Cut Comb Honey Container Sizes: How to Pick the Right Size for Your Apiary

Picking the wrong cut comb container is the difference between a clean retail product and a leaky, shifting box that looks like an afterthought on the shelf. Choosing among cut comb honey container sizes comes down to three variables: your frame depth, how thick your comb is drawing, and the retail price point you want to hit. This guide maps each variable to the right Pioneer Plastics SKU, including the recently added value-tier 156C-N and 155C-N variants, so you can stock the container that actually fits your operation.

Key Takeaways

• The 156C-N is the workhorse: A full-size container with a 1-3/8″ interior depth that fits a standard 4×4 section of cleanly drawn comb. Use it when your shallow or medium frames produce thick, well-filled comb.
• The 091C is for thinner comb: A 4×4 footprint with a shallower 1-1/8″ interior (versus 1-3/8″ on the 156C-N), which keeps thin comb seated against the lid. Reach for it with foundationless frames or shorter nectar flows.
• The 155C-N is the half-size option: A 9-ounce container that lets you sell smaller sections at a lower retail price point. Pioneer added a half-size box to the line after beekeepers asked for one.
• Frame yield is predictable: A shallow frame typically produces about 4 full-size 4×4 sections or roughly 8 half-size sections.
• Stock both sizes if you sell direct: Full size sells in the $13 to $25 retail range, half size sits at roughly $6 to $12, which captures impulse buyers and gift-shop traffic the larger size misses.
• Deep frames are not suited to cut comb: Most experienced cut comb producers run shallow or medium supers because deep comb is too heavy and fragile to package cleanly.

Why Cut Comb Container Size Matters

Container size controls three things at once: how the comb seats in the box, how much honey leaks during transport, and how the finished product reads to a buyer on the shelf. Get the size wrong in either direction and the product suffers.

Three failure modes show up most often when the container does not match the comb:

• Too tall: The lid does not seat against the comb, the section shifts in transport, and leaked honey pools in the bottom.
• Too short or too narrow: You trim away salable comb to make it fit, which is wasted product and lost margin.
• Wrong interior depth: A standard 1-3/8″ interior swallows thin comb so the lid floats; a 1-1/8″ interior crushes thick comb so the cappings ooze.

The fix is matching the SKU to the comb you are actually producing, not the comb you wish you were producing. If you also need the broader packaging workflow that surrounds this decision (cutting, draining, labeling, and getting to shelf), the full beekeeper’s guide to packaging cut comb honey for retail sale covers the whole process.

The Pioneer Plastics Cut Comb Container Lineup at a Glance

Pioneer Plastics produces three cut comb honeycomb containers: a standard full size (156C-N), a shallower full size for thinner comb (091C), and a half size (155C-N).

Each carton ships same day with free freight to the lower 48 states. The carton counts above are the standard pack quantities for distributor and wholesale buyers. Detailed dimensions and current carton pricing are listed on each SKU’s product page.

Full Size, Standard Depth: The 156C-N

The 156C-N full-size cut comb honeycomb container is the SKU most cut comb producers should reach for first. It holds a standard 4×4 section, has a 14-ounce capacity, and has a 1-3/8″ interior depth that matches cleanly drawn comb from shallow or medium supers. The interior footprint is 4-1/4″ x 4-1/4″, and it ships in a 100-count carton.

Pick the 156C-N when:

• You run shallow or medium frames with cleanly drawn, well-capped comb that fills out to a typical thickness.
• Your comb consistently fills the 1-3/8″ interior without leaving a gap between the comb surface and the lid.
• You sell to standard retail channels such as farmers markets, co-ops, and specialty grocers where a full-size section is the expected unit.

The 156C-N is the current version of Pioneer Plastics’ best-selling full-size cut comb box, and it uses a friction-fit lid for a secure, tight closure. It is also the closest match to what most US bee supply retailers list as their standard 4×4 cut comb box, so beekeepers transitioning from another supplier usually find it the easiest swap. If you are moving over from an older or different box, confirm your typical comb section seats cleanly in the 4-1/4″ footprint before committing to a full carton.

Full Size, Shallow Depth: The 091C

The 091C cut comb honeycomb container holds a standard 4×4 section like the 156C-N, but the interior is shallower at 1-1/8″ instead of 1-3/8″. That quarter-inch difference matters more than it sounds: it keeps thinner comb pressed against the lid for a clean retail presentation instead of letting it float in a half-empty box.

Reach for the 091C in two specific situations:

• Foundationless frames: Comb drawn without foundation often runs slightly thinner than wired-foundation comb because the bees regulate cell depth themselves.
• Short nectar flows: When the flow cuts off early, comb may not draw out to a full 1-3/8″ thickness, leaving you with sections that look starved in a standard-depth container.

If your comb consistently fills a 1-3/8″ interior, the 156C-N is the simpler choice. The 091C exists for the seasons and the frame styles where it does not.

Half Size: The 155C-N

The 155C-N half-size cut comb container holds roughly 9 ounces of comb honey in a 4-1/4″ x 2-1/8″ x 1-9/16″ interior. It is the SKU to keep on hand when a full-size 4×4 section is more than your customer needs or more than your frame yielded.

Three use cases drive most half-size purchasing:

• Salvaging partial frames: When a frame did not draw a full set of 4×4 sections, the half-size box gives you a way to sell the salvageable comb at a clean retail price rather than throwing it back.
• Hitting a lower price point: A half-size section sells in the $6 to $12 range at retail. That price band picks up customers who would never buy a $20 full section.
• Impulse and gift-shop placement: Farm stands, agritourism shops, and tourist-facing gift retailers move half-size containers because they fit a casual buyer’s wallet and a small gift bag.

