Custom Industrial Cardboard Tubes
Industrial cardboard tubes from 100 — heavy wound walls for winding cores, lined canisters for powders and parts, and tough cylinders for bulk components, specified by crush strength and bore tolerance rather than by how they look on a shelf.
Built for crush strength, not a shelf
- Board
- Spiral-wound kraft chipboard, 2–10 mm wall
- Bore
- Set to your shaft or product; tolerance agreed on the spec
- Liners
- Plain, foil or poly-coated inner ply
Get a price for Industrial Cardboard Tubes
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Where industrial tubes go
- Winding cores for film, labels, tape, paper and textile rolls.
- Canisters for powders, granules, fasteners and small machined parts.
- Protective sleeves for rods, bar stock and cable lengths.
- Shipping containers for filters, gaskets and rolled gasket sheet.
Wall, bore and tolerance
| Light industrial | 2–3 mm wall; canisters and part tubes |
|---|---|
| Medium core | 4–6 mm wall; label and tape cores |
| Heavy core | 8 mm and up; film and textile rolls under load |
| Bore tolerance | Set to your shaft or chuck; checked on the first tubes off the line |
Liners and ends for bulk contents
For powders and oily parts, the inner ply is foil or poly-coated so nothing wicks into the wall. Ends are crimped metal or heavy paper discs for canisters, or left open for cores. If you are choosing an end system for a sealed canister, our page on paper tubes with metal or plastic ends compares them side by side.
Marking and handling
Industrial tubes usually carry a part number, a batch code and an arrow or "this end up" mark, printed in one color on the outer ply or applied as a label. Tubes ship bulk-packed in cartons or on pallets, nested where the sizes allow. For corrugated outers to pack them in, see our double wall corrugated shipping boxes.
Industrial Cardboard Tubes — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Board
- Spiral-wound kraft chipboard, 2–10 mm wall
- Bore
- Set to your shaft or product; tolerance agreed on the spec
- Liners
- Plain, foil or poly-coated inner ply
- Ends
- Open core, crimped metal, heavy paper disc, plastic plug
- Marking
- 1-color part number and handling marks, or applied labels
- Packing
- Bulk in cartons or on pallets
- Minimum
- 100 tubes
On every job
- Print process
- The tube itself is not printed. A wrap is printed offset as a flat sheet and applied, with the seam at the back.
- Color
- CMYK and spot colors on the wrap. Bare kraft takes one color directly, printed on the outer ply as the tube winds.
- Tolerance
- Diameter is fixed by the mandrel; length plus or minus 1 mm. Cap fit is set on a sample with a humidity allowance.
- Tooling
- The mandrel sets the diameter and is not a cost. Tooling is the wrap print and any foil die, made once and kept.
- Food contact
- A food-grade inner ply or a separate inner bag where the tube holds loose tea, coffee or confectionery.
- Sustainability
- The wound board and the paper wrap recycle as paper. Metal ends and plastic plugs are removed first.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build industrial cardboard tubes on
A tube is wound rather than folded, so the wall is built up in layers of board on a mandrel. That gives it drum stiffness, and it means the internal diameter comes from a fixed set of mandrels.
Wound kraft chipboard
Strips of recycled board spiralled and glued. The tube body: strong in compression, recyclable as paper, and naturally brown.
1–3 mm wallLight wall, 1–1.5 mm
For retail tubes that travel inside a shipper — tea, cosmetics, candles. Keeps the tube light and the freight down.
1–1.5 mmHeavy wall, 2–3 mm
For tubes posted on their own: posters, plans, spirits. A thin-walled long tube arrives with a kink in the middle.
2–3 mmPrinted paper wrap
The tube is not printed directly. A printed label is wrapped around it in full color, with foil or emboss, and the seam sits at the back.
120–157gsmTinplate ends
Crimped metal base and lid. The traditional tea and gift tube; adds weight and a different sound when it opens.
CrimpedPlastic plugs
Snap-in ends for shipping and poster tubes. Reusable, removable, and the fit is what stops them pushing out under a stack.
Push-fitFood-grade liners
A laminated or greaseproof inner ply, or a separate inner bag, where the tube holds loose tea, coffee or confectionery.
Inner ply or bagShoulder and telescoping lids
A short second tube over the base, or an inner collar for a flush join. The join is the difference between a container and a gift.
Wound to matchNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
A tube is finished on the wrap, so anything a flat sheet takes, a tube takes.
Bare kraft
No wrap at all. The natural wound board, which is the look most brands choose it for.
Printed wrap
Full color on a laminated paper applied round the tube, with the seam at the back.
Hot foil
On the wrap before it is applied, or on the lid top. Gold on kraft is the category signature.
Deboss on the wrap
Pressed after wrapping so the relief follows the curve.
Two-tone
One paper on the lid, another on the base. Reads as a deliberate design for almost nothing.
Metal ends
Tinplate base and lid. A different weight and a different sound when it opens.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a tube, where diameter comes in steps: industrial cardboard tubes
Length is cut to order, but the internal diameter is set by the mandrel the tube is wound on. Those come in roughly 5 mm steps, so we choose the first step above your product rather than an exact figure.
- Internal diameter
- The product at its widest plus 2–3 mm, rounded up to the next mandrel. Anything more and a round product rolls inside.
- Length
- The product plus the depth of a cap at each end, plus 3 mm. Cut to any figure.
- Wall thickness
- 1–1.5 mm inside a shipper, 2–3 mm for a tube that travels alone. It is the whole protection on a mailing tube.
- Cap fit
- Set on a plain sample. A cap a fraction loose falls out in the post; a fraction tight cannot be opened by hand.
- Outside size
- Carriers measure the outside including the caps — usually about 0.25 in over the bore, and an inch over the length.
- Inserts
- Round products still rattle. A board ring or a foam disc holds a jar or a bottle centered.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Industrial Cardboard Tubes
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a wall and wrap and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about industrial cardboard tubes? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
How thick can an industrial cardboard tube wall be?
From about 2 mm for canisters up to 10 mm for heavy winding cores.
Can industrial cardboard tubes be used as winding cores?
Yes, for film, labels, tape, paper and textiles. Tell us the roll weight so the wall is sized to it.
How close is the bore tolerance on an industrial tube?
Close enough to fit your shaft or chuck. We set it on the spec and check the first tubes made.
Can industrial tubes hold oily parts?
Yes, with a poly-coated or foil inner ply so the oil does not soak into the wall.
Can industrial cardboard tubes hold powder?
Yes, with a lined interior and sealed metal or paper ends.
Are industrial cardboard tubes printed?
Usually with a one-color part number and handling marks, or a label. Full print is possible but rare.
Do you cut industrial tubes to exact length?
Yes, to the length on your spec, with square ends for cores.
How are industrial cardboard tubes shipped?
Bulk-packed in cartons or on pallets, nested where sizes allow.
Are industrial cardboard tubes recyclable?
The board is. Foil or poly liners and metal ends are separated first.
What is the minimum order for industrial cardboard tubes?
100 tubes per bore, wall and length combination.
Can you match a core we already use?
Yes. Send a sample core or its bore, wall and length, and we match it.
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