Quick answer
The wound-tube, curled-end model runs from 40 to 130 mm in diameter. A single-piece body goes up to 45 cm tall, and joining two pieces in the middle takes it up to 90 cm.
"Tube box" sounds like a single product, but in production there are two separate worlds. One is the model made from a wound paper tube with curled ends, built for series production. The other is the flat-ended model, formed flat in large diameters and finished with heavy handwork. They can look alike from the outside, yet production speed, size range and price all differ. In this article we cover the sizes we can produce, the standard interior options and how the choice of model affects the price.
In short
- Most of the tube boxes we make are wound-tube, curled-end models suited to automation, in diameters from 40 to 130 mm.
- A single-piece body goes up to 45 cm tall; joining two pieces in the middle takes it up to 90 cm.
- Black, white, kraft and silver metallised interiors are standard. Custom-colour or patterned interior printing is possible on high-volume orders.
Which tube box models are there?
Most of our tube boxes are made from a wound paper tube with the ends curled to finish. This model suits automation, so series production is fast and consistent. Our machine line is set up around it.
Curled-end tube boxes made from a wound tube fall into three main groups:
| Model | Construction |
|---|---|
| Butt-jointed (neck) | Body and lid meet edge to edge, flush; the lid sits on an inner neck |
| Telescopic | The curled-end body is built as a lid-and-base box; the lid slides over the body |
| Tin-ended | The base and lid are made of tinplate |
The butt-jointed tubes on our products page belong to the first group, and the metal-lid tubes to the tin-ended group.
Flat-ended models without curled edges are a separate group altogether and don't fall into these three. These are usually not made from a wound tube but formed flat in large diameters and finished by adding parts afterwards, on semi-automatic machines with heavy handwork, and they're mostly used for flower boxes and gift boxes. Demand for them tends to be above 130 mm in diameter. We can make them too, but because they involve much more handwork they take longer and cost more than the curled-end model.
Curled ends (wound tube)
- Suited to automation, series production
- 40 to 130 mm diameter
- Unit price improves as quantity grows
Flat ends (semi-automatic, handwork)
- Semi-automatic, mostly handwork
- Usually above 130 mm diameter
- Longer lead time, higher price
What sizes can we produce?
For the curled-end model our diameter range runs from a minimum of 40 mm to a maximum of 130 mm. Height depends on the diameter and on where the tube is cut.
| Construction | Achievable height |
|---|---|
| Single-piece body | Up to 45 cm |
| Two pieces joined in the middle | Up to 90 cm |
| Neck-and-lid model (body and lid separate) | Set by the design, since the parts are processed separately |
On neck-and-lid tube boxes the body and lid can be processed separately, so a single maximum height doesn't really apply. For these jobs it works better to settle the dimensions together.
What interior options are there?
We offer four standard interiors: black, white, kraft and silver. Think of the silver as an aluminium or metallised-look surface.
Beyond those, a custom colour or pattern can be printed on the inside. Interior printing needs its own setup, so we can offer it on high-volume orders. On smaller runs, going with one of the standard interiors makes more sense for both lead time and price.
Which products use tube boxes?
We produce tube boxes most often for cosmetics, food supplement and spirits brands. Coffee, olive oil bottles, pens and promotional products come up regularly too. What they share is a product that naturally sits in a round form, and a box that's expected to carry the brand on the shelf.
For a line-by-line look at how diameter, height and print method drive the cost of a tube box, see PackPrice's tube box guide. We explain what we look at when choosing board thickness in our drawer box article.
See our metal-lid and butt-jointed tube models on the products page, or get in touch with your diameter, height and quantity.