Custom Paper Jar Tubes

Sizing a Jar Tube Around Your Product

Start with the fill. Weigh or measure the volume you want to sell, then decide whether the product goes straight in or into an inner pot. If it is an inner pot, send us its outside diameter and height, and we add a small clearance so it drops in without rattling. For loose fills, we size the tube so the product sits a few millimetres below the lid rather than pressing against it.

Proportions matter for how the pack looks. A tube with a diameter of 70 mm and a height of 60 mm reads as a jar; stretch the height to 120 mm and it starts to read as a canister. If you are replacing an existing jar, measuring that jar and matching it is usually the quickest route.

Think about how the customer will use the last of the product too. A very deep jar makes it hard to reach the bottom with a finger, so balms and butters are best in shallower tubes, while loose dry fills can go deeper because they are poured rather than scooped. If you sell several fill weights, keeping one diameter and changing only the height gives a neat family look on the shelf and keeps lid sizes consistent. If the fill calculation is unfamiliar, our guide to measuring a product for packaging includes volume.

Linings, Board and Lid Options

The inside of the tube can be left as plain card, lined with a white paper for a clean look when the lid comes off, or lined with a foil or greaseproof-style barrier paper for oily or fragrant products. Food-contact grade board is available on request for tea, sweets and other edibles.

Lids can be a full telescope that covers most of the body, a shallow cap that sits on a raised neck, or a lid with a clear window disc so the contents show. A ribbon pull under the base or a tear strip around the lid can be added if you want proof of first opening. Plain brown versions without a printed wrap are sold as kraft paper tubes with a plain lid.

Printing the Wrap and Lid

The outer paper is printed flat before it is wound, which means full colour artwork can wrap the whole circumference. Keep the important elements, such as your logo and product name, within the front half so they are seen face-on, and use the back for ingredients, usage notes and barcodes. The lid top is a separate print and is a good place for a simple mark or pattern.

Finishes behave a little differently on curved card. Soft touch lamination gives a velvety feel and suits skincare. Gloss lamination makes colours richer for confectionery. Foil and embossing work best on the lid top, where the surface is flat.

Colour on kraft outer paper prints darker and warmer than on white, which suits earthy, natural brands but can dull bright pinks and blues. If you are unsure, your proof will flag it and we can suggest a white underprint or a switch to white paper. Barcodes should sit on a flat-looking area of the wrap with a light background so scanners read them first time.

Switching From Glass or Plastic Pots

In practice, a wound tube with a heavier wall is surprisingly rigid, and the weight of the product inside adds to the sense of quality. What changes is the way the pack is handled: paper does not like standing water, so a jar tube for a bathroom product should be lined and finished with a lamination that resists splashes.

It also helps to rethink the label. A glass jar usually carries a small sticker, while a printed wrap gives you the whole surface for branding, directions and a short story about the product. Use that space, but leave enough plain area for the design to breathe. Ask for a sample tube in your chosen size before a full run if you want to test it on your shelf or in your own bathroom first; we can quote for that alongside the main order. The free proof shown wrapped round the tube makes it clear how much of the design is visible from the front.

Decide Scoop or Pot First, Then the Diameter

The first choice on a jar tube is whether the product sits straight in the lined card or in an inner pot, because that changes the diameter you order. A whipped butter scooped from the card needs a lining and a 70 mm or wider opening so fingers fit; a cream in a 50 ml plastic pot needs the tube sized to the pot's outside diameter plus 2 mm. Measure accordingly and set the height so the lid closes with 5 mm of clearance over the fill or the pot. For a tea, the inner bag decides. Loose powders that need a shaker lid are served better by the powder paper tubes with a sifter insert.

Prepare the wrap as a flat strip with the lid artwork separate. Email the size, fill, lining, lid style, number of designs and quantity and a custom quote comes back within one working day, followed by a free design proof showing the wrap flat and the tube built. Tubes are made in 4 to 7 working days after approval and delivered free and tracked on the UK mainland in 2 to 3 days. Dented or misprinted tubes reported within 10 days are replaced or refunded.