Custom Kraft Paper Tubes
Custom kraft paper tubes wound to your diameter and cut to your length, with caps that fit, from 100. Plain natural kraft or printed on a wrapped label — the spec and the price come back the same working day.
A cylinder is the one box shape that cannot be folded
- Board
- Spiral-wound kraft chipboard, 1–3 mm wall
- Builds
- Push-in cap, telescoping lid, metal ends, plastic plug; push-up tubes
- Sizing
- Internal diameter from mandrel in ~5 mm steps; any length
Get a price for Kraft Paper 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.
How a tube is wound, and what that fixes
Board strips wind around a steel mandrel at an angle, each layer glued to the last, until the wall is the thickness ordered. The tube comes off the mandrel as a long length and is cut. Two things follow. The internal diameter is set by the mandrel, so it is a fixed value, not a tolerance range. And the wall can be as thick as the job needs, from a light 1 mm for a tea tube to 3 mm for a poster tube that ships alone.
Caps, and the fit that decides everything
The fit between tube and cap is set on a plain sample. A cap that is a fraction loose falls out in the post; a fraction tight cannot be opened by hand. This is the one item on a tube job that we always ask to sample first.
| Push-in kraft cap | Sits inside the tube; cheapest; a plug for dry goods |
|---|---|
| Telescoping kraft lid | A short tube that slides over the outside; a lid you lift off |
| Metal ends (tinplate) | Crimped on; gives a tin look; tea, spices, gifts |
| Plastic plug | Shipping and poster tubes; snaps in, reusable |
Sizing: diameter first, then length
Our paper tubes with fitted lids cover the presentation builds; this page is the plain kraft tube that most jobs start from.
- Internal diameter: the product's widest point plus 2–3 mm. Common mandrels run in 5 mm steps.
- Length: the product plus the cap depth at each end, plus 3 mm.
- Wall thickness: 1–1.5 mm for retail tubes inside a shipper; 2–3 mm for tubes that ship alone.
- Round products (candles, bottles) may need a small insert to stop them rattling.
Plain kraft, or print on the wrap
The wound tube is not printed directly. It is either left as natural kraft, which is the look many brands want, or wrapped in a printed paper label that covers the tube or a band of it. The label is printed flat in full color, foil or emboss, and applied on the tube. A partial band leaves the kraft showing above and below, which is cheap and looks deliberate.
Print on the wrap is a flat print with a seam. Where the seam falls is shown on the dieline; put it at the back.
Where kraft tubes are used
Deodorant and lip-balm push-up tubes, tea and coffee, candles, spirits and gift bottles, posters and prints, socks and small textiles, and sample sets. The common thread is a product that is round or that gains from arriving in a round pack.
Kraft Paper 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, 1–3 mm wall
- Builds
- Push-in cap, telescoping lid, metal ends, plastic plug; push-up tubes
- Sizing
- Internal diameter from mandrel in ~5 mm steps; any length
- Natural kraft, or printed paper wrap in full color, foil, emboss
- Fit
- Cap fit confirmed on a plain sample before the run
- Inserts
- Board or foam to hold round products still
- 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 kraft paper 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: kraft paper 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 Kraft Paper 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 kraft paper 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.
Can you make a tube to my diameter?
Yes. Diameter is set by the mandrel, which come in roughly 5 mm steps, so we choose the nearest size above your product and cut the length to suit.
How thick is the wall?
From 1 mm for a retail tube inside a shipper to 3 mm for a poster tube that travels alone. The quote states it.
Do the caps fit tightly?
That is set on the sample. A cap that is loose falls out and one that is tight cannot be opened, so we always confirm the fit before the run.
Can the tube be printed?
Not directly. It is either natural kraft or wrapped with a printed label, which can carry full color, foil and emboss.
Are they food safe for tea or coffee?
With a food-grade liner or an inner bag, yes. Plain kraft board is not a barrier on its own.
Is a paper tube recyclable?
Yes, the wound board recycles as paper. Metal ends and plastic plugs come off first.
What is the minimum order?
100 tubes.
Can you make push-up tubes for deodorant or balm?
Yes, with a paper push-up base inside the tube. They are wound the same way with a lighter wall.
Do tubes ship assembled?
Yes, they cannot be flattened. Caps are usually shipped fitted or packed alongside.
Can I have a window?
A window can be cut in the wall with a clear film behind it, though it weakens the tube slightly. It is more common on the lid.
Will a candle rattle inside?
If the tube is sized to the candle plus 2–3 mm it should not. Where it does, a board or foam insert holds it centered.
Do you send a spec before making them?
Yes: the diameter, length, wall and cap type, plus the wrap dieline if printed, all with the quote.
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