavy or Bulky Products

This display relies on paperboard treads and locking tabs. If you are displaying heavy items like beverage cans or large glass jars, a multi-piece corrugated display with reinforced, load-bearing shelves will be a safer choice.

Deep Shelf Requirements

Because every step adds to the total length of the flat blank, displays requiring very deep shelves or a high number of steps may exceed standard press sizes. In these cases, a display with a separate base and drop-in shelf insert is more practical to manufacture.

Board, Grain, and Transit Choices

Board Grade and Folding Limits

The mechanism requires the back of each step riser to fold 180 degrees flat against itself. This makes standard folding boxboard (FBB) or solid bleached board (SBB) highly practical. Thicker materials or micro-flute corrugated will likely crack or bind on these tight folds and should be avoided unless physically tested.

Grain Direction and Shelf Rigidity

To prevent the horizontal shelves from bowing under product weight and to ensure clean folds on the risers, the board grain must run horizontally across the steps.

Master Carton Planning

This is an open presentation display, not a shipping container. You will need to specify a separate corrugated master carton to transport the loaded displays or the flat blanks to their final destination.

Step Count and Production Footprint

The single-piece design creates an exceptionally long, narrow footprint before folding. Adding steps rapidly increases the overall length of the flat blank, which must fit within the limits of the die-cutting press.

Adjusting the Staircase Profile

Step Count and Blank Length

The template can be adjusted to feature more or fewer steps. Keep in mind that adding steps rapidly increases the overall length of the flat blank.

Shelf Depth and Step Height

The depth of the horizontal shelves and the height of the vertical faces can be modified to match your specific product dimensions.

Back Wall Branding Area

The tall back panel serves as the primary branding area and can be shaped or contoured to match campaign graphics, provided it maintains enough stiffness to anchor the side walls.

Packing details

Tab-and-Slot Locking Mechanism

The display is erected by folding the side walls forward and rolling the long central panel into a zig-zag shape. Each step locks into place using side tabs (tuck tongues) that insert into angled slots on the side walls, securing the display without adhesive.

Flat Blank Length and Press Limits

The single-piece design is clever but creates an exceptionally long, narrow footprint before folding. This can lead to higher scrap rates during die-cutting compared to multi-piece designs. High-volume runs can offset this by ordering custom sheet sizes.

Additional notes

Press Size Limits

The unrolled staircase creates a very long blank. Before finalizing a design with many steps or deep shelves, verify that the total flat length fits on your converter's die-cutting equipment.

Related Display Structures

FAQs

Can this display hold heavy items?

Because it is made from a single piece of paperboard and relies on friction locks, it is designed for lightweight items like cosmetics, cards, or small personal care products. Heavy items can cause the shelves to bow or the locking tabs to tear.

Can I make this out of corrugated board?

The design requires the vertical risers to fold 180 degrees flat against themselves. Corrugated board, even micro-flute, will typically crush or crack on these folds. Standard folding carton board is the intended material.

Does this display require glue?

The entire display is held together mechanically. The steps roll into shape and lock into angled slots on the side walls using integrated tabs, eliminating the need for adhesive.

Who typically assembles this display?

Because it ships flat and requires no glue, it is usually assembled by retail store staff or fulfillment teams right before loading the products. The tab-and-slot design makes it straightforward to fold on-site.

Can I change the number of steps?

The template allows you to adjust the step count, shelf depth, and step height. However, adding steps rapidly increases the length of the flat blank, which must fit within the limits of the die-cutting press.

How is this display shipped to stores?

The display is delivered completely flat. It must be packed inside a separate master shipping carton for transit, and then assembled by staff at the retail location.

Can the back wall be shaped or contoured?

The tall back panel serves as the primary branding area and can be die-cut to match campaign graphics, provided it maintains enough stiffness to anchor the side walls.

How do the steps stay in place?

Each step features side tabs that insert into angled slots on the side walls. Once all steps are rolled into position and locked, the entire staircase becomes rigid.

A clever, single-piece solution for presenting lightweight items clearly and efficiently on the retail counter.