Custom Paper Tubes

The construction is the same — plies of board wound and glued. The difference is wall thickness and finish. Paper tubes run 0.5 to 1.5 mm with a printed or kraft outer surface and are built to be seen; cardboard tubes run 1.5 to 3 mm and above and are built to take a load.

If the tube is going on a shelf, start with paper. If it is going in a mailbag, start with cardboard.

An uncoated kraft or unlaminated printed tube with a paperboard cap goes into curbside paper recycling as it is. Adding a plastic film lamination, a foil barrier liner or a plastic cap changes that, because the layers have to be separated.

If a fully recyclable pack matters to you, say so at the specification stage rather than at artwork stage — it changes the closure and the finish, not just the material.

Anything under 1½″ internal diameter. That covers lip balm, lipstick, solid perfume, deodorant, seed and sample formats. Below about ¾″ the wall has to stay thin to keep enough internal space, which limits how heavy a board can be used.

Yes. A full-wrap offset print is the standard for retail paper tubes and covers the entire circumference. Supply the artwork with bleed on all four edges, and keep logos and critical type away from the vertical seam where the wrap overlaps itself.

Our standard minimum is 500 pieces. We can produce smaller runs — from around 100 pieces — at a higher per-piece cost, since setup and printing are fixed regardless of quantity. Per-piece cost drops significantly as quantity increases.

Share your size, material, printing and quantity and we will send a quote.

An uncoated kraft or unlaminated printed tube with a paperboard cap is paper, and behaves like paper — it recycles curbside and breaks down in the same way cardboard does. That covers most of this range.

Compostable is a stricter claim than recyclable and it attaches to a specific build, not to the category. A PLA-coated liner is the route to it where a barrier is needed, and the certification has to be confirmed for your exact construction rather than assumed. Tell us if a compostable claim matters and it will be specified from the start.

Yes — a paper tube with a push-up base is the standard plastic-free alternative to a molded lip balm stick, and it is one of the most-requested formats here. Uncoated kraft or unlaminated printed board keeps the whole pack recyclable as paper.

The thing to decide early is the mechanism. A paperboard push-up base keeps the pack all-paper; a plastic screw base is more robust and cheaper but breaks the recycling story. Both are available, and it is worth choosing deliberately rather than at the end.

Yes, and there are several ways to close one. A paperboard plug cap keeps the pack all-paper. A telescoping lid — an outer tube sliding over the inner — gives a gift-box feel with no separate cap. Tin-plate metal ends give the best seal and reseal. A rolled edge with an inner disc suits powders and loose goods.

The closure decides how the pack feels to open more than any other single choice, so it is worth picking it before the artwork rather than after.

Kraft is unbleached brown board with a visible fiber texture. It reads natural and sustainable, takes foil and one- or two-color print beautifully, and needs no lamination — which is what keeps it curbside recyclable.

White-lined board gives a clean printing surface for full-color photographic artwork and pale brand palettes. It costs slightly more and usually wants a laminate to protect the print. Neither is stronger than the other; the wall thickness decides that.

Yes. Supply your colors as Pantone references and offset printing will match them closely; that is the route to take when an exact brand color matters. Digital printing is convenient for short runs but matches spot colors less precisely.

One thing worth knowing: the same ink looks different on uncoated kraft than on white-lined board, because the brown substrate shifts everything warmer. If the color is critical, specify the board at the same time as the color.

Yes. Samples can be provided to confirm sizing, material selection and design details before full production begins, so you can check the structure and the print in your hand rather than on screen.

Free design support comes with it — artwork preparation, layout help, bleed and print-ready file setup, and 3D mockups before manufacturing starts. For a first order it is worth using both, because the two things that go wrong most often are a diameter chosen without the product to hand and artwork laid out before the flat dimensions were confirmed.

Processing takes 3 to 5 business days, which covers printing, packaging and quality checks, and orders are processed Monday to Saturday. Transit is a further 3 to 5 business days, for a total estimated delivery time of 6 to 10 business days.

Timelines vary a little with the destination city and courier workload, and a tracking link is emailed once the order ships. Embossing adds to production time, so allow extra if your build includes it.

Yes — free standard shipping to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Those are the destinations the policy covers, so it is worth checking it applies to yours before you plan around it.

The full terms, including processing and transit times, order tracking and what happens if a shipment is delayed or lost, are set out on the shipping policy page.