What size paper cups do I need?

This is a very common question from private customers, but often from coffee shop and drink catering businesses too.

We stock a huge range of different paper cup types, these then come in a wide range of sizes. We realise there can be much to choose from for the casual customer, so we’ve put together a guide to help you make the best choice.

The most common sizes are 8oz and 12oz, most customers will end up purchasing one of these sizes as they represent a small or regular serving of coffee. We have other more specialised sizes too though which might also be suitable.

4oz paper cups: these are sometimes mistaken for “the smallest size takeaway coffee cup”, purchased in error when an 8oz cup was actually required. A 4oz cup is an espresso shot only; you’d never serve a tea or regular coffee in this size. It’s also extremely popular with companies serving samples of their products.

6oz paper cups: generally these are purchased for serving the increasingly popular “flat white”. Some more specialised artisan coffee houses have also taken to using this size in place of the 8oz cup too.

8oz paper cups: the go-to size for a lot of customers, it’s generally classed as either a “small” or a “regular” in the coffee to go world.

10oz paper cups: designed specifically to fit under the nozzle of automatic coffee machines, these hold 10oz comfortably with the max capacity being a shade under 12oz. This is a common size of a medium / regular takeaway coffee.

12oz paper cups: normally considered a medium size and traditionally the most popular paper cup for tea and hot drinks. It’s a versatile size that can be used for lots of different beverages, to reduce the number of cup sizes stocked some coffee chains will serve small / regular and medium servings in this size of cup.

16oz paper cups: the largest mainstream cup size you’ll encounter, it has the same diameter as a 12oz cup, it’s just quite a bit taller. Generally a coffee chain will use fewer of these than the more common 8 or 12oz sizes.

View our selection of paper cups here.