OEM Ready 37.2oz/1100ml 10.04"x5.51" Aluminum Tray for Noodle Soup Kit & Curry Laksa

Ten inches long, five and a half wide, and just over two inches deep. That’s 255 by 140 millimeters, if you prefer metric. The capacity is 1100ml, which puts it in an interesting spot: big enough for a generous single portion of noodle soup, small enough that it doesn’t feel like a family platter. But here’s the catch – the rim is crimpable, so you can fold it over a lid, but it’s not leakproof for broth. So why would anyone put noodle soup in it?

Because not all noodle soups are broth-heavy. Think of a dry noodle dish like lo mein, pad thai, or yakisoba – plenty of sauce but no standing liquid. Or a curry laksa where the broth is thick and coats the noodles. Those work fine. One Malaysian restaurant we know uses this tray for their "curry laksa takeout kit." They put noodles, bean sprouts, and tofu puffs in the tray, then a separate small cup of concentrated broth. The customer combines them at home. The 55mm depth keeps everything contained, and the long, narrow shape matches the length of the noodles – no breaking them in half to fit.

From a production standpoint, the 255x140 footprint is a bit unusual. Most foil tray dies are designed for squarer proportions because they nest better. A long, skinny tray like this requires careful tooling to avoid wrinkles along the side walls. The draw ratio – depth divided by smallest width – is about 0.39, which is moderate. Factories that produce this shape typically use a multi stage die: first a pre draw to get the general form, then a final draw to achieve the full 55mm depth. The aluminum needs good elongation properties, so 8011 alloy is common.

Why would a restaurant pick this specific size over a more standard 9x6 inch tray? Fit. Some delivery bags are designed for long, narrow containers. A pizza place that also sells pasta might have hot bags originally meant for pizza boxes – those are wide and shallow. But a bag designed for Chinese takeout boxes (the folded paper kind) often has slots that are about 6 inches wide and 10 inches deep. This tray slides right in. A driver can carry four of these stacked vertically without the bag bulging.

Another angle: portion perception. A round 1100ml bowl looks like a small bucket – wide but not tall. A long, narrow tray at the same volume looks more like a platter. Customers perceive it as more food because it fills the visual field. A meal prep service tested both shapes for the same curry rice portion. The rectangular tray got fewer "small portion" complaints.

Customization for a size like this is straightforward. You can emboss a logo on the bottom, though it will be small due to the narrow width. More practical is custom printing on the lid – cardboard or plastic – with heating instructions and your brand. For larger orders, we can also adjust the wall thickness. A lighter gauge (thinner foil) reduces cost but makes the tray less rigid. Heavier gauge (thicker foil) feels more premium and resists bending during delivery.

Aluminum recycling is the same across shapes. Clean, toss, recycle. The long shape might be less convenient for home recycling bins, but commercial operations bale them flat anyway. Some municipalities accept aluminum trays crushed.

So if you’re running a noodle shop, a takeout spot specializing in long-shaped dishes, or just want a tray that fits a different niche, this 10.04x5.51 size is worth testing. It’s not the most common dimension, but sometimes the uncommon size solves the uncommon problem.