Types of Disposable Cups | Everything You Need to Know

Looking to find the right type of disposable coffee cups for your next marketing campaign? Look no more, because, in this article, we will be discussing everything you need to know about the types of disposable coffee cups available in the market, their suitable usage along with the pricing of each type of disposable coffee cup we discuss.

Disposable coffee cups come in a variety of materials, styles and sizes. The quality of the disposable coffee cup depends upon the material used. For example, a polystyrene coffee cup is more stronger and sturdy than an air-pocket insulated paper coffee cup simply because polystyrene is a plastic coffee cup while an air-pocket insulated is a paper coffee cup.

Depending on your needs, you can choose a disposable coffee cup that fits your needs. If you’re looking to get disposable coffee cups for your small food corner or for advertising purposes, a paper coffee cup would be a more suitable and cost-effective option for you.

1. Air Pocket Insulated Paper Coffee Cups: 

These are best to use if you want to serve hot or cold foods and beverages. The inner sheet of the cup has air pockets built in which help keep the hot beverage hotter for a longer time and the cold beverage, colder for a longer time. 

These cups are also durable in nature and great for printing advertisements on them. The average price for an air pocket insulated paper cup is around Rs 0.50/ piece.

2. Wax Coated Paper Disposable Coffee Cups 

A wax-coated disposable coffee cup is much like an air pocket-insulated paper cup. It is sturdy and durable. Wax-coated coffee cups have a thin coating of wax sprayed on them which is why they offer extra liquid protection from leaks. But, wax-coated paper can harm your health if the wax coating is too thick. So, it’s important that the wax coating on the cup is minimal and only cold beverages are served. The average price for a wax-coated paper cup is Rs 1.50/ piece.

3. Polycoated Paper Disposable Cups

Polycoated paper coffee cups are lined with a single or double layer of polymer plastic. This gives the cups protection from leaking. Same as an air-pocket insulated coffee cup and wax-coated coffee cup, poly-coated paper cups are sturdy and durable. But, unlike wax-coated coffee cups, these cups are a safer option to consume. As they have no risk of wax accumulation or entering your stomach. The average price for a poly-coated paper cup is Rs 1/ piece.

4. Thermosensitive Paper Disposable Coffee Cups

Here’s an example of what thermosensitive paper cups are. This is about one of the paper cup campaigns we ran for a super hit film.

If you’re curious to know what was the campaign and what were we able to achieve with it, read this short case study of our paper cup branding campaign.

Coming back to Thermosensitive cups. Thermosensitive paper coffee cups are a great example of technology and innovation. These cups keep the print on the paper cup invisible until usage. For example, we ran this paper cup advertising marketing campaign for the movie Drishyam 2 where we used thermosensitive coffee cups. 

At first, the print on the cup is invisible but as the liquid gets poured, the message slowly starts to unrevealed. 

This paper cup advertising campaign helped Dishiyam 2 create buzz not just in the areas we distributed the cups but on social media as well. 

Coming back to thermosensitive cups, they are just as durable and sturdy as other types of disposable paper cups. The average price for a thermosensitive paper coffee cup is Rs 2.50 to 4/ piece. 

5. Sustainable Paper Disposable Coffee Cups

These cups are made from 100% renewable resources and are either paper lined or poly-coated with thick PLA shells. These are more eco-friendly and safe to consume. The making of these sustainable paper cups takes a lot of energy and natural resources which is why they’re costlier than the other types of disposable coffee cups mentioned above. The average price for a sustainable paper disposable coffee cup starts from Rs 5/ piece and it can be as high as Rs10/piece 

6. Disposable Coffee Cups with Foldable Handles

These cups are similar to the above types of paper cups. They are durable, have a poly-coated lining to avoid leaking, have a sturdy feel and can be used for both hot and cold beverages. However, the one extra thing that these cups have is a handle to hold. Having a foldable handle gives them a paper cup mug-like look and that helps one avoid direct contact with the hot or cold beverage. The average price of disposable coffee cups with foldable handles starts from Rs 9/piece 

FAQ for Disposable Coffee Cups

• Are disposable coffee cups safe?
• Yes, depending on the type of coffee cup you’re using. For example, a wax-coated coffee cup is safer than a sustainable paper coffee cup. 

• What is the problem with disposable coffee cups?
• The problem with disposable coffee cups is that not all of them are recyclable and eco-friendly. A polystyrene cup may be recyclable but it’s not eco-friendly given it’s made from plastic. An air-pocket insulated paper cup may be made from paper but it would still have a plastic lining. Another drawback of using paper cups is that it requires paper as a raw material which is produced by cutting the trees.

• Is advertising on Disposable Paper Cups a good idea? 
• Yes, it is. We have done paper advertising for a lot of brands across different segments and industries. We found that not only is paper cup advertising a great form of experiential marketing but also works for all kinds of brands.

• What is a coffee cup advertisement?
• Coffee cup advertisement is a form of print media advertising in which you print your brand offer on coffee cups, and distribute them within your targeted areas to engage with your target audience. It’s a good way to do experiential marketing.

• How do you market coffee cups? 
• Coffee cups are used in every nook and corner of the country which makes them a good tool to use as a marketing medium. The way to market coffee cups is by finding the right audience at the right location. You need to know where your target audience is from and where they hang out. 

• Does coffee cup advertising work in India?
• Yes, coffee cup advertising works in India and we have done it for a ton of brands including Hotstar, Zomato, Uber and many others.

Contact us today at +91 990 247 8800 or email at contact@gingermediagroup.com if you want us to do coffee cup advertising for your brand.