Wholesale Straw Guide: Sizes, Materials and Cartons

Buying wholesale straws means buying by the carton, and Packery's cartons run from 1,000 to 5,000 straws depending on the size and material. Choose the straw by the drink first (diameter and length), then the material, then check the carton count against how many you'll realistically use.

This guide walks through the questions café, bar and bubble tea owners ask most, using what is in the Packery catalogue. For a deeper look at the paper range, see our paper straws wholesale guide.

What does "wholesale straws" actually mean?

It means straws sold in full cartons rather than small retail packs. A carton is a sealed outer box from the supplier, and the count inside is fixed. Cartons in our straw range hold anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 straws.

There's no minimum order at Packery, so a single carton is a perfectly normal first order. Each product page shows the trade price for that carton, so you can work out your cost per straw before you buy.

What size straw do I need for my drinks?

Match the straw to the thickest thing in the cup:

• Iced coffee, soft drinks, juice: a regular or jumbo straw. The regular bamboo fibre straw is 6x120mm and the jumbo is 8x120mm.
• Smoothies and shakes: a wider straw. The 12mm range exists for this reason.
• Bubble tea: the 12x230mm bubble tea straws, which are wide enough for tapioca pearls and long enough for a tall cup.
• Cocktails and short bar drinks: the 5x120mm cocktail straws.

Length matters as much as width. A 120mm straw is short for a tall cold cup, so measure your cup height before ordering. If you're also choosing cups, our cold cups hub lists the sizes, and you can match straw length to cup height from there.

What materials can I choose from?

The straw range in the catalogue comes in three materials:

• Paper: the widest choice of colours and sizes, including plain white, brown kraft, black and striped cocktail straws.
• Bamboo fibre: natural colour, available in regular, jumbo and bubble tea sizes, all with a slant cut.
• CPLA: a plant-based plastic-style straw. The catalogue has a 12mm sharp end straw in white.

The catalogue facts don't include a certificate for any of these straws, so we don't make environmental claims about them here. If your council, landlord or event organiser asks for specific paperwork, ask us before you order.

How do the straws compare?

Here is a snapshot of the main options. Carton counts come straight from the catalogue.

The paper bubble tea straw also comes individually wrapped, which suits venues that want each straw sealed. It's listed as a separate product with the same 1,000 carton count.

How many straws will I get through?

Work it out from your drinks, not from the carton. A rough method:

1. Count the cold drinks you sell in a typical week that need a straw.

2. Multiply by the number of weeks you want to be covered, usually four to eight.

3. Compare that with the carton counts above.

A busy bubble tea shop could go through a 1,000 carton quickly, while a café selling a handful of iced drinks a day will take a long time to use 5,000 regular straws. Straws are light and store flat, but keep them dry and away from the kitchen, especially the paper ones.

Because there's no minimum order, you aren't forced to take more than you need. If you're ordering straws alongside other items, you can put cups, napkins and takeaway packaging on the same order.

Can I get straws in colours or with my own print?

Most of the paper straws in the catalogue are flagged as custom print available. That includes the plain white, black and kraft cocktail straws and the white bubble tea straws. The bamboo fibre and CPLA straws listed above are not flagged for custom print.

Custom print is a separate process from a standard order, so ask about it early if you're planning around an event or a venue launch. If you only want a bit of colour, the stock options are simpler: black, red stripe, black stripe, brown kraft and white are all in the cocktail range, and there's a flexi paper straw in all black (6x197mm, 2,500 per carton).

Which paper straw size fits a cocktail or bar?

The 5x120mm cocktail straws are the usual choice for short glasses and stirring-style use. They come in 2,500-straw cartons in plain white, plain brown kraft, all black, black stripe and red stripe. If you run a bar that wants one colour for everything, an all black or plain white straw is the easy option. Venues with a themed menu might mix a striped straw into specials.

Which one should I buy?

Use this as a starting point:

• Café with iced coffee and juices: start with the bamboo fibre regular straw or the jumbo if your drinks are thicker. Both are natural in colour and come in large cartons.
• Smoothie or shake bar: look at the 12mm CPLA sharp end straw, which is wide enough for thick drinks.
• Bubble tea shop: choose between the bamboo fibre bubble tea straw and the paper bubble tea straw. The bamboo fibre carton holds 2,000, the paper carton 1,000.
• Bar or cocktail venue: the plain white paper cocktail straw is the simplest choice, with other colours in the same range.
• Branded venue: pick a paper straw with custom print available and ask us about artwork before you order.

If you're unsure between two materials, order one carton of each and test them with your real drinks for a week. Staff and customers will tell you quickly which works.

What else should I check before ordering?

• Cup lid fit: if your lids have a straw slot or a cross, check the straw diameter against it. A 12mm straw won't suit a lid designed for a 6mm one.
• Straw length against cup height: a tall cup needs a straw that sits above the rim.
• Storage space: a 5,000 carton takes more room than a 1,000 one.
• Wrapped or unwrapped: individually wrapped suits venues that want sealed straws; loose suits fast service.

Start with the drink, then the size, then the material, and the carton choice mostly falls out of that. The product pages carry current prices and full specs, so you can compare cost per straw before you commit.

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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