Custom Paper Jar Tubes
Custom paper jar tubes from 100 — short, wide kraft canisters that stand in for a glass or plastic jar, with a fitted lid, an optional food-safe liner and a printed band or full wrap.
A jar made of paper, as wide as it is tall
- Board
- Spiral-wound kraft chipboard, 1.5–2.5 mm wall; base disc set and glued
- Sizes
- Short wide canisters from about 3 in to 5 in across
- Lids
- Paper telescoping or shoulder lid; molded-look lid with grip edge
Order online
Order paper jar tube cardboard boxes
Starting from $1.10 per unit
Printed to your artwork or plain, sold in runs of 100 up to 5,000 units per product online. Freight to the US, UK, Canada and Australia is inside the price.
How an online order runs
- Add the units you needThen check out with your delivery address. Add other products to the same order on the way.
- A digital proof comes backLaid on the dieline, before anything prints. Change it as often as you need.
- Pay once you approve itPay by PayPal invoice or bank transfer after you approve your digital proof, or cash on delivery in the US and Canada.
- We make it and ship it deliveredYour delivery date is confirmed with the proof, against the spec and your fill date. Freight and customs are handled on the way to you.
Another size, board or finish, or more than 5,000 units? Send the spec for a price instead. Freight by market and our terms cover delivery and remakes.
Get a price for Paper Jar Tube Cardboard Boxes
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.
Proportions that read as a jar
These are starting points, not a stock list. A jar tube is drawn around what goes in it: the fill weight, the scoop if there is one, and how much headspace the product needs.
| 3 in across, 2 in tall | Lip scrubs, salves, sample-size bath salts, loose tea samplers |
|---|---|
| 3.5 in across, 3.5 in tall | Loose leaf tea, coffee beans, dried herbs, candle vessels |
| 4 in across, 3 in tall | Bath soaks, cookies, gummies, pet treats |
| 5 in across, 4 in tall | Gift sets, hand-poured candles in a jar, bulk dry goods |
Lids for something opened every day
- Paper telescoping lid wound from the same board, so the whole canister is one material.
- Shoulder lid that sits on an inner neck and closes flush with the body.
- Black molded-look lid with a fluted grip edge, for a jar that is opened with wet or oily hands.
- A friction fit set firm enough that the canister can be picked up by the lid when it is full.
If a scoop lives inside, send its length. The tube height is set so the scoop lies flat under the lid.
Keeping dry goods dry
Board takes in moisture from the air, and tea, coffee, sugar scrubs and salts are all affected by it. A jar tube for food or bath products is lined with foil or a coated paper on the inner ply, and the bottom disc is lined to match, so nothing touches raw board. For a product that has to stay sealed until it is sold, a peelable paper or foil membrane goes over the mouth under the lid.
The same build is used for the plain cylinder in our kraft paper tubes for general packing; the jar version differs in its proportions and in a lid made for daily use.
A flat base under a heavy fill
A wide tube with a pound of bath salts in it puts its whole weight on the bottom disc. The disc is set into the tube and glued around its edge, or rolled in with the body, so it does not dish downward and rock on a shelf. For candles poured straight into the tube, a heat-resistant liner and a thicker base go in together.
Plain kraft or a printed band
Many jar tubes are left as natural kraft with a printed label or a narrow band around the middle, which suits a refill or a farm-shop product. A full printed wrap covers the body and lid in color, with the seam placed at the back. Foil stamping and embossing work on the lid top, which is the part a buyer sees first on a shelf. More tube styles are in our range of custom paper tubes.
Paper Jar Tube Cardboard Boxes — 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, 1.5–2.5 mm wall; base disc set and glued
- Sizes
- Short wide canisters from about 3 in to 5 in across
- Lids
- Paper telescoping or shoulder lid; molded-look lid with grip edge
- Lining
- Foil or coated paper inner ply for food, tea and bath products; optional sealing membrane
- Natural kraft with a band or label, or a full-color wrap on body and lid
- Minimum
- 100 jar tubes per size
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 paper jar tube cardboard boxes 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: paper jar tube cardboard boxes
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 Paper Jar Tube Cardboard Boxes
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 paper jar tube cardboard boxes? 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.
What is a paper jar tube?
A short, wide paper canister with a fitted lid, made to sit on a shelf and be opened like a jar rather than like a long mailing tube.
Can a paper jar tube hold loose tea or coffee beans?
Yes. For tea and coffee the inner ply is lined with foil or a coated paper so the board does not take on moisture or odors.
Will a paper jar tube hold a pound of bath salts?
Yes. The base disc is set and glued around its edge, and the wall is chosen for the weight, so the bottom stays flat under a heavy fill.
Can candles be poured straight into a paper jar tube?
They can, with a heat-resistant liner and a thicker base. Send the pour temperature and we set the lining to it.
What lids are available on a paper jar tube?
A paper telescoping lid, a shoulder lid that closes flush, or a black molded-look lid with a fluted grip edge.
How tight is the lid on a paper jar tube?
Firm enough that a full canister can be lifted by its lid, and loose enough to open with one hand every day.
Can a paper jar tube be sealed for retail?
Yes. A peelable paper or foil membrane goes over the mouth under the lid, so a buyer can see the product has not been opened.
Does a paper jar tube have to be printed all over?
No. Natural kraft with a printed band or label is common, and a full-color wrap on body and lid is the other option.
Where does the seam go on a printed paper jar tube?
At the back, so the front of the wrap and the lid top read without a join through the artwork.
Can a scoop fit inside a paper jar tube?
Yes. Send the scoop length and the height is set so it lies flat on top of the product under the lid.
Is a paper jar tube recyclable?
The kraft body and paper lid go in paper recycling. A foil liner or a molded-look lid should be separated first.
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