Branded Coffee Cups UK: Sizes, Prices, MOQs & Buying Guide
A straightforward guide to branded coffee cups, including sizes, current pricing, minimum order quantities, lead times, artwork and how many cups your business should order.
Branded coffee cups are one of the simplest ways to get your branding out into the real world.
Once a customer leaves your café, restaurant or event carrying a branded cup, your packaging isn't just holding their drink anymore. It's carrying your brand with them.
But when you're ordering custom printed coffee cups for the first time, there are a few things worth getting right. What size do you need? How many should you order? What's a reasonable price? And do you really need to order tens of thousands?
What size branded coffee cup do you need?
For most coffee businesses, 8oz and 12oz cups cover a large proportion of takeaway drinks.
8oz coffee cups
8oz is a popular choice for smaller drinks such as flat whites and smaller Americanos.
They're also useful if you want to keep portion sizes controlled or prefer a more compact takeaway cup.
12oz coffee cups
12oz gives you more room and works well as a general-purpose takeaway size.
For businesses that want to keep their cup range simple, 12oz can be a good starting point because it works across a wide range of drinks.
Some businesses use both: 8oz for smaller drinks and 12oz for larger ones.
Brandemic also offers 16oz options for businesses that need a larger size.
Single wall vs double wall coffee cups
Another decision is whether you need single-wall or double-wall cups.
Single-wall cups use one layer of board. They're generally lighter and can work well for certain drinks, particularly when paired with a sleeve where necessary.
Double-wall cups have an additional layer that provides extra insulation between the hot drink and the customer's hand.
For takeaway coffee, double wall is a popular option because you get the extra insulation without needing to add a separate sleeve to every drink.
It also gives you plenty of printable space for your branding.
How much do branded coffee cups cost?
The biggest factor is quantity.
As with most custom packaging, the price per cup generally falls as the order quantity increases because the setup and production costs are spread across more units.
Here are some examples from our current double-wall branded cup pricing.
8oz branded double-wall cups (cups only, ex VAT)
1,000 cups: £226.85 — 22.7p per cup
2,000 cups: £373.56 — 18.7p per cup
3,000 cups: £423.11 — 14.1p per cup
5,000 cups: £612.10 — 12.2p per cup
8,000 cups: £945.56 — 11.8p per cup
10,000 cups: £1,090.53 — 10.9p per cup
One interesting point is the jump from 2,000 to 3,000 cups.
At the current pricing, moving from 2,000 to 3,000 costs only £49.55 more, despite giving you another 1,000 branded cups.
That's why it's worth comparing the price breaks rather than automatically choosing the smallest quantity.
12oz branded double-wall cups (cups only, ex VAT)
1,000 cups: £238.01 — 23.8p per cup
2,000 cups: £387.72 — 19.4p per cup
3,000 cups: £493.38 — 16.4p per cup
5,000 cups: £696.89 — 13.9p per cup
8,000 cups: £1,036.00 — 13.0p per cup
10,000 cups: £1,203.57 — 12.0p per cup
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.
Pricing can change, so always check the live product page for the latest price before ordering.
What is the minimum order for branded coffee cups?
You don't necessarily need to order 20,000 or 50,000 cups to have your own branding.
Brandemic's branded double-wall cups currently start from 500 cups in 8oz and 12oz recyclable matte, and 1,000 cups for other sizes and finishes.
That makes branded cups much more accessible to independent cafés, restaurants, coffee vans, pop-ups and businesses that don't want to tie up cash or storage space in a huge packaging order.
Larger quantities will usually give you a better unit price, but the cheapest cup isn't automatically the best purchasing decision.
Order a quantity that makes sense for your actual usage.
How many branded coffee cups should you order?
A simple way of estimating this is:
Average takeaway cups used per day × number of trading days = approximate cup usage
For example, if you use around 80 takeaway cups each day and trade 30 days a month:
80 × 30 = 2,400 cups per month
A 5,000-cup order would therefore represent roughly two months of stock.
