6oz Paper Cups for Flat Whites, Cortados and Tasters

Who orders 6oz cups

Speciality coffee shops are the biggest buyers of this size. A flat white served in an 8oz cup looks short-changed, so many baristas keep a 6oz cup just for it.

Bakeries with a coffee machine order them for customers who want a quick drink with a pastry. Garden centres, farm shops and soft play cafés use them for small hot chocolates that children can actually finish.

Event caterers like the size too. At a wedding or conference, a 6oz cup of coffee after the meal is what most guests want, and it means fewer half-finished cups on the tables.

• Speciality cafés serving flat whites and cortados
• Bakeries selling a coffee alongside a pastry
• Soft play and family cafés serving smaller portions
• Roasters handing out tasters at markets and fairs
• Hotels and offices running a short coffee service

What fits in a 6oz cup

Capacity on a cup is measured to the brim, so the drink you serve is always a little less. In practice a 6oz cup carries around 150ml once you leave room for a lid and a steady walk to the door.

That suits a double shot with steamed milk very well. It is too small for a regular latte, and it is larger than you need for a single espresso, which sits better in a smaller 4oz espresso cup.

Single, double or ripple wall at 6oz

A short cup is held for a short time, so plenty of cafés choose single wall at this size and add a sleeve for the occasional hot hand. It keeps the cup light and the print bright.

Weight matters more than you might think on a small cup. A heavy double wall cup next to a dainty flat white can feel out of proportion, while a slim single wall cup looks right in the hand.

Double wall is worth it when your 6oz drinks go out piping hot or travel some distance. Ripple wall gives the most grip and a textured feel, which suits a premium coffee bar. Our guide on single versus double wall cups sets out the trade-offs in more detail.

Designing for a small print area

The face of a 6oz cup is narrow, so artwork that looks balanced on a 12oz cup can feel cramped here. A single strong mark usually reads better than a logo plus a strapline plus a web address.

Full wrap print helps because the design runs around the cup instead of squeezing onto one face. If you want to see how your logo sits before you commit, try our Design Your Cups page to preview your logo and send us the result.

Keep any small text, such as a web address or social handle, near the widest part of the cup. Text placed low on a tapered cup shrinks visually and can be hard to read.

1. Send the logo you want on the 6oz cup as an AI, PDF, EPS, SVG, PNG or JPG file
2. Choose one side, two sides or a full wrap
3. Tell us your colours as CMYK or Pantone references
4. Check the free digital proof we send back
5. Ask for changes until the proof is right, then approve it

Lids and sleeves for 6oz cups

Lids are sized to the rim, not to the ounce figure on the box. A 6oz lid may not fit a 7oz cup from another range, so always order cups and lids together.

Sip lids suit flat whites because they keep the foam in place while still letting the drinker taste it. If you use single wall cups for very hot drinks, add a band from our printed paper cup sleeves range so the cup stays comfortable to hold.

Black, white and clear lids are the usual choices for this size. Pick a colour that works with your cup print, because the lid is often the first thing a customer notices on a small cup.

Some cafés skip lids for drink-in orders and keep them only for takeaway. Either way, have a stack ready at the hand-off point so staff are never caught short in a rush.

Using 6oz cups for tasters and samples

Roasters and tea merchants often use this size at markets because a full drink in a sampling cup gets wasted. Six ounces is enough for a proper taste without giving away a whole coffee.

A printed cup also keeps your name in the customer's hand while they walk the stalls. Put your shop name or web address on the cup so they can find you later.

At trade shows the same cup can do double duty. Serve tasters in the morning and full flat whites in the afternoon without carrying two sets of stock.

Pricing and timing

Printed 6oz cups start from £0.25 per cup, and the exact figure is confirmed in your written quote. The final price depends on wall type, print coverage and quantity.

Your 6oz cups go into production once the proof is approved, and printing takes 4 to 6 working days. Tracked delivery then takes 2 to 3 working days and is free anywhere in the UK. You can read more on our delivery and dispatch page.

If you need cups for a launch or an event date, tell us the date when you ask for a quote. We can then plan the proof stage so there is time to make changes without rushing.

Common mistakes with 6oz cups

Most problems with small cups come from guessing rather than measuring. A quick check of your current cups and drink recipes avoids nearly all of them.

• Ordering 6oz cups for a latte recipe that needs 8oz
• Buying lids from a different range without checking the rim
• Fitting a long strapline onto a narrow cup face
• Choosing single wall for drinks served very hot with no sleeve
• Forgetting to request food-contact board when you need it

Planning how many to order

Work from your sales rather than a round number. Count how many flat whites and cortados you sell in a typical week, then multiply by the number of weeks you want the stock to last.

Add a margin for tasters, staff drinks and the odd dropped sleeve of cups. Storage space matters too, because small cups nest tightly but still fill a stockroom shelf quickly.

Where 6oz sits in your cup range

Few cafés stock only one size. A common setup pairs 6oz for flat whites with 8oz and 12oz for milkier drinks, so the menu has a clear small, regular and large.

Keeping the same artwork across sizes makes the range look planned. Our UK paper cup size guide explains how each size maps to everyday drinks.

A 6oz cup also helps with pricing. Customers who want a stronger, smaller drink can pay for exactly that rather than a bigger cup they do not need.

Board, lining and recycling

You can choose white board for bright colours or kraft board for a natural brown look. Kraft suits roasters who want an earthy feel, while white makes a bold logo stand out on a small cup.

If your cups will hold drinks served straight to customers, ask us to quote on food-contact board. Recyclable lining options can be priced alongside, so you can compare both before you approve anything.