Kraft Food Packaging: A Practical Guide for Kiwi Hospo Operators

What Is Kraft Food Packaging?

Kraft food packaging is made from kraft pulp, a wood-fibre material processed without chlorine bleaching, which gives it that natural brown colour. The paperboard is stronger than standard white card for the same weight, and the unbleached surface handles food-safe coatings and printing without issue.

In a hospo context, you'll encounter kraft in a few distinct forms:

• Solid kraft board — used for pizza boxes, burger boxes, and chip trays. Rigid, stackable, holds structure when hot.
• Kraft paper bags — flat-bottom or SOS style for bakery, takeaway meals, or dry goods. Usually 70–90 gsm.
• Kraft-lined paperboard — white on the outside, kraft on the inside. Common for salad bowls and noodle boxes where branding matters but food contact needs a coating.
• Kraft wrapping paper — uncoated sheets or rolls for wrapping burgers, fish, or lining trays.

Understanding which form you need stops you buying the wrong thing. A kraft bag won't survive a saucy burger bowl. A rigid pizza box is overkill for a lamington.

Step 1 — Match the Format to Your Menu

The right kraft format depends on what you're putting in it, how hot it is, and whether it travels.

Product	Recommended Kraft Format	Key Spec to Check
Pizza (takeaway)	Solid kraft pizza box	Size: 9", 10", 11", 12", 14", 16" — pick to fit your base, not your bench
Burgers	Kraft burger box or clamshell	Vented lid helps steam escape; check height for double-stack burgers
Chips / fries	Kraft chip tray or scoop box	Grease-resistant coating on base; small, medium, large sizing
Salads / grain bowls	Kraft-lined bowl with PLA or PE coating	Coating type matters for compostability claims
Sushi / bento	Kraft bento box with clear lid	Flat base, no coating needed for cold product
Bakery / pastries	Kraft SOS bag or paper bag	70–90 gsm; grease window optional
Fish and chips	Kraft wrap sheets or lined tray	Uncoated 40 gsm sheets or heavier coated trays
Bubble tea / cold drinks	Kraft cup sleeve or carrier	Cup sleeve: 8–24 oz range; carrier: 2 or 4 cup

If a product is wet, oily, or served hot, you need a coated or laminated kraft board. Dry, cool products can go into uncoated kraft without issue.

Step 2 — Understand the Key Specs

Three specs decide whether a kraft pack actually does its job: board weight, coating type, and closure style.

1. Board weight (gsm or micron) — heavier board holds shape longer under heat and moisture. Pizza boxes typically run 350–400 gsm corrugated. Burger clamshells are usually 350 gsm solid board. Lighter is cheaper but it'll go soggy faster.
2. Coating type — uncoated kraft is fine for dry goods and wrapping. Aqueous (water-based) coating adds grease resistance without affecting recyclability. PE (polyethylene) laminate is waterproof but not compostable. PLA (plant-based) laminate is compostable in industrial facilities. Know which you're buying before you make sustainability claims to customers.
3. Closure style — auto-lock base boxes are faster to assemble at speed. Tuck-in tops are cheaper but slower. Clamshells are one-piece and fastest of all. On a Friday night, assembly time is money.

If a supplier can't tell you the gsm, the coating type, and the closure mechanism, that's a problem. These are basic specs, not trade secrets.

Step 3 — Compare Kraft Against Other Materials

Kraft paperboard is not always the right call. Here's how it stacks up against the main alternatives for common hospo uses.

Material	Strengths	Weaknesses	Best For
Kraft paperboard	Strong, printable, looks premium, widely recyclable (uncoated)	Needs coating for wet/oily food; heavier than plastic	Pizza, burgers, dry takeaway, bags
White coated board	Brighter print finish, same structural strength	Bleaching process, less "natural" look	Branded boxes where white is part of the design
Bagasse (sugarcane)	Compostable, handles wet and oily food well, microwave-safe	Higher cost per unit, limited sizes	Hot bowls, trays, plates
Clear PET plastic	Visibility of product, cheap per unit	Not compostable, poor public perception in NZ market	Cold desserts, sushi where visibility matters
Aluminium foil trays	Excellent heat retention, oven-safe	Not recyclable when contaminated with food	Catering trays, oven-ready meals

For most NZ takeaway operators, kraft paperboard is the default because it's available in volume, prints well, and customers accept it. The question is usually which kraft format, not whether to use kraft at all.

Step 4 — Sustainability: What You Can Actually Claim

Kraft packaging is not automatically compostable or recyclable. What you can claim depends on the coating.

• Uncoated kraft — recyclable in standard paper streams in most NZ councils. Safe to call recyclable.
• Aqueous-coated kraft — generally recyclable, but check with your local council. Don't assume.
• PE-laminated kraft — not recyclable, not compostable. It goes to landfill. Don't market it as eco-friendly.
• PLA-laminated kraft — compostable in industrial composting facilities. Not in home compost bins. Only claim compostable if your customers have access to industrial composting collection.

NZ's Ministry for the Environment takes greenwashing seriously, and so does your customer base. If you're not sure what coating is on your current stock, ask your supplier. If they don't know, that's your answer about whether to keep buying from them.

What to Do Next

You now know the formats, the specs, the trade-offs, and the sustainability rules. Here's how to move forward.

1. Write down your top three pack types by menu item and weekly volume.
2. Check the sizes in our catalogue against your actual product dimensions. Measure your burger, not your guess about your burger.
3. If you want custom print (your logo on kraft), check our custom print minimum quantities and lead times before you commit.
4. For stocked lines, orders placed before 4pm on a NZ business day dispatch the same day.
5. Not sure which product is right? Use the live chat or call us. We'll ask two questions and point you at the right box.

Browse our full kraft packaging range or start with the specific category that matches your biggest volume need.

Browse kraft packaging: Kraft Packaging Range