Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
Cardboard Cup Holder
Custom Containers
Specify thisCustom Containers
Made-to-order cold Cup Boxes in single-wall pe-lined paperboard, printed to your artwork and cut to your dimensions.
No obligation
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.
Cold Cup Boxes hold a stack of nested cold cups, either for retail sale or for delivery to a service counter. That is the starting point for the specification, because nest the actual cups and measure that stack. Nesting depth varies with the taper and it is not something that can be calculated from the cup height.
In service they are used for foodservice supply and cash-and-carry, where cartons are stacked on racking and opened progressively.
Cold Cup Boxes are specified for foodservice supply and cash-and-carry, where cartons are stacked on racking and opened progressively. Nest the actual cups and measure that stack. Nesting depth varies with the taper and it is not something that can be calculated from the cup height.
C-flute corrugated with an end-opening dieline, so cups can be drawn from one end without collapsing the carton.
The options we would consider for this format are below; nest the actual cups and measure that stack. Nesting depth varies with the taper and it is not something that can be calculated from the cup height.
Print the count, size and lid compatibility on the end panel — that is the face that shows on a shelf of stacked cartons.
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.
Print the count, size and lid compatibility on the end panel — that is the face that shows on a shelf of stacked cartons.
Each finish below is a separate pass on the press or the finishing line, which is why they are quoted individually rather than bundled.
Set by the nested stack height, which is far less than the cups added together — 50 nested 16 oz cups run around 20 in, not 50 cup heights.
Send the contents rather than a box size. The carton is sized from a rough estimate of the stack rather than from a measured nested stack, so the count per carton is wrong.
The stack telescopes out of the carton end in transit and the rims deform, which means the cups no longer seat properly in a lid.
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.
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.
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.
You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.
A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
| Product | Cold Cup Boxes |
|---|---|
| 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
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What you get
Set by the nested stack height, which is far less than the cups added together — 50 nested 16 oz cups run around 20 in, not 50 cup heights.
The stack telescopes out of the carton end in transit and the rims deform, which means the cups no longer seat properly in a lid.
Specified for foodservice supply and cash-and-carry, where cartons are stacked on racking and opened progressively.
Nest the actual cups and measure that stack. Nesting depth varies with the taper and it is not something that can be calculated from the cup height.
This format sits in our custom containers range, alongside 2 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Specification, minimums and lead times for cold cup boxes.
Nest a stack and measure it — the taper means nesting depth is only a fraction of the cup height, and it differs between cup designs. Send us a nested stack of the actual cups and we will size the carton and confirm the count per case.
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 cold cup boxes, because it changes which stocks are available to you.
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.
With the right adhesive, yes. Standard carton glue becomes brittle in sustained cold and a seam that is sound at room temperature can crack when handled cold. A cold-tolerant adhesive costs very little and prevents it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Paper cup runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. Finishing passes are the lever buyers most often underestimate: each one is a separate run through the line.
Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. Worth running a few through your actual line rather than checking them by hand: fill speed and hot contents find fit problems that a desk check does not.
Related formats
Next step
Send the fill size and the volumes you run. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.