Material

Single wall hot paper cups are made from polyethylene (PE) coated
paper board, the PE coating is only on the inside of the cup, making it single
PE coated board, the PE is extremely thin, and would look similar to a piece of
Clingfilm, if the board was removed. The board is the majority of the weight of
the product, paper board for paper cups, has to be virgin material to comply
with health regulations in most countries, the board is sourced from
sustainable forests. In Europe the board would need to comply with EU Timber
regulation. The board is slightly off white, reducing the amount of
chemicals used in the production of the board.

Manufacturing

Paper cups are manufactured out of two pieces of board, the
side wall, and the base. Heat and pressure are applied to the seams, that melts
the PE coating this then welds the cup together and creates a watertight seal.
Although it should be noted that there are exposed edges where the board has
been cut, and so invasive liquids will breach barrier in a shorter time than
water. Always test the cup for the purpose it is going to be used, most
manufactures will not give a guarantee for uses beyond what the cup is designed
for i.e. coffee / tea for 2 hours, although we often see paper cups still
holding test liquids after several days. There can be no guarantee as any
slight change in material or manufacturing may affect time to failure when
beyond specification.

Uses

The single wall paper cup is primarily designed for hot
drinks like tea or coffee, and is the style of cup you would find in Cafe Nero
or Starbucks. Predominately for hot drinks, but could be used for cold drinks
for limited periods, this is because a very cold drink will cause condensation
to form on the outside of the paper cups, soaking into the uncoated outside of
the paper cup destabilising the cup, but ambient temperature drinks like water
fountains, water dispensers would be fine. There are a multitude of uses for
the paper cup, ranging from measuring cups to sweet cups.

Sizes

There are a multitude of sizes, complicated by the use of
nominal fill, which is a arbitrary amount, and can vary from manufacture to
manufacture, and country to country, also measured in cc, US
oz, and UK oz. It is best to get samples and check the product has the
capacity for your particular purpose before purchase.

The most common sizes are (in American oz)

4oz for espresso and sampling

7oz for water dispensers

8oz small coffee

12oz medium coffee

16oz large coffee

The above within Europe

Starbucks would use

12oz small

16oz medium

20oz large

The 12,16 and 20 are quite popular as they use one lid to
fit all three sizes, and when selecting sizes for use in a operation, lids
could be a deciding factor for speed of service. The use of the three cup
concept to increase sales should be looked at carefully.

Branding

Although putting the brand on the cup increases sales, there
are more effective ways of using the branding on paper cups to increase sales,
now that short run high quality printing is available, cups can be produced to
celebrate events, Christmas, Easter, mother’s day etc. Advertising other
services, special offers etc. Ring The Paper Cup Company and ask to speak to a
marketing adviser for ideas to increase your business.