Pizza Box Sizes Ireland: The Complete Guide for Takeaways & Restaurants

Choosing the right pizza box size seems straightforward — until you realise a 12-inch pizza does not always fit neatly in a 12-inch box. Irish takeaways and restaurants lose money every month on mismatched boxes: lids that don't close properly, wasted space on small orders, and customers whose first impression of your brand is a battered, bent box.

This guide covers every standard pizza box size available in Ireland, explains what each size is best for, and walks you through the key decisions around material, printing, and ordering — whether you're a single-site chipper in Dublin or a multi-site restaurant group shipping nationwide.

Standard Pizza Box Sizes in Ireland

Pizza boxes are measured by the internal diameter — the size of the pizza that sits inside, not the external box dimension. Here is a breakdown of the most common sizes sold to Irish takeaways:

The 12-inch pizza box is by far the most popular for Irish takeaways, followed closely by 14-inch for weekend and family orders. If you're starting out and want to stock just two sizes, 12" and 14" will cover the vast majority of orders.

Plain vs. Custom Printed Pizza Boxes

Plain brown or white pizza boxes are the default choice for budget-conscious operators — they cost less per unit and are available in bulk with no setup fees. But there is a strong case for custom printed pizza boxes in Ireland:

• →Brand recall: Every delivery is a marketing touchpoint. A box with your logo is a reminder sitting on the customer's counter long after the pizza is gone.
• →Social media: Customers photograph their food before eating it. A branded box dramatically increases the chance your restaurant name appears in that photo.
• →Professionalism: Custom packaging signals quality, which lets you justify higher price points and attract repeat customers.
• →Differentiation: In a competitive Irish market — particularly in Dublin, Cork, and Galway — a memorable box sets you apart from the takeaway down the road.

What to Look for in a Custom Pizza Box

1. Board quality and grease resistance

The most common failure point for pizza boxes is grease soaking through the base, softening the board, and causing the box to sag or collapse. Look for boxes with a grease-resistant inner liner and board weight of at least 350gsm for the base.

2. Ventilation holes

Steam is the enemy of crispy pizza. Boxes with ventilation holes on the sides allow moisture to escape during delivery, keeping the crust from going soggy. This is especially important for deliveries longer than 10 minutes.

3. Lid strength and closure

Auto-lock lids (also called crash-lock) hold their shape and can be assembled one-handed during a busy service. Tuck-in lids are cheaper but prone to popping open. For branded boxes, auto-lock is the better long-term investment.

4. Print quality and colours

CMYK full-colour printing gives you rich, photographic imagery on your box — great for showing off your food photography or brand aesthetic. If you have a simple 1–2 colour logo, spot colour printing is more cost-effective per unit.

How to Order Custom Pizza Boxes in Dublin & Across Ireland

Ordering custom pizza boxes in Dublin or anywhere in Ireland does not have to mean committing to a container-load upfront. At PrintNPack, we offer:

Getting the Best Value Per Unit

The unit cost of custom pizza boxes drops significantly with volume. A batch of 500 boxes will always cost considerably less per box than 100. Here are a few practical tips to reduce your per-unit cost:

• Order a full pallet run at once — storage costs are usually lower than the reprint setup fees you would pay across multiple small orders.
• Standardise on 2–3 box sizes rather than stocking every size. Most takeaways can serve 90% of orders with just 10" and 14" boxes.
• Use 2-colour spot printing if your logo works well in flat colours — it is significantly cheaper than full CMYK.
• Ask about white-label plain boxes in bulk if you want lower cost for delivery nights and reserve branded boxes for collection orders and events.

Pizza Box Sizes: Quick Summary

To recap — if you are setting up a new takeaway in Ireland or reviewing your packaging spend, the key points are:

• ✓ Stock 12" and 14" as your core sizes — they cover the majority of Irish orders.
• ✓ Choose 350gsm+ board with grease-resistant liner for quality protection.
• ✓ Invest in custom printing if you are serving more than 200 covers a week — the brand ROI is real.
• ✓ Order in bulk to reduce your per-unit cost — but start small if you are testing a new design.

Frequently Asked Questions