Folding Carton Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By End-use (Food & Beverage, Household, Healthcare, Personal Care & Cosmetic, Electrical & Electronics, Tobacco), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2025 - 2030

Folding Carton Packaging Market Growth & Trends

The global folding carton packaging market size is expected to reach USD 182.9 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.4% from 2025 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The steady expansion of various end-use industries including food & beverage, electronics, household, personal care & cosmetics, healthcare, and others has been attributing to the growth of the market from the past several years. In addition, the growing demand for sustainable packaging, on account of rising environmental concerns over the use of plastic packaging, has also been contributing to the expansion of the market.

Folding cartons are made up of paperboard, which offers sustainability. Besides, manufacturers are increasingly using the recycled paper pulp and non-wood pulp to extend the suitability of folding cartons further. Moreover, the increasing ban on plastic packaging products, especially on single-use plastic across the world, is expected to expand the application scope of the folding carton in the coming years.

Furthermore, folding cartons offer excellent printability, rigidity, and are available at a lower cost as compared to their counterpart, plastic molded containers. These properties make folding cartons an ideal packaging solution for the packaging of small-medium sized goods. In addition, digital printing improves the product appeal on the retail shelf. This has boosted demand for digitally printed folding cartons substantially, which, in turn, is expected to fuel the growth of folding cartons over the forecast period.

In terms of end-use, the folding carton finds its application in various industries including food & beverage, household, personal care & cosmetics, healthcare, tobacco, electrical & electronics, and others. The food & beverage industry accounted for the largest share in 2018 and is likely to continue its dominance over the forecast period. Increasing demand for packaged food products on account of changing the lifestyle of the consumer is further expected to expand the food & beverage segment in the coming years.

Folding carton finds considerable application in tobacco packaging, especially in cigarette packaging. The global tobacco industry has been witnessing steady growth despite several bans and heavy taxation owing to rising adoption by the millennials. Thus, the steady expansion of the tobacco industry is anticipated to favor the growth of the market in the coming years.

Folding Carton Packaging Market Report Highlights

• The food and beverage industry dominated the folding carton packaging market with a revenue share of 36.7% in 2024.
• The electrical and electronics segment of the folding carton packaging market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 5.7% over the forecast period.
• Asia Pacific folding carton packaging dominated the global market, with a revenue share of 45.7% in 2024.China's folding carton packaging market dominated the Asia Pacific market with the largest revenue share in 2024.