Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
Cold Cup Boxes
Custom Containers
Specify thisCustom Containers
Cardboard Cup Holder
Made-to-order cardboard Cup Holder in single-wall pe-lined paperboard, printed to your artwork and cut to your dimensions.
- Minimum order
- 100 units
- Production
- 3–5 business days
- Construction
- paper cup
- Delivery
- US, UK, Canada, Australia
No obligation
Ask for a quote
Name, email, phone and what you are packing and the volumes you run. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.
What cardboard cup holder have to cope with
Cardboard Cup Holder hold two or four filled cups, carried one-handed by someone who is also carrying something else. That is the starting point for the specification, because the handle area needs either a moisture-resistant board or a reinforced aperture. It is the single point where these fail and it fails under load.
In service they are used for coffee shops and drive-through service, where a tray is loaded quickly and carried immediately.
Where cardboard cup holder are actually used
Cardboard Cup Holder are specified for coffee shops and drive-through service, where a tray is loaded quickly and carried immediately. The handle area needs either a moisture-resistant board or a reinforced aperture. It is the single point where these fail and it fails under load.
- Coffee shops and drive-through service, where a tray is loaded quickly and carried immediately
- Coffee shops and cafés
- Quick-service restaurants
- Events and catering
The substrate for cardboard cup holder
Moulded pulp or E-flute corrugated with a moisture-resistant treatment on the handle area.
The options we would consider for this format are below; the handle area needs either a moisture-resistant board or a reinforced aperture. It is the single point where these fail and it fails under load.
- Single-wall PE-lined paperboard
- Double-wall paperboard
- PLA-lined compostable board
- Ripple-wall board
Printing cardboard cup holder
One or two colours flexo. This is a genuinely disposable item and print cost per unit shows up quickly at volume.
Offset lithography, Flexography, Digital press are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.
Finishing cardboard cup holder
One or two colours flexo. This is a genuinely disposable item and print cost per unit shows up quickly at volume.
The finishes below are quoted line by line. Each is an additional pass, so dropping one is a real saving rather than a rounding difference.
- Matte outer
- Gloss outer
- Uncoated kraft outer
- Soft-touch outer
Sizing cardboard cup holder
Standard two-cup and four-cup footprints, with the cup aperture cut to the rim diameter rather than to the base.
Send the contents rather than a box size. It is specified as dry board, when in service it is always damp — from condensation on cold cups or steam from hot ones.
Holding cardboard cup holder before service
The handle aperture tears through while the tray is being carried, because condensation and heat have softened the board around it.
Paperboard also absorbs moisture from the air until it equalises with its surroundings. If stock sits more than about six weeks in unconditioned space, a moisture-resistant coating is worth its small premium.
Preparing artwork
Cup artwork is built on a fan-shaped dieline. Keep type at least 6 mm from the top rim and bottom curl, and expect slight distortion at the seam.
Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.
How an order runs
Tell us what goes inside, how many you need and when. Those three answers are enough for us to specify and price the job properly.
A dieline template follows, sized to your product. Prepress checks your artwork against it and issues a proof; nothing runs until you sign that off.
Testing the fit first
We can produce a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure of cardboard cup holder before committing.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
Cardboard Cup Holder at a specification level
| Product | Cardboard Cup Holder |
|---|---|
| Category | Custom Containers |
| Construction | Paper cup |
| Lining | PE or PLA liquid barrier |
| Rim | Rolled rim, lid-compatible |
| Wall | Single, double or ripple wall |
| Materials | Single-wall PE-lined paperboard, Double-wall paperboard, PLA-lined compostable board, Ripple-wall board |
| Printing | Offset lithography, Flexography, Digital press |
| Finishes | Matte outer, Gloss outer, Uncoated kraft outer, Soft-touch outer |
| Minimum order | Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises. |
| Lead time | 3 to 5 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia |
Specification builder
Specify Cardboard Cup Holder in under a minute
Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.
- 100-unit minimum
- 3–5 day production
- Free dieline
- No obligation
Cardboard Cup
Drag to rotate
In practice
What matters in service
The dimensions that matter
Standard two-cup and four-cup footprints, with the cup aperture cut to the rim diameter rather than to the base.
The failure we design out
The handle aperture tears through while the tray is being carried, because condensation and heat have softened the board around it.
Where it is used
Specified for coffee shops and drive-through service, where a tray is loaded quickly and carried immediately.
What decides the job
The handle area needs either a moisture-resistant board or a reinforced aperture. It is the single point where these fail and it fails under load.
This format sits in our custom containers range, alongside 2 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Cardboard Cup Holder: service and food safety
Specification, minimums and lead times for cardboard cup holder.
Why do cup carriers tear at the handle?
Moisture. Condensation from cold drinks or steam from hot ones softens the board exactly where the load is concentrated. A moisture-resistant board or a reinforced handle aperture fixes it — heavier dry board on its own does not.
Are these food-contact compliant?
We specify food-contact compliant boards and inks where the pack touches food directly. Tell us whether contact is direct or through a liner for cardboard cup holder, because it changes which stocks are available to you.
How do you stop grease showing through?
A grease-resistant coating or a greaseproof liner. Untreated board will always strike through eventually with hot, oily food — that is a property of the material rather than a quality fault, and it is inexpensive to design out.
Are these suitable for hot and cold drinks?
The wall construction and the lining differ between the two. A cup specified for hot service will sweat with a cold drink, and a cold cup will not insulate. Tell us which service you need, or both if you want a single stock item.
Can you match packaging we already use?
Send the current specification or a physical sample and we will quote to match it rather than proposing an alternative you would then have to re-approve internally. Tell us the coating on the pack you are matching too. Grease and moisture resistance are not visible in a sample and they change which stocks we can quote.
Where do you deliver?
All 50 US states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, on the same timeline everywhere: 3 to 5 business days of production after artwork approval, then 5 to 7 business days in transit. Every run is made to order and shipped directly to your address rather than pulled from stock, so you receive current production rather than whatever has been sitting in a warehouse. Freight is costed separately by weight, volume and destination. This format nests or lies flat, so a large quantity takes up far less freight volume than the finished pack suggests.
Can I order cardboard cup holder in a custom size?
Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the paper cup around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.
What happens after I approve the quote?
We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and paper cups then take 3 to 5 business days.
Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?
Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. The board and coating are held together, so a reorder cannot quietly arrive on a stock with different grease resistance.
Do you offer recycled or recyclable options?
Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for paper cups. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.
What file format should I send artwork in?
A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. The dieline we supply carries the crease positions, so keeping type clear of a crease is easier to solve at layout than at proof.
What is the minimum order for cardboard cup holder?
A flat 100 units on any format. Most paper cups in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.
Next step
Price Cardboard Cup Holder by the case
Send the fill size and the volumes you run. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.