Takeaway Coffee Cup Cost Per Drink: Packaging Worksheet
The packaging cost of one takeaway coffee is the sum of every item that goes out with it. For each item, divide the carton price by the carton quantity, then add the lines together. With current prices, the cup alone runs from $0.06 (6oz single wall) to $0.25 (12oz white double wall). Your lid, any sleeve, a stirrer, a napkin and a share of a carry tray come on top of that.
Key takeaways
- Cost per item = carton price ÷ carton quantity. Every product page shows both the carton price and the price per item.
- Single wall (SW) cups in this range come in cartons of 1000. Double wall (DW) cups come in cartons of 500, so compare price per item, not carton price.
- A 4-cup carry tray is $81.21 for 300, or $0.27 per tray. Split across four drinks, that's about 7 cents a cup when every slot is filled.
- Fill in the lid, sleeve, stirrer and napkin lines using the product pages you actually buy from. Don't guess them.
- Prices include GST, and there's no minimum order.
How do I work out the packaging cost of one takeaway coffee?
Take each item that leaves with the drink and work out its per-item cost from the carton. Then add the items up.
1. Cup: carton price ÷ carton quantity. For example, the 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) is $99.03 ÷ 1000, or $0.10 each.
2. Lid: carton price ÷ carton quantity for the lid that fits your cup's rim.
3. Sleeve (if you use one on single wall cups): same method. Double wall cups are usually served without one.
4. Stirrer and napkin: same method. Count how many you actually hand out per drink. A napkin with every coffee costs more than one per order.
5. Carry tray share: tray price ÷ the number of cups it carries. Only add this line for orders that need a tray.
Add the lines and you have your packaging cost per drink. Do it once for each size you sell.
What does each takeaway coffee cup cost per item?
These are the current plain cup prices, worked out from the carton.
| Cup | Wall | Carton qty | Carton price | Price per item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print 80mm (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $62.13 | $0.06 |
| 6oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White SW 80mm (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $59.26 | $0.06 |
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $74.38 | $0.07 |
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print One Lid Fits All (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $82.22 | $0.08 |
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $51.00 | $0.10 |
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print One Lid Fits All (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $49.22 | $0.10 |
| 8oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White DW (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $96.76 | $0.19 |
| 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $99.03 | $0.10 |
| 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print 90mm (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $66.72 | $0.13 |
| 12oz Kraft Coffee Cups – Lined SW Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $159.57 | $0.16 |
| 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White SW (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $160.48 | $0.16 |
| 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White DW (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $123.90 | $0.25 |
| 16oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print (Carton of 1000) | SW | 1000 | $116.28 | $0.12 |
| 16oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $86.53 | $0.17 |
| 16oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White DW (Carton of 500) | DW | 500 | $82.79 | $0.17 |
All of these are paper with an aqueous coating, except the 12oz kraft cup, which is brown paper with a PLA coating. The art print cups are multi-coloured. The white cups are plain white.
What does a carry tray add per drink?
The Coffee Cups – 4 Egg Board Carry Tray (Carton of 300) is $81.21 a carton, or $0.27 per tray. It's recycled paper, 225x225x50mm, and holds four cups. If all four slots are used, that's $0.27 ÷ 4, or about 7 cents per drink. A two-coffee order in the same tray carries about 14 cents a drink. Only count the tray on orders that take one.
Fill-in worksheet: packaging cost per drink
Copy this for each size you sell. The cup line uses a 12oz single wall art print cup as an example. Fill in the other lines from the product pages for the items you buy.
| Line | Carton price | Carton qty | Per item | Used per drink | Cost per drink |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup (12oz SW art print) | $99.03 | 1000 | $0.10 | 1 | $0.10 |
| Lid | ______ | ______ | ______ | 1 | ______ |
| Sleeve (SW only, optional) | ______ | ______ | ______ | 0 or 1 | ______ |
| Stirrer | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Napkin | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Carry tray share | $81.21 | 300 | $0.27 | ÷ cups per tray | ______ |
| Total | | | | | ______ |
Check the coffee cups range for lids and napkins for napkins to fill the blank lines. If you'd rather not do the sums by hand, try the cost calculator.
Single wall or double wall: which costs less per drink?
Single wall is cheaper per cup at every size here. At 12oz, the art print single wall cup is $0.10 and the art print double wall cup is $0.13. At 16oz, it's $0.12 against $0.17. If you'd add a sleeve to a single wall cup for hot drinks, put the sleeve's per-item cost on the single wall line before you compare. Double wall usually goes out without one.
Which one should I buy?
- Lowest cup cost in this list, for short coffees: the 6oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – White SW 80mm (Carton of 1000) at $0.06 each.
- Regular coffees, single wall: the 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) at $0.10 each.
- Regular coffees, no sleeve: the 12oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Double Wall Art Print 90mm (Carton of 500) at $0.13 each.
- Kraft look: the 12oz Kraft Coffee Cups – Lined SW Print 90mm (Carton of 1000) at $0.16 each.
- Large drinks: the 16oz Aqueous Coated Coffee Cups – Single Wall Art Print (Carton of 1000) at $0.12 each.
- Your logo on the cup: custom printing is available on selected products. Several of the cups above are among them. See custom print and ask about pricing for your cup.
For lid choices, read our guide to takeaway coffee cup lids.
How does ordering work?
There's no minimum order, and every cup is sold by the carton, with the carton price and price per item shown on each product page. Delivery is $35 flat to metro areas, free on orders over $750, and $75 flat to regional areas, free over $1,000. Delivery takes 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days to regional areas. All orders are prepaid online, and prices include GST. You can return unopened full cartons within 14 days of delivery (you pay return freight), and damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free. To restock quickly, use quick order.
Setting up or restocking your packaging?
Send us your list for a trade quote, or price it yourself in the cost calculator.
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