This page answers the questions we hear most often from brands evaluating custom paper tube packaging, whether they're requesting a first quote, comparing structures, or getting ready to order samples. We've tried to answer each question directly and specifically, including where our capabilities depend on the individual project rather than applying the same way to every order.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Custom printed MOQ | 1,000 units per design |
| Stock / plain tube MOQ | No MOQ, subject to current stock availability |
| Typical production time | Approximately 15 to 20 days after specifications are finalized |
| Manufacturing location | Our own facility in China |
| Published production capacity | More than 500,000 paper tubes per month |
| Printing | Digital and offset printing |
| Custom sizing | Approximately 15 to 300 mm diameter, lengths up to approximately 1,500 mm (full-paper range) |
| FSC material options | Available for suitable projects |
| Full-paper / plastic-free options | Available, depending on structure |
| Main packaging categories | Coffee and tea, food, beauty and personal care, supplements |
| North American support | Office and customer support based in Canada |
Earthycores is a manufacturer of custom paper tube and paper canister packaging. We produce tubes for brands in categories including coffee and tea, food, beauty and personal care, and supplements, manufacturing at our own facility in China while maintaining office and customer support capabilities in Canada.
We manufacture custom paper tubes across a range of diameters, heights, and structural configurations, including full-paper and plastic-free options where a project calls for them. Our tubes are used as both primary packaging, where the tube directly holds the product, and secondary packaging, where the tube protects and presents another container such as a bottle or jar. Which approach makes sense depends on the specific product and how it needs to be protected.
Our MOQ for custom printed paper tubes starts at 1,000 units per design. That's a starting point rather than a fixed number that applies identically to every project. More complex structures, unusual sizing, or specific material requirements can affect what's actually feasible at that quantity, so we confirm final MOQ once we understand the specific structure a brand needs.
Yes. Available stock or plain kraft paper tubes that don't require custom printing can be supplied without a custom-production MOQ. This is subject to current stock availability, since not every size and structure is permanently held in inventory at all times. If you need a specific stock size, it's worth confirming availability directly before assuming it's ready to ship immediately.
We manufacture custom paper tubes across a broad size range, with diameter, height, and overall dimensions customized to the product and packaging requirements. Our full-paper range has published dimensions of approximately 15 to 300 mm in diameter, with lengths up to approximately 1,500 mm. Feasibility at the edges of that range, or for unusual proportions, still depends on the specific structure and project, so it's worth confirming a size early rather than assuming it's automatically possible.
Diameter and height aren't decided in isolation from each other. A narrow, tall tube behaves differently under stacking pressure than a short, wide one, and wall thickness needs to be considered alongside both dimensions to keep the finished structure stable. This is one of the reasons we ask for actual product or container dimensions early in a project rather than working from an assumed standard size, since a tube built around the real product tends to perform better than one adapted from a generic template.
Our typical production time is approximately 15 to 20 days after the size, material, structure, artwork, and printing specifications have all been finalized. That production clock starts once specifications are locked in, not from the first conversation about a project. It's also worth being clear that production time and international shipping or transit time are separate; the 15 to 20 day figure covers manufacturing, not how long it takes a finished order to reach its destination. This is a typical range rather than a guaranteed delivery date, since complexity and current production volume can affect it.
A common reason production gets delayed isn't manufacturing itself, it's that specifications change after the clock has already started. Revising artwork, adjusting a diameter, or switching a finish partway through can effectively restart part of the process, which is why we recommend confirming every detail, size, material, printing, and finish together before production begins rather than approving parts of a specification separately.
We support both digital and offset printing for custom paper tubes, allowing custom colors, artwork, and branded designs to be produced on the finished tube. Which method suits a given project depends on order volume, the complexity of the artwork, and how the printing needs to perform on the specific tube structure being used.
Depending on the project, we can add matte finishes, gloss or shiny finishes, foil stamping, embossing, debossing, Spot UV, die-cut windows, locking or closure structures, and other project-specific finishing options.
