A paper cup looks like the simplest line on an order sheet. It is also the line most likely to arrive with the wrong wall or a lid that does not fit. This guide covers the wall types, how a cup is built, and the documents an importer should receive.
What Is a Double Wall Paper Cup?
A double wall paper cup is built from two layers: an inner cup that holds the liquid, and an outer wrap glued around it. The gap between them traps air and slows heat transfer, so the cup stays comfortable to hold with hot coffee and needs no separate sleeve. The outer wrap carries the printing; the inner layer stays in contact with the drink.
Single Wall, Double Wall and Ripple Wall
Single wall. One layer of board. Lowest cost, still standard for cold drinks and small sizes; very hot drinks usually need a cardboard sleeve.
Double wall. Two layers. The common choice for coffee shops and takeaway, because it takes the sleeve out of the counter workflow.
Ripple wall. An outer wrap formed into vertical flutes, creating an insulating air channel and a distinctive surface. The premium option for branded cafes.
In our current catalogue, single wall cups run 3.5 oz to 32 oz; double wall cups 8, 12 and 16 oz; ripple wall cups 4, 8, 12 and 16 oz.
How a Paper Cup Is Built
The wall begins as a flat printed fan die-cut from coated board. Five elements decide how it performs.
Paperboard body. The structural layer, formed into a cone or cylinder.
Barrier coating. Applied inside so liquid does not soak into the board. The standard coating is polyethylene (PE); an industrially compostable PLA coating is also available, and either can be run on any size in the range.
Rolled rim. The top edge curled outward; it stiffens the cup and gives a lid the surface it snaps onto.
Side seam. Where the two edges of the fan overlap and are sealed.
Bottom disc. A separate disc set into the base and sealed around its edge. Base diameter and wall angle must match, or the cup leaks.
Sizes, Packing and Lids
Carton configuration drives your warehouse cost per unit. In our catalogue, 3.5 oz and 4 oz single wall cups pack 2,000 per carton, single wall cups from 7 oz to 20 oz pack 1,000, and double wall and ripple wall cups pack 500. Ask for carton dimensions as well as the count.
A cup and a lid are two products. In our catalogue the 80 mm and 90 mm lids fit 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 oz cups, and a 62 mm lid fits the 4 oz cup.
What Documents Should Come With a Paper Cup Order?
Food-contact test reports. Each market has its own regime. SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. has issued reports on our finished paper cups for: EU Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and (EU) 2020/1245 overall and heavy-metal migration plus (EC) No 1935/2004 sensorial examination, report SHAHG2123707201 (10 November 2021) and report SHAHG2208560701 (5 July 2022); US FDA 21 CFR 176.170 and 21 CFR 177.1520, report SHAHG1618601001 (25 August 2016); German LFGB Sections 30 and 31, report SHAHG1611307201 (7 June 2016); and Japan Food Sanitation Law, report T32220252097SC from SGS Hong Kong Ltd. (25 April 2022). All passed.
Declaration of Compliance. Under Article 15 and Annex IV of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, a DoC names the article and cites the migration data relied on; ask for one that matches your final specification.
PFAS and total fluorine. Fibre-based packaging increasingly needs a written statement on this. Report SHAHL26028396401 (SGS-CSTC Shanghai, 8 September 2026) tested total fluorine on a printed paper cup to Article 5(5) of Regulation (EU) 2025/40: not detected against a 50 mg/kg limit.
Factory certificates. Our group holds ISO 9001:2015 (00124Q313962R2M/4200) and ISO 14001:2015 (00124E307542R2M/4200) from China Quality Certification Centre, valid to 5 February 2027; BRCGS Packaging Materials Issue 7 grade A (C0873426-BRC2), valid to 16 September 2027; amfori BSCI monitoring ID 25-0357917, valid to 15 November 2026; an International Halal Certificate (SSPY-201318-34349), valid to 14 September 2028; and US FDA food facility registration 15904985240, valid to 31 December 2026.
How Does EU Regulation Treat a Coated Paper Cup?
Under Directive (EU) 2019/904, bio-based and biodegradable plastics are managed as plastics, so a paper cup with a plastic barrier layer is assessed on what it contains. Beverage cups made wholly or partly of plastic must carry the harmonised marking under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2151, placed away from the rim. Whether a cup falls within the Directive, and which obligations follow, depends on its construction and your national rules; final classification is the buyer's call in the target market. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 separately raises requirements on recyclability and substances of concern in fibre-based packaging.
What to Ask Your Supplier Before Ordering
Ask for the wall type in writing: "double wall" and "double coated" are different products at different prices.
Ask for board and coating specifications per size, and whether the stated grammage includes the coating.
Ask for a report on the finished cup, not only the raw board, with the report number and laboratory name so you can verify it.
Confirm the trade measures that apply in your market before committing to a large order: duties and investigations covering paperboard cups and containers are live in some markets.
Be cautious with any supplier who answers "one cup, all markets, all regulations".
Request the Datasheet and Test Reports
We supply single wall, double wall and ripple wall paper cups with matching lids and carriers. Tell us your market, size and intended use, and we will send the datasheet, certificates and samples.