Making Paper Cup: The Ultimate Selection Guide (2024)

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Damon Zheng

Damon is the Co-Founder of Get Bio Pak Co., Ltd and Sales Manager. 11 years of experience in the hospitality packaging industry, and helped his clients grow their wholesale and coffee brand chain businesses through fruite ffective marketing strategies or cost saving solutions. Damon is passionate about helping his friends succeed, and takes pride in his work. When he's not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and enjoys travelling.

6 Things You Should Know Before You Start Paper Cup Business

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The paper cup market has seen significant growth in recent years due to the increasing demand for convenient and disposable products. Paper cups are commonly used for hot and cold beverages, as well as for serving food items such as ice cream and yogurt.

In this article, we look at the process of starting a standard paper cup manufacturing business in detail. Ideal For: All the coffee paper cup manufacturers, coffee paper cup sellers, coffee paper cup dealers, coffee cup suppliers, disposable material shop owners, and other merchants can use this method to see how to produce excellent coffee paper cups from a manufacturer’s vision.

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Chapter 1

Raw Material Paper Cup

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Chapter 2

Different Kinds Paper Cup

marketing

Chapter 3

Markerting Research Paper Cup

paper cup fans

Chapter 4

Preparation Making Paper Cup

paper cup making machines

Chapter 5

Production Process Paper Cup

delivery

Chapter 6

Promotion Selling Paper Cup

Chapter 1

Raw Material Paper Cup

The raw material of paper cup regularly is wooden pulp paper, some of paper cup manufacturers will use FSC™ certificated paper, coated with barrier material to prevent liquid( Hot or Cold Beverage ) from leaking out or soaking through the cup.

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Wooden pulp paper

Paper has played a significant role in the evolution of our civilization. On the other hand, modern life would be difficult to imagine without paper. The United States of America is the largest paper product market, with high per capita consumption. Furthermore, the major markets in Asia are China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

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Main paper cup raw material brands in China market for your reference:

Stora EnsoAPP, Chenming, SUN, Jixing(Five Star), Yibin, Bohui, Jianghe, Jiulong, Zhongmao, Haijing

Main paper cup raw material brands in India market for your reference:

ITC, Century, TNPL, Wescost, JK paper Mill

Barrier Coated Material

The barrier coated (laminating)material mainly including:

PE(Polyethylene) film coated, Made from oil, unbiodegradable

PLA(Polylactic Acid) film coated, Bioplastic=Poly+plant-based materials(such as corn starch or sugar cane)

PBS(Polyethylene Succinate) film coated, Bio-based and Petroleum-based, biodegradable

Water-based barrier film coated, Natural minerals and polymers, biodegradable

Different Coated Method

Single(one) Side PE Coated Paper, only one side of the paper coated with PE film (appearance: inside of the cup is smooth and bright)

Double(two) Sides PE Coated Paper, Both of the two sides are coated with PE film (both of the cup sides are smooth)

paper thickness explained

Paper Weight(Thickness)

Unit gsm, gram per square meter. 170 gsm paper mean 1 square meter paper weigh 170 gram.

Regular paper weight thickness like 150gsm, 160gsm, 170gsm, 180gsm, 190gsm, 200gsm, 210gsm, 230gsm, 260gsm, 280gsm, 300gsm, 320gsm.

PE Coating Weight : 1 square meter coated PE film weight, From 12-18 gsm

PE Coated Paper Weight : single side PE coated paper weight (raw paper weight + PE coating weight) ; Double sides PE coated paper weight (inside PE coating weight + paper weight + outside PE coating weight)

Chapter 2

Different Kinds Paper Cup

Different materials, application, size makes different kinds of paper cup coming out, get knowledge here 

three type paper cups

Different Material

Single side PE coated paper cups, double sides PE coated paper cups

Different Shape

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Different Size

Paper cup size unit OUNCE (oz)

A weight unit. 1 oz = 28.35 gram , that means 1oz equal 28.35 ml water weight(1 oz cup capacity is 28.35ml)

Regular paper cup sizes like 2.5oz, 3oz, 4oz, 5oz, 6oz, 6.5oz, 7oz, 8oz, 9oz, 10oz, 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, 20oz, 32oz …etc

Paper Bowl size will be bigger,  like 20oz to 60oz

Different Coated Method

Single(one) Side PE Coated Paper, only one side of the paper coated with PE film (appearance: inside of the cup is smooth and bright)

Double(two) Sides PE Coated Paper, Both of the two sides are coated with PE film (both of the cup sides are smooth)

Different Application

Hot drinks cup(coffee cup, tea cup) ; Cold drinks cup(coca-cola cup, beer cup ), Ice-cream cup

Tips: hot drinks and ice-cream can use single PE cup and double PE cup ; But if cold drinks suggest use double PE cup

SINGLE WALL CUP VS DOUBLE WALL CUP

Chapter 3

Markerting Research Paper Cup

Deep study the market, there are four common market research methods: surveys, interviews, focus groups, and customer observation. You can use these methods to collect customer data and understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors.

