Longbox

长盒包装 (Longbox) was a retail packaging format commonly used in the North American market during the early days of the audio CD industry. A typical cardboard Longbox is approximately 12 inches tall and 6 inches wide, with a standard Jewel Case inside; its height is similar to that of a 12-inch vinyl record, allowing retailers to continue using existing record display racks while providing more space to showcase the cover art, track listings, and promotional text. The Longbox is not the CD case itself, but rather an additional layer wrapped around the main packaging at the point of sale. Some products place the Jewel Case in the lower half of the box, leaving the upper portion for printing; other variations include windowed designs, plastic strips, anti-theft frames, and other adaptations. After opening the package, consumers typically keep only the inner CD case, so the outer packaging is rarely preserved with used CDs.

The larger size also facilitates store displays and reduces the risk of small items being concealed, but it uses far more cardboard and plastic than a Jewel Case. With the widespread adoption of dedicated CD shelves and growing criticism of packaging waste, major U.S. record company gradually phased out standard Longboxes in the early 1990s, shifting retail anti-theft measures to reusable plastic security cases, electronic tags, and other systems.

The artwork on the longbox is sometimes an extension of the CD cover, and sometimes includes promotional text, stickers, serial numbers, or barcodes not found on the inner sleeve. It can be printed on standard cardboard and may feature cutouts, fold-outs, or special seals; the term “longbox edition” describes the finished retail packaging and does not imply that the disc uses a different master.

The Longbox must also be distinguished from later vertical CD cases, deluxe book-style packaging, and box sets. A product’s elongated shape alone does not automatically classify it as an early CD Longbox; historically, the term typically refers to a disposable outer case designed for retail display that still contains the standard CD inner packaging.