Each of these changes something specific rather than just adding decoration. A matte finish gives a tube a soft, non-reflective surface, while a gloss finish reflects light and reads as more polished or vibrant. Foil stamping adds a metallic or reflective detail, often used for a logo or accent, while embossing and debossing raise or press a design into the paperboard itself to add a tactile element a flat print can't achieve. Spot UV adds a glossy, raised coating over specific parts of the printed design for contrast against a matte background. A die-cut window lets a customer see part of the product through the packaging, and locking or closure structures affect how securely a lid stays shut and how the tube opens and closes during actual use.
Yes, we offer full-paper and plastic-free paper tube structures, and some structures can be designed to reduce or eliminate plastic components entirely. It's important to be precise here: not every Earthycores paper tube is plastic-free, since some projects require a liner, coating, or closure that isn't paper-based to meet the product's protection needs. Full-paper, plastic-free, recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable also aren't interchangeable terms. A plastic-free tube isn't automatically recyclable everywhere, and paper as a base material doesn't by itself guarantee biodegradability or compostability. The complete structure, including any closures, liners, coatings, and adhesives, is what actually determines those outcomes, and that should be evaluated for each specific project rather than assumed from the word "paper" alone.
Yes, we offer FSC-certified material options for suitable projects. Not every Earthycores product uses FSC-certified material by default, so this should be confirmed for the specific project if certification matters to your sourcing requirements. FSC certification relates to responsible forestry sourcing of the paper material itself; it doesn't by itself mean a finished package is recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable, since those outcomes depend on the complete tube construction, not the certification of the paper alone.
Yes, we produce paper tube packaging for food categories including coffee, tea, dry foods, and other suitable products. Food packaging always needs to use a structure appropriate to the actual product being packaged. A basic unlined paper tube isn't automatically suitable for direct food contact, and for some applications, the paper tube functions as secondary packaging around an inner liner, bag, or container rather than touching the food directly. Where direct food contact or a specific barrier property is required, the construction needs to be selected accordingly, which is something we work through with each customer based on their product.
Yes, coffee and tea are among our most important packaging categories. For these products, size, closure design, barrier requirements, and branding all need to be considered together, along with whether the tube is functioning as primary packaging holding the coffee or tea directly, or as secondary packaging around an inner bag. We don't publish specific shelf-life performance figures, since that depends on the finished construction and the product itself, but these are exactly the details worth discussing early in a coffee or tea packaging project.
Closure design matters more for coffee and tea than it might for some other categories, since these products are typically opened and resealed repeatedly over the life of the package, not opened once. A closure that reseals reliably after dozens of uses is a different design target than one built for a single opening, and we factor that into how we recommend a lid or cap structure for a given coffee or tea project.
Yes, beauty and personal care is a significant category for us. Depending on the product and structure, a paper tube can serve as secondary packaging around another container, such as a bottle or jar, or as part of a purpose-designed primary package for suitable solid formats. An ordinary paper tube isn't something we'd recommend for directly containing creams, oils, serums, or other liquid formulas without a specifically tested structure built for that purpose, since those formulas can interact with untreated paperboard in ways that affect both the product and the packaging.
Solid formats, such as certain balms or solid sticks, tend to be more compatible with primary paper tube packaging than liquids or creams, though even these still need testing against the actual formula rather than an assumption based on the product category alone. Two products that both count as "solid beauty" can behave very differently against the same tube liner depending on their specific oil content and formulation, which is why we recommend a sample evaluation before committing to a full production run.
Yes, supplements are another important category for us. Paper tubes can be customized for different supplement products depending on the required internal packaging, barrier properties, closure type, and how directly the product contacts the tube itself. We don't make medical or regulatory claims about specific supplement formulations; our role is providing packaging construction appropriate to the product's physical and protective requirements.
Yes, we provide design assistance without a separate design charge when a customer proceeds with production. To make that process efficient, it helps if a customer can share product dimensions, a preferred tube size, artwork or branding requirements, and any desired finishes early on, since that information shapes what a workable design actually looks like.