It's worth allowing some headroom, but don't order a massive quantity purely to save a few pence per cup if it'll leave boxes sitting in storage for a year.
This is particularly important if your branding, menu or business is likely to change.
What artwork do you need for printed coffee cups?
Your artwork needs to be suitable for printing onto the cup template.
If you've already got professional logo or brand files, that's usually a good starting point.
Before anything goes to print, you'll receive a proof to approve, so you can check how the artwork will sit on the cup.
Don't just think about putting a logo in the middle.
Cups can become a recognisable part of your brand. Colours, typography, illustrations and simple repeating designs can often make packaging much more distinctive.
How long do branded coffee cups take?
Our branded double-wall cups currently have an estimated lead time of around 3–4 weeks.
Remember that custom packaging isn't the same as buying stock cups off a shelf. Your cups have to be printed specifically for your business.
If you've got an opening, event or other fixed date coming up, order early rather than leaving custom packaging until the last minute.
Are branded coffee cups worth it?
For the right business, absolutely.
Think about what happens to a takeaway cup after the customer buys their drink.
It leaves your premises.
Someone carries it through a shopping centre, office, university, high street or train station. Other people see it. It might appear in a photo or on social media.
That makes a cup one of the few pieces of packaging that can continue advertising your business after the sale has happened.
One of our customers, OP's Coffee in Norwich, described it perfectly:
“Every time someone walks down the street with an OP's cup, it's another little bit of brand awareness for us, so they're doing a lot more than just holding coffee!”
Their cups were designed to be unmistakably OP's, using their recognisable army green branding and a character inspired by their grandfather.
What should you compare between coffee cup suppliers?
Price matters, but it shouldn't be the only thing you compare.
Look at minimum order quantity, lead time, print quality, cup construction, artwork process and whether you'll receive a proof before production.
Also think beyond your first cup order.
If your business needs branded bags, food packaging, labels, greaseproof paper or other packaging alongside the cups, being able to manage more of it through one supplier can make ordering much easier.
That's exactly what we're building Brandemic around.
Can small cafés get custom printed coffee cups?
Yes.
Historically, branded packaging could involve very large minimum orders, which made it difficult for smaller independents to justify.
That's changing.
With our double-wall cups starting at 500 units, you can introduce branded packaging without committing to tens of thousands of cups.
You can then increase the quantity as your usage grows.
Ready to create your own branded coffee cups?
You can configure your cups online, choose your size and quantity and see the pricing before ordering.
Our branded double-wall cups are available in 8oz, 12oz and 16oz, with quantities starting from 500 cups (8oz and 12oz recyclable matte; 1,000 for other options).
You'll receive a proof before your cups go into production.
FAQs
- How many branded coffee cups do I need to order?
- Our branded double-wall cups start from 500 units in 8oz and 12oz recyclable matte, and 1,000 units for other sizes and finishes. The right quantity depends on how many takeaway drinks your business sells and how much stock you want to hold.
- How much do branded coffee cups cost?
- Pricing depends on cup size and quantity. As an example (prices checked 12 October 2026), 1,000 8oz recyclable matte double-wall cups cost £226.85 for the cups plus £50 artwork setup, both excluding VAT. That's £332.22 including VAT, with free UK delivery. 5,000 of the same cups cost £612.10 plus £100 artwork setup, which is £854.52 including VAT. Larger orders generally reduce the cost per cup.
- What sizes of branded coffee cups are available?
- Our branded double-wall range includes 8oz, 12oz and 16oz options.
- How long do branded coffee cups take to arrive?
- Our current estimated lead time for branded double-wall cups is around 3–4 weeks. Allow additional time where possible if you need the cups for a specific opening or event.
- Can I see my cup design before it's printed?
- Yes. You'll receive a proof to approve before production.
- Are double-wall cups better for hot drinks?
- Double-wall cups have an additional layer that provides more insulation between the drink and the customer's hand, making them a popular option for takeaway hot drinks.