Pioneer Plastics added a half-size box to the line in direct response to beekeeper requests. Smaller frames, partial harvests, and lower-price retail venues all created demand for something below the standard 4×4, and the half-size container is what answered it. The 155C-N is the current version, and it shares the same secure friction-fit lid as the 156C-N.

How Many Cut Comb Sections Fit in a Frame

Frame yield is the math that drives how many containers you actually need to order. A shallow frame produces a predictable count of sections; a medium frame yields more but with more variability; deep frames are not used for cut comb at all.

Typical yields per frame:

• Shallow frame (5-3/8″ deep): Approximately 4 full-size 4×4 sections, or about 8 half-size sections. This count is the consensus figure cited by bee supply retailers and cut comb how-to references.
• Medium frame (6-1/4″ deep): Many beekeepers report 4 to 6 full-size sections per frame, or up to 10 half-size sections with careful cutting. Yield varies more here because the extra depth creates more trim waste.
• Deep frame (9-1/8″ deep): Not recommended for cut comb. Cut comb producers consistently advise running shallow or medium supers, not deeps, because deep comb is too heavy and fragile to handle cleanly without wire support.

A practical example: if you run 10 shallow frames of cut comb and target the full-size 156C-N, you will need roughly 40 containers to package the harvest. A standard 156C-N carton holds 100 units, so one carton covers about two and a half harvests at that scale. If you cut half of those frames into half-size 155C-N sections instead, you would order roughly 20 full-size and 40 half-size containers

Frame style affects yield too. Wedge-top frames produce a slightly narrower cut and may not perfectly fill a 4×4 container, while split-top, grooved-top, and solid-bottom frames generally produce cleaner cuts that fill the box. If you are buying both sizes, lean toward the half-size 155C-N for any frames where you expect imperfect or partial sections.

Pricing Implications: Why Stocking Both Sizes Pays Off

Cut comb honey commands a premium over extracted honey because the comb itself is the product. USDA reports the average US honey price at $2.69 per pound for 2024, while cut comb honey is categorized as a specialty product that earns a meaningfully higher per-pound return. Container size is the lever that decides which price band you capture.

Typical retail price ranges by size:

• Full-size 4×4 section (12 to 16 oz of comb): Roughly $13 to $25 direct-to-consumer, depending on market and presentation. Treat this as directional. Premium markets and well-branded farm-stand sales sit at the top of the range. Cross-reference USDA pricing data for your local market.
• Half-size section (6 to 8 oz of comb): Roughly $6 to $12 direct-to-consumer. The lower absolute price expands the buyer pool to include impulse customers, gift purchases, and first-time cut comb buyers who hesitate at $20+ per unit.

Stocking both sizes is the strategic play. Full-size sections capture the buyer who came specifically for cut comb. Half-size sections capture the buyer who picked up a jar of extracted honey and grabbed a $8 piece of comb as an add-on. That second buyer does not exist at a $20 price point.

For bee-supply retailers stocking containers for resale, the same logic applies in reverse. Beekeepers visiting your shop manage the same retail spread their customers do, and they will buy whichever container matches what they expect to sell. Carrying both the full and half sizes side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cut Comb Container Sizes

What size are cut comb honey containers?

The US standard cut comb container holds a 4×4 inch section with an interior of roughly 4-5/16″ x 4-5/16″ x 1-3/8″ and a capacity around 14 ounces. Pioneer Plastics’ full-size SKU is the 156C-N, with a 4-1/4″ x 4-1/4″ x 1-3/8″ interior. The half-size 155C-N measures roughly 4-1/4″ x 2-1/8″ x 1-9/16″ and holds about 9 ounces.

How many cut comb sections fit in a frame?

A shallow frame produces about 4 full-size 4×4 sections or roughly 8 half-size sections. A medium frame yields 4 to 6 full-size sections or up to 10 half-size sections with careful cutting. Deep frames are not recommended for cut comb honey because the comb is too heavy and fragile to handle cleanly.

What is the difference between full size and half size cut comb boxes?

A full-size box holds a 4×4 section of comb at roughly 14 ounces and sells in the $13 to $25 retail range. A half-size box holds a 4×2 section at roughly 9 ounces and sells in the $6 to $12 range. The half size is built for partial frames, lower price points, and impulse-purchase venues like farm stands and gift shops.

How do I know which size cut comb container to buy?

Match the container to three things: your frame depth, the typical thickness of your drawn comb, and the price point you want to hit. Standard-thickness comb from shallow or medium frames goes in the 156C-N. Thinner comb from foundationless frames or short nectar flows fits better in the shallower 091C. Partial frames, smaller sections, or lower-price retail placements call for the 155C-N half size.

Why do some cut comb containers have a deeper interior than others?

Cut comb does not draw to a uniform thickness across every frame, season, and frame style. A 1-3/8″ interior (like the 156C-N) suits standard cleanly drawn comb. A 1-1/8″ interior (like the 091C) is designed for thinner comb so the section stays seated against the lid instead of floating in a half-empty box.

For comb that does not fit a standard 4×4 cut, Pioneer Plastics also stocks three smaller honeycomb category SKUs: the 006C quarter-size square, and two round containers (the 015C and the 058C) sized for irregular pieces and trim. These are not cut comb boxes in the traditional sense, but they belong to the same product family. Browse the honeycomb container category to see all six SKUs side by side.

Stock the Right Cut Comb Containers for Your Season

All Pioneer Plastics cut comb containers are injection molded in Dixon, Kentucky and ship from the same facility with free freight to the lower 48 states, so a beekeeper or distributor can stock the full lineup, from a single supplier. Apply for the wholesale distributor program if you carry cut comb supplies for other beekeepers, or contact Pioneer Plastics directly for carton pricing and lead times.