The cardboard box for containing and dispensing large quantities of wire, especially metal wire for welding, comprises a cubic external container with an open top side, an octagonal-base internal container, fitting snugly into the external container and being destined to contain a coil of wire, and a bag-type wrapper made of a flexible airtight material, which is interposed between the external and the internal containers so as completely to cover the internal container and able to be closed and sealed there-upon.