Our custom paper tubes are manufactured at our own production facility in China. We operate this facility directly rather than outsourcing production to a third party, which gives us direct oversight of the manufacturing process from material preparation through to finished stock. Our China operations cover manufacturing, production, quality control, and R&D, so the same facility that produces the tubes is also where we test and refine construction, materials, and finishing.
Our published production capacity exceeds 500,000 paper tubes per month. This figure describes our overall manufacturing capacity rather than a guarantee that any individual order can immediately access that entire capacity; actual availability for a specific project depends on current production volume and where that order fits into our schedule.
Yes, we maintain office and customer support capabilities in Canada alongside our operations in China. This helps us support North American customers directly, even though manufacturing itself remains based in China. Earthycores has R&D capabilities in both China and Canada, so product development and testing isn't limited to one location, while the actual manufacturing of paper tubes takes place only at our China facility. We don't currently operate a US office, so support for US-based customers runs through our Canada-based team.
We can provide inventory and stocking support in Canada and China for suitable customer projects. Our Canada operations include warehouse and stocking capabilities alongside office and customer support, which is separate from the manufacturing itself, which remains based at our China facility. This isn't automatic for every order; stocking arrangements depend on the specific project and agreement with the customer, so it's something to discuss directly if ongoing inventory support is something your project needs.
Yes, depending on the project, our paper tube structures can incorporate inserts, windows, custom closures, locking structures, different lid and base configurations, and other structural customization. The appropriate construction depends heavily on the product being packaged; an insert designed to hold a bottle securely, for example, is a different engineering problem than a locking closure designed for repeated opening and closing, so we work through these details based on the actual product rather than applying one standard structure to every order.
Yes, and we'd encourage it. We send more than 300 paper tube samples in a typical month, with approximately 40% going to customers and prospective buyers in the United States, and others shipped to markets including Australia, New Zealand, and countries across Europe. A physical sample lets a buyer evaluate material feel, dimensions, construction, and finishing before committing to a larger production run, which is difficult to judge accurately from a photo or a spec sheet alone. Some prospective customers also request a live video call from our factory to see the manufacturing environment and quality-control process directly, which is available for buyers who want that additional level of visibility before placing an order.
Different samples serve different purposes depending on what a project still needs to confirm. One sample might demonstrate a specific paperboard structure or wall thickness, another might show a particular print treatment or finish, and another might represent the overall packaging presentation for a specific product line. Which sample is actually useful depends on what question a buyer is trying to answer before committing to production.
We perform in-house quality inspection at multiple stages of our manufacturing process, rather than checking only at the very end. Our documented production process includes printing, tube and component production, cutting, assembly, finishing, and a final quality inspection stage before tubes are approved for packing. We don't publish specific defect rates, inspection percentages, or claim compliance with international quality standards beyond what we've documented about our own process, and we'd rather describe our actual inspection stages accurately than attach a certification or standard we haven't verified applies.
Checking at multiple stages rather than only at the end means an issue with printed artwork, for example, can be caught before it moves further down the line into tube conversion and assembly, rather than only surfacing once a full batch is finished. That's a practical benefit of staged inspection, though it's still worth pointing out that it reduces the likelihood of certain defects rather than eliminating all possible variation across a production run.
The more specific information you can share up front, the more accurately we can assess feasibility, structure, and pricing. It helps to include:
The product being packaged and its intended use
Required diameter and height, if known
Product or container dimensions, if the tube is functioning as secondary packaging
Estimated order quantity
Preferred material or structure
Whether the product will make direct contact with the tube, or needs an inner liner or container
Printing and artwork requirements
Preferred finishes, such as matte, gloss, foil, or embossing
Closure or lid requirements
Destination country
Target timeline for the project
Providing these details early helps us determine feasibility and give a more accurate quotation, rather than working from assumptions that might not match what your product actually needs.
Every paper tube project is different, and the right material, size, structure, printing method, food-contact requirements, and finishes depend on the specific product being packaged. We'd rather confirm these details directly with each customer than apply a single standard specification across every order. If you're ready to discuss a project or would like to request samples, our team can walk through these specifics with you.
