Disposable Wooden Cutlery: How Much a Restaurant Needs

Packery sells disposable wooden cutlery by the carton: economy forks and spoons, coated forks, knives and spoons, wrapped fork-and-knife napkin sets, and wooden coffee stirrers, each priced per piece or per set on its product page. To work out how much a restaurant needs, count the pieces each takeaway order uses, multiply by your weekly order count, and divide by the carton quantity.

Key takeaways

• Economy wooden spoons and forks are $0.03 each, in cartons of 2000.
• Coated wooden spoons and forks are $0.06 each and coated knives $0.04 each, also in cartons of 2000.
• Napkin sets come in cartons of 400, from $0.22 a set (economy fork, knife and napkin) to $0.30 a set (spoon, fork, knife and napkin).
• Stirrers come in 140mm and 190mm cartons of 10,000, or individually wrapped in cartons of 5000.
• No minimum order. Delivery: a flat fee by postcode, free over a set order amount (see shipping).

How much cutlery does a restaurant need?

Work it out from your own orders, not a rule of thumb. Cutlery use depends on what you serve and how much is eaten off the premises, so the most reliable number comes from your till.

1. Count your takeaway and delivery orders per week. Dine-in orders on reusable cutlery don't count.

2. Decide what goes in each order. A curry or pasta usually needs a fork, a salad a fork, a soup or dessert a spoon, and a steak or schnitzel a fork and knife.

3. Multiply to get pieces per week, then add a margin for customers who take extra or orders that need two sets.

4. Divide by the carton quantity to see how many weeks one carton lasts.

Worked example (illustrative numbers only). Say a venue sends out 300 takeaway meals a week, and roughly half need a fork only while half need a fork and knife. That is 300 forks and 150 knives a week. A carton of 2000 forks would last about six and a half weeks; a carton of 2000 knives about 13 weeks. Swap in your own order counts and menu mix.

If most of your orders need the same combination, a pre-packed set can be simpler to count: one set per order, 400 sets per carton.

What disposable wooden cutlery can you buy?

The range covers single pieces in two grades (economy and coated), pre-packed napkin sets, ice cream spoons, stirrers and paper cutlery pouches. Every wooden piece is listed as wood in a natural colour.

Economy single pieces. The Wooden Cutlery – Economy Spoon (Carton of 2000) (160x34x1.5mm) and the 160mm Wooden Cutlery – Economy Fork (Carton of 2000) (160x26x1.5mm) are the lowest-cost pieces in the range. There is no economy knife sold on its own; knives come in the coated line or in sets.

Coated single pieces. The Wooden Cutlery – Coated Spoon (Carton of 2000) (160x34x1.5mm), Wooden Cutlery – Coated Fork (Carton of 2000) (160x26x1.5mm) and Wooden Cutlery – Coated Knife (Carton of 2000) (165x22x1.5mm) are listed as coated. Ask us if you need details of the coating before ordering.

Napkin sets. Each set is cutlery packed with a napkin, sold in cartons of 400:

• Wooden Cutlery – Spoon Napkin Set (Carton of 400): spoon and napkin, 216x61x8mm.
• 6in Cutlery – Economy Fork Knife Napkin Set (Carton of 400): economy fork, knife and napkin, 216x70x6mm.
• Wooden Cutlery – Fork Knife Napkin Set (Carton of 400): fork, knife and napkin, 216x70x6mm.
• Wooden Cutlery – Spoon Fork Knife Napkin Set (Carton of 400): spoon, fork, knife and napkin, 216x70x10mm.

Ice cream spoons and stirrers. The Wooden Cutlery – Coated Ice Cream Spoon (Carton of 10000) is 94x17mm. Stirrers come as the 140mm Wooden Cutlery – Coffee Stirrer (Carton of 10000) (140x6x1.3mm), the 190mm Wooden Cutlery – Coffee Stirrers (Carton of 10000) (190x6x1.3mm) for tall cups, and the Wooden Cutlery – Coffee Stirrer Individually Wrapped (Carton of 5000) (140x15x2mm).

Cutlery pouches. If you pack your own kits, the Cutlery – Pouch Only (Carton of 1000) is a kraft paper pouch, 75x190mm. Two brown kraft pouches come with a napkin already inside: the Kraft Cutlery – White Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000), listed with a white napkin, and the Kraft Cutlery – Pouch With Napkin (Carton of 1000), listed with a bamboo napkin. Both are 75x190mm. Cutlery is not included in the pouches.

How much does disposable wooden cutlery cost?

Single wooden pieces are priced per piece, napkin sets per set, and stirrers per stirrer on each product page.

Compare the price per item, not the carton price. Single pieces come 2000 to a carton and sets 400, so a set carton looks cheaper even though each set costs more than a single piece.

Economy, coated or a set: which should you buy?

Pick by what goes in the order and how much packing time you have.

• High-volume takeaway on a tight budget: the economy fork and spoon at $0.03 each. Pair with the coated knife at $0.04 each if your menu needs knives.
• A consistent coated line: the coated spoon, fork and knife, all in cartons of 2000.
• Delivery orders where speed at the pass matters: a napkin set saves picking pieces one by one. The Wooden Cutlery – Fork Knife Napkin Set (Carton of 400) at $0.10 a set covers most mains; the economy version is $0.22 a set.
• Soup, curry and dessert shops: the spoon napkin set at $0.07 a set, or the coated spoon at $0.06 each.
• Gelato and dessert bars: the coated ice cream spoon at $0.01 each.
• Cafés: 140mm stirrers for standard cups, 190mm for tall cups, or individually wrapped stirrers for a self-serve station.
• Branded kits: custom printing with your logo is available on selected products, including the cutlery pouches and the spoon, fork-and-knife, and spoon-fork-knife napkin sets (not the 6in economy set). See custom print.

For a closer look at the trade-off, read Cutlery Kits vs Separate Pieces: What's More Cost-Effective for Takeaway?. You can browse the full range on the cutlery page.

How does ordering and delivery work?

There is no minimum order, and you can order a single carton. Expect 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days regional. All orders are prepaid online. Damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free; unopened stock cartons can be returned within 7 days of delivery (10% restocking fee, return delivery at your cost). If you already know your quantities, use quick order to add cartons in one go.

Setting up or restocking your packaging?

Send us your list for a trade quote, or price it yourself in the cost calculator.

No minimum order · free delivery over $750 (metro) / $1000 (regional) · damaged items replaced free · Delivery details