Measure the box and contents
Measure the usable box and everything you intend to store before choosing a layout.
Measure the usable box
Section titled “Measure the usable box”Measure the inside width, depth, and height in millimetres. Check several places if the walls taper or the lid has a lip; use dimensions that the finished insert can actually occupy. Record any space you want to leave at the sides and above the insert. For example, a board and rulebook stack can occupy the top reserve.
| Measurement | YAML field | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Usable interior width, depth, height | box.inner_mm | [220, 160, 45] |
| Left, right, front, back space left free | box.side_clearance_mm | [1, 1, 1, 1] |
| Height reserved above the insert | box.top_reserve_mm | 3 |
These values describe available space; they do not increase the measured size of the box. Dimensions and clearances explains where additional fitting room belongs.
Measure what goes inside
Section titled “Measure what goes inside”Start with the edition and expansions you want in the box. Count the pieces, then separate what needs a new compartment from what stays in an existing closed container. A soft bag needs a measured, stable storage envelope; its nominal capacity alone is not enough. Include boards, rules, and player mats even if they will sit above the insert.
| Contents | What to record | Likely storage description |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | Count, sleeved outer width and height, measured height of each planned stack, room to lift them | kind: cards |
| Repeated rigid pieces, such as tiles | Count, outer size of one piece, arrangement, gaps, and handling room | kind: objects |
| Mixed loose pieces | Measured bulk volume, or an estimated volume from solid volume and fill fraction; possible footprint and height | kind: loose |
| A compartment with a size you have already decided | Minimum clear width, depth, and height | kind: explicit |
| Existing closed box | Outside width, depth, height, and room to lift it out | containers |
Measure the outside of sleeved cards and rigid objects. A card stack’s measured height is more useful than a nominal thickness multiplied by the count. If you split a deck, measure each planned stack and make sure the split counts add up to the deck count. For loose pieces, keep a bulk-volume measurement distinct from an estimate based on fill fraction. A designed clear compartment size is a storage choice, not a piece measurement.
Keep a small inventory while measuring. For each item, note its count, dimensions, whether the value was measured or estimated, and where it should be stored. Existing closed containers take up their outside envelope in the layout; their walls do not enclose loose pieces beside them. An objects arrangement similarly reserves enough space for the stated pattern, but does not cut individual pockets around each object. Angled separators and die-shaped pockets are not supported constructions.
With these measurements in hand, describe your components and storage choices.