A system and method for matching lids to cartons includes a carton feed conveyor having a plurality of cartons carried at individual flight positions defined along the conveyor, with each of the cartons having a mark applied thereto indicating a type of lid to be applied to the respective carton. A reader is operatively disposed relative to the carton feed conveyor to read the marks. A lid feed conveyor has a plurality of individual flight positions defined thereon, with each flight position on the carton feed conveyor having an assigned flight position on the lid feed conveyor. A lid placer station is supplied with different types of lids from respective separate lid magazines and is disposed along the lid feed conveyor. The lid placer station is in communication with the reader and is configured to select and place lids dictated by the marks from the magazines onto the flight positions on the lid feed conveyor that are assigned to the flight positions on the carton feed conveyor containing the carton and associated mark read by the reader.