The flip top box is the most common form a cigarette hard pack takes, the other being the slide box. It normally holds twenty cancer sticks and is often billed as a crush proof alternative to the soft pack. That claim happens to be a lie, but only in its hyperbole. The hard pack usually does a good job of protecting the little fags from damage long enough for each one to suck its eight minutes out of you.

The flip top box is an amazing bit of industrial design. Only a small portion of card stock is wasted (around the lip at the top which is folded over to keep the edge of the top from buckling, or cutting the end-user). This example is from Parliament, but all brands use a vitually identical design for their flip-top boxes, only altering the incline of the angled edges and the particular proportion between top and bottom.

Parliament calls it a "FLIP-TOP® BOX" on the pack's bottom, while Camel says "HARD PACK".

You are looking at an interior and its mirror exterior. Thus, the edges in the middle are the same edge on the box. : and ... indicate valley folds on the interior and mountain folds on the exterior. , , , indicates the opposite fold, respectively. | and _ indicate cut edges. Doubled lines are used to expedite the representation, and do not indicate anything different from single lines. A letter in parentheses indicates a glue-spot where it is mated with its twin. A bare single letter indicates where two panels come together but are not glued. The text and diagonal line indicate the front of the completed box and which end is up.

Note that the glue-spots (E) and (F) actually extend the length of their faces. Also, this diagram will look better using a wider font like Terminal whose slashes are closer to 45°. To give you an idea of the distortion, the exterior flaps marked C & D should be almost square.

    I  N  T  E  R  I  O  R           E  X  T  E  R  I  O  R
        _____________                    _____________
       |     (L)     |                  |             |
      .|.............|.                .|.............|.
     /::     (L)     ::\              /::             ::\   
   /  ::             ::  \          /  ::             ::  \ 
 /    ::             ::    \      /    ::             ::    \ 
| (A) ::             :: (B) |    |     ::             ::     |
|_____::.............::_____|    |_____::.............::_____|
|     ||             ||     |    |     ||             ||     |
|     ||  C       D  ||     |    |  D  ||             ||  C  |
|     ||             ||     |    |     ||             ||     |
|.....::.............::.....|    |.....::.............::.....|
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     :: , , , , , , ::     |    | (B) :: , , , , , , :: (A) |
|    /::             ::\    |    |    /::             ::\    |
|  /  ::             ::  \  |    |  /  ::             ::  \  |
|/    ::             ::    \|    |/    ::           / ::    \|
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::  LIGHTS  /  ::     |
| (I) ::             :: (H) |    |     ::         /   ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::        /    ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::       /     ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::      /      ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::     /       ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    | (F) ::    /        :: (E) |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::   /         ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::  / RECESSED ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     :: /   FILTER  ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|.....::.............::.....|    |.....::.............::.....|
|     ||             ||     |    |     ||             ||     |
|     ||  J       K  ||     |    |  K  ||             ||  J  |
|     ||             ||     |    |     ||             ||     |
|_____::.............::_____|    |_____::.............::_____|
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
| (E) ::             :: (F) |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::     (G)     ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::             ::     |    |     ::             ::     |
|     ::_____________::     |    |     ::_____________::     |
|    /                 \    |    |    /                 \    |
|  /                     \  |    |  /                     \  |
|/                         \|    |/                         \|
'                           `    '                           `

The 'roll bar' adds structural stiffnes to the top of the box where it opens. You are looking at the front (exterior) view, and :: indicates a mountain-fold. This component tesselates a plane perfectly, and no waste is generated cutting it from the sheet. It is usually mounted in the box with its top edges almost meeting the inside top of the box when closed. The cut tabs on the folded edges help keep the box from opening accidentally by way of static friction with the inside sides of the box top. Each brand has a signature profile to the concave shape. The example is again from Parliament, and echoes the 'flying v' brand imagry.

   R  O  L  L     B  A  R
   E  X  T  E  R  I  O  R
 ________           ________
|     :: |         | ::     |
|     |   \       /   |     |
|     |     \   /     |     |
|     |      `v'      |     |
|     ::             ::     |    
| (I) ::             :: (H) |
|_____::_           _::_____|    
         |         |          
          \  (G)  /           
            \   /             
             `v'              

Please do not hesitate to /msg me with information about your brand of choice.

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