Custom Chub Film Packaging for Mince, Sausage Meat and Pâté

Sizing Custom Chub Film Packaging

Chubs are specified by film width, which sets the diameter of the finished pack, and by the length cut at the clipping stage, which sets the weight. Your filling machine will have a range of forming tubes, so start with the diameter that suits your product and equipment. Smaller diameters of around 40 to 60 mm suit pâté, black pudding and cookie dough sold in retail portions. Larger diameters of 80 to 120 mm suit catering packs of mince and sausage meat.

Print repeat length matters too. Artwork is printed in a repeating pattern along the reel, and the clip length should line up with the repeat so every chub shows the full design. We will need the repeat length, the film width and the reel core size your machine accepts. If you also pack frozen portions, the same artwork fits our printed frozen burger boxes.

Printing on a Curved Pack

A chub shows only part of its surface at a time, so artwork is usually designed as a repeating band rather than a single front panel. The brand name and product description should appear more than once around the circumference, so whichever way the pack lands in a chiller or carton, the customer sees what it is. A clear window strip lets the product show through, which works well for richly coloured meat or pâté.

Legal information such as ingredients, allergens, weight, storage advice and the processor's details must fit on the band too. Many processors print the fixed information and leave a clear area for a label carrying the date, weight and batch code, applied at packing. Bold, high-contrast colours print best on film and stay readable when the pack is cold and covered in condensation.

Colour choice should also think about the chiller. Many shoppers scan a cabinet quickly, so a strong brand colour that differs from neighbouring products helps a chub stand out. Red and white are common for meat; a deep green, navy or black band can make a premium mince or a specialist pudding instantly recognisable. The same colour-band approach works on our printed food boxes for the same range.

Who Uses Chub Packs

Meat processors and butchers supplying mince and sausage meat to shops and catering, black pudding and pudding makers, pâté and terrine producers, bakeries and dessert companies selling cookie dough, pastry and fillings, frozen food wholesalers, and pet food manufacturers all rely on chub packs. Farm shops with their own butchery sometimes use small runs of printed chub film to sell their mince and sausage meat under their own name.

For catering, large plain or simply printed chubs keep costs down. For retail, a well-designed printed chub can sit alongside trays and vacuum packs in a chiller and look just as appealing. Caterers taking bulk chubs often order printed catering boxes for delivery from the same artwork.

Working With Your Filling Line

Every clipping machine has its own requirements for film width, reel diameter, core size and unwind direction. Share your machine model and current film specification with us, or ask your engineer for the details, before we finalise the order. A reel that does not match the machine will either run poorly or not run at all.

It is wise to trial a short reel first, especially if you are changing film supplier. Check seal strength, clip performance and print registration on the actual line, then confirm the main run once your team is happy.

Keep reels in their wrapping in a cool, dry store until they are loaded, and handle them by the core rather than the film face. Dented reel edges can cause tracking problems on the forming tube. Processors who also ship cartons of chubs usually want shipping boxes printed with the brand so the outer case matches.

Ordering Chub Film

Send the product, chub diameter, clip length, filling machine details, artwork and quantity, and we will reply with a custom quote by email within one working day. Film is quoted per job on width, barrier and print, with simpler items starting from £0.25. Minimums on chub film packaging are low and set per order.

A free design proof shows the repeating band and the label area. Once you approve the proof we make the order in 4–7 working days and ship it free with tracking, reaching the UK mainland in 2–3 working days. If any chub film packaging turn up misprinted or damaged, tell us within 10 days and we will reprint or refund them. The guide to how we price an order explains what sets the price on a print run.