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  • Study the market to know which size(oz) paper cup and what kinds (cold or hot, single, double or ripple) of cup are most popular.
  • Check with your local marketing buyer on different solutions: like Vending, Dental, Hotel, Cafe Store, Airlines supplier, Deli, Takeaway, Coffee to Go
  • Confirm your own standard cup (size, measure.), the material (single or double PE paper), that help you select the right paper cup forming machine (the following chapter will mention)
  • Learn how many pieces of cups can be sold per day ( or per month ), decide how many sets machines is best for you.
  • Study the process of making paper cups, WHAT IS PAPER CUP PRODUCTION PROCESS AT GET BIO PAK
  • Learn the whole cost of making paper cups

Chapter 4

Preparation Making Paper Cup

Before do next step making paper cup, you need buy paper cup making machines and  PE Coated Paper (single or double) from the suppliers:  Paper Cup Fan(Sheet/Blank) + Paper Cup Roll (Reels), size according to your requirement.

Top 10 China Paper Cup Making Machinery Factories list

工厂图3
  • Pre-Printing on paper : There are flexographic printing and offset printing for your choose.
  • Most regular printing you should choose is flexographic printing which is more environmental and no any smell after printed (especial for full color printing design on paper), but there will be a printing setup charge for printing template making, it is one-off, you only need pay it at first of time.
  • FREE IMPRESSION CUSTOM DESIGN PAPER CUPS
  • The bottom of paper cup is coming with roll
  • There will be a dia-cutting file from paper cup machinery factory as your own standard cup size, see picture
dia cutting file

Top 10 China Paper Cup Making Machinery Factories list, get discounted quotation now!

Zhejiang New Debao Machinery Co., Ltd (NewTop)

Zhejiang Ruida Machinery Co., Ltd

Ruian Mingguo Machinery Co., Ltd

Ruian Mingyuan Machinery Co., Ltd

Ruian Tiancheng Packing Machinery Co., Ltd

Zhejiang Kangqi Machinery Co.,Ltd

Ruian Daqiao Packaging Machinery Co.,Ltd(DAKIOU)

Zhejiang Discover Machinery Manufacturing Co.,Ltd

Ruian Lifeng Machinery Co., Ltd

Wenzhou Bonjee Machinery Co., Ltd

 

Chapter 5

Production Process Paper Cup

Paper cup making process can devided into 4 steps: Printng, Cutting, Shaping, Packaging.

paper cup forming process
  • Afrer printing process, paper cup’s sidewall paper is cut and shaped from a poly-coated paper reel. The poly-coating makes the paper waterproof and heat-resistant.
  • In the second stage, the paper cup’s bottom paper is cut and joined with the shaped sidewall using heat-sealing machines. The seams of the cups are also heated to make them liquid-proof.
  • In the third stage, the paper cups are inspected for quality and packed for delivery.
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How much of each cup will cost?

We will calculate 9oz paper cup as an sample to analysis whole cost, cost has two parts: raw material cost and producing cost

Raw material of 9oz cup= fan + bottom

9oz 1

9oz dia-cutting file (Fan)

9oz bottom

9oz bottom roll diameter

9oz typeset

9oz dia-cutting sheet vision

From above three pictures we can see:

a. 9 oz dia-cutting sheet (856.64 mm x 557.01 mm) has fan quantity 20 pieces, each bottom area will be 68.5mm x 66mm

b. If we use 200 GSM with 18g PE paper with Price 1200 $/Ton

c. Waste rate in sheet cutting out process is 10%

d. One 9oz cup need fan gram= 200gsmx 856.64mm x 557.01mm*(1-10%)/20=4.293 g

e. One 9oz cup need bottom gram= 200gsmx 68.5mm x 66mm=0.9 g

f. Each 9oz cup weight=4.293+0.9=5.193 g

g. 1 ton 200gsm paper has fan quantity=1000000/5.193=192566 pieces, each cup raw material cost=1200/192566=0.00623 $

h. If we use 210gsm with 18gPE paper, each cup cost 0.0066 $; if use 250gsm paper, each cup 0.0078 $

i. If you buy 1 ton paper roll, you will need buy dia cutting fan quantity  4.293/0.9= 4.77 tons

paper cup fans 2021 1
making cup cost

From above picture we can see: raw material cost and producing cost, totally 0.00876 $/pc

Chapter 6

Promotion Selling Paper Cup

There are different ways to sell paper cups in a promotion way

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  • You can create an online store for your paper cups using a platform like Pabbly. You can showcase your products, set prices, offer discounts, and connect payment gateways. You can also use email marketing to attract and retain customers.
  • You can use paper cup advertising to promote your brand or other brands. You can print your logo, slogan, or message on the paper cups and distribute them in places like railways, cafes, offices, or events. This can help you reach a large and diverse audience and create brand awareness.
  • You can target a specific niche or segment of customers for your paper cups. For example, you can make cups with cartoon characters or stickers for kids, cups with quotes or motivational messages for students, or cups with themes or designs for parties or occasions.
  • TOP 6 PAPER CUP COMPANIES IN CHINA
  • HOW TO BUY PAPER CUP FROM CHINA EFFECTIVELY

7 Responses

  1. REALLY good post I never see this before, it is good for me to know cost in my factory! Cheer!

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