Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
French Fry Boxes
Custom Food Packaging
Specify thisCustom Printed Cups
French Fry Cups
French Fry Cups built to your specification — your dimensions, your board, your print.
- Minimum order
- 100 units
- Production
- 3–5 business days
- Construction
- paper cup
- Delivery
- US, UK, Canada, Australia
No obligation
Start 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 french fry cups have to cope with
French Fry Cups hold a portion of hot fries served open, gripped in one hand. That is the starting point for the specification, because the rim is the structural element. Fries put no load on the base at all.
In service they are used for quick-service counters and event concessions where fries are carried and eaten immediately.
Where french fry cups are actually used
French Fry Cups are specified for quick-service counters and event concessions where fries are carried and eaten immediately. The rim is the structural element. Fries put no load on the base at all.
- Quick-service counters and event concessions where fries are carried and eaten immediately
- Coffee shops and cafés
- Quick-service restaurants
- Events and catering
The substrate for french fry cups
Greaseproof-lined board with a reinforced or rolled rim.
The options we would consider for this format are below; the rim is the structural element. Fries put no load on the base at all.
- Single-wall PE-lined paperboard
- Double-wall paperboard
- PLA-lined compostable board
- Ripple-wall board
Printing french fry cups
Held at chest height and seen closely. A good small print surface, and one that survives only if grease-resistant.
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 french fry cups
Held at chest height and seen closely. A good small print surface, and one that survives only if grease-resistant.
Every finish listed here is its own pass through the line, so each one is priced on its own rather than folded into a single figure.
- Matte outer
- Gloss outer
- Uncoated kraft outer
- Soft-touch outer
Sizing french fry cups
Scoop and cup formats by portion size, from a small side to a sharing portion.
Send the contents rather than a box size. Board is chosen for the contents weight, which is almost nil, rather than for the grip.
What moves the price
Four things drive a quote more than anything else: the quantity, the print route, the board grade and the number of finishing passes. Dimensions matter too, but usually through how efficiently the shape nests on the press sheet.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. If a cheaper route exists we say so at quoting rather than after the invoice.
Holding french fry cups before service
The cup crumples when gripped, because fries weigh nothing and the hand supplies all the force.
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.
What we need from your files
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
Send the product dimensions, the quantity and your deadline. What comes back is a board grade, a structure, a print method, a lead time and a written price — not a number on its own.
You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.
Sampling before you order
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
French Fry Cups at a specification level
| Product | French Fry Cups |
|---|---|
| Category | Custom Printed Cups |
| 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 French Fry Cups 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
French Fry
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In practice
Where this holds up on a line
The dimensions that matter
Scoop and cup formats by portion size, from a small side to a sharing portion.
The failure we design out
The cup crumples when gripped, because fries weigh nothing and the hand supplies all the force.
Where it is used
Specified for quick-service counters and event concessions where fries are carried and eaten immediately.
What decides the job
The rim is the structural element. Fries put no load on the base at all.
This format sits in our custom printed cups range, alongside 21 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Running french fry cups: common questions
Specification, minimums and lead times for french fry cups.
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 french fry cups, 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.
How long do french fry cups take to produce?
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.
What do french fry cups cost?
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.
Can I see a sample first?
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.
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 french fry cups 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.
Related formats
Ordered alongside on the same service line
Next step
Get a price for French Fry Cups
Send the fill size and the volumes you run. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.