8oz vs 12oz Coffee Cups: Which Size Should Your Café Choose?

Choosing between 8oz and 12oz coffee cups sounds simple, but the size you choose can affect your drinks, stock levels and packaging costs.

For many cafés and coffee shops, 8oz and 12oz cover a large proportion of takeaway orders. Some businesses need both, while others can simplify their packaging by choosing one main size.

So which one makes sense for your business?

In this guide, we'll look at what each size is commonly used for, when it makes sense to stock both and how your order quantity can affect the cost of branded cups.

What's the difference between an 8oz and 12oz coffee cup?

The obvious difference is capacity: a 12oz cup holds 50% more than an 8oz cup.

But from a café's point of view, the more important difference is how each size fits into your drinks menu.

An 8oz cup is well suited to smaller takeaway drinks and businesses that prefer more compact serving sizes. A 12oz cup gives you more room and works well as a general-purpose takeaway size across a wider range of drinks.

Neither size is automatically better. The right choice depends on what you serve and how you structure your menu.

What drinks are best suited to an 8oz coffee cup?

8oz cups are a popular choice for smaller takeaway coffees where you don't need the extra capacity of a larger cup.

They can work particularly well for drinks such as flat whites and smaller Americanos, as well as cafés that deliberately keep their serving sizes compact.

There's also a commercial advantage: if a large proportion of your drinks comfortably fit into an 8oz cup, you may be paying for unnecessary cup capacity by putting everything into 12oz packaging.

For businesses using branded cups, 8oz can also provide a lower-cost entry point while still giving customers the full branded takeaway experience.

When does a 12oz coffee cup make more sense?

12oz is the more versatile option if you want a cup that works across a broader takeaway menu.

The additional capacity makes it useful for larger coffees and drinks that need more room, while still being a familiar takeaway size for customers.

If you want to keep your packaging range simple rather than stocking several different cup sizes, 12oz can therefore make a good general-purpose option.

For some cafés, the best answer isn't choosing between 8oz and 12oz at all. It's stocking both and using each size for the drinks it suits best.

Should your café stock both 8oz and 12oz cups?

For many cafés, stocking both sizes makes sense if there's a clear difference between the smaller and larger drinks on the menu.

It gives customers a choice while letting you match the cup more closely to the drink being served.

But more cup sizes also means more stock to manage. You'll need storage space for each size and potentially different lids, depending on the cups you use.

If most of your takeaway drinks are sold in one size, keeping your range simple can make ordering and stock management easier.

A useful starting point is to look at a few weeks of sales and see what proportion of your takeaway drinks genuinely need each size. Let your actual sales decide rather than ordering multiple sizes simply because they're available.

How much do 8oz and 12oz branded coffee cups cost?

Cup size affects the price, but order quantity has an even bigger effect on the cost per cup.

Using Brandemic's current double-wall branded cup pricing as an example:

8oz branded cups (cups only, ex VAT)

• 1,000 — £226.85 (22.7p each)

• 3,000 — £423.11 (14.1p each)

• 5,000 — £612.10 (12.2p each)

• 10,000 — £1,090.53 (10.9p each)

12oz branded cups (cups only, ex VAT)

• 1,000 — £238.01 (23.8p each)

• 3,000 — £493.38 (16.4p each)

• 5,000 — £696.89 (13.9p each)

• 10,000 — £1,203.57 (12.0p each)

These are prices for the cups only, excluding VAT. Artwork setup is added once per order: £50 ex VAT for 1,000 cups or fewer, £100 ex VAT above 1,000. UK delivery is free.

What a first order actually costs

Full first-order examples for 8oz recyclable matte double-wall cups (prices checked 12 October 2026):

• 1,000 cups: £226.85 cups + £50 artwork setup = £276.85 ex VAT, plus £55.37 VAT = £332.22 including VAT, with free UK delivery.

• 5,000 cups: £612.10 cups + £100 artwork setup = £712.10 ex VAT, plus £142.42 VAT = £854.52 including VAT, with free UK delivery.

At 1,000 cups, the difference between 8oz and 12oz is only £11.16. At 10,000 cups, it's £113.04.

There's another useful price break in the 8oz range. At current pricing, 2,000 cups cost £373.56 while 3,000 cost £423.11. That's only £49.55 more for an additional 1,000 branded cups.

So don't choose an order quantity based purely on the lowest total price. Compare the cost per cup and how quickly your business is likely to use the stock.

View current Branded Double Wall Coffee Cup prices

So, should you choose 8oz or 12oz?

If you mainly serve smaller coffees and want to keep portions compact, 8oz may be the better fit.

If you want a more versatile takeaway cup that can handle a broader range of drinks, 12oz may make more sense.

And if your menu has a genuine split between smaller and larger drinks, stocking both can give you the flexibility you need.

The important thing is not to choose a cup size in isolation. Look at your drinks menu, takeaway sales, storage space and how quickly you'll use each size before deciding what to order.

What about 16oz coffee cups?

8oz and 12oz aren't your only options. Brandemic's branded double-wall range also includes 16oz cups for businesses serving larger takeaway drinks.

If larger drinks form an important part of your menu, 16oz may be worth adding alongside your smaller sizes. If they only account for a handful of orders, however, adding another cup size also means another line of stock to manage.

Ready to create your branded coffee cups?

Brandemic's custom printed double-wall coffee cups are available in 8oz, 12oz and 16oz, with orders starting from 500 cups (8oz and 12oz recyclable matte; 1,000 for other options).

Choose your size, material, finish and quantity online, see your price before ordering and receive an artwork proof before production.

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