Boba Cups: Sizes, Lids and Sealing for Bubble Tea Shops
By the Avco Boxes team · Updated
Bubble tea shops mostly serve in clear plastic cold cups, so the drink, its layers and the tapioca pearls stay visible. The most common boba cup sizes are 16 to 24 oz. Cups are closed with a flat or dome lid or with heat-sealed film from a sealing machine, and served with a wide straw that pearls can pass through.
What makes a good boba cup
A boba cup is a cold cup chosen for a few specific jobs. Bubble tea is sold on looks as much as taste: the colour of a taro or matcha drink, a brown sugar swirl down the side, pearls settled at the bottom. A clear cup shows all of that, which is why clear plastic is the default for most shops.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Clear plastic | Shows the drink, layers and toppings, so the cup does the selling |
| Enough room | Pearls, jelly and ice take up space before any tea goes in |
| A firm rim | Has to hold a snap-on lid or a sealed film without leaking |
| A matching closure | Lid or sealing film must be sized to the cup's rim |
| Room for a wide straw | The straw has to reach the bottom where the pearls sit |
Paper cold cups and hot cups have their place, for hot milk teas for example, but they hide the drink. The types of cups guide compares clear, paper and other cup types side by side.
Boba cup sizes
Cold cups are measured in fluid ounces. Because toppings and ice fill part of the cup, bubble tea sizes run larger than hot drink sizes, and most menus are built around 16 to 24 oz.
| Size | Approx. ml | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 12 oz | 355 ml | Kids' size, tasting cups, small slushes |
| 16 oz | 473 ml | A common regular size for milk tea |
| 20 oz | 591 ml | A middle size on three-size menus |
| 24 oz | 710 ml | A common large for milk tea and fruit tea |
| 32 oz | 946 ml | Extra large fruit teas and iced drinks |
Two sizes, such as 16 and 24 oz, keep stock simple. A three-size menu of 16, 20 and 24 oz gives more choice but means another cup, and possibly another lid, to manage. List the ounces on the menu next to each name so customers know what they are getting. The coffee cup sizes chart covers how cold sizes compare with hot ones.
Lids or sealing film?
There are two ways to close a bubble tea cup. Many shops use both: sealing film for drinks that will travel, and lids for drinks topped with foam or cream.
| Closure | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat lid | Snaps onto the rim, with a hole or slot for the straw | Plain milk teas and fruit teas with no topping above the rim |
| Dome lid | Snaps onto the rim and leaves space above it | Cheese foam, cream tops, whipped cream and blended drinks |
| Heat-sealed film | A sealing machine presses a film onto the rim | Drinks shaken or carried a distance; the straw pierces the film |
A sealing machine only works with cups whose rim matches the machine. Before you order cups for a sealer, confirm the rim diameter it takes with your sealer supplier, then check the cup you plan to buy against it.
Lids are sized by rim too, so order lids that are listed for your exact cup. Some cup sizes share a rim and therefore a lid, which can cut down the number of lid boxes you keep.
Straws for bubble tea
Ordinary drinking straws are too narrow for tapioca pearls. Bubble tea is served with a wide straw, often called a boba straw, so pearls and jelly can be drawn up with the drink. Straws used with sealing film are usually cut at an angle to make a point that can pierce the film.
- Check the straw is wide enough for the largest topping you serve.
- Check it is long enough to reach the bottom of your biggest cup.
- If you use flat lids, check the straw fits the lid's straw hole.
Branding a boba cup
A boba drink is carried down the street, set on a desk and photographed, so the cup is a good place for a logo. A clear cup also changes how a print reads, because the drink behind it becomes the background.
- Pick an ink colour that stands out against your most popular drinks. A dark ink reads well over pale milk teas, and a light ink like white reads well over dark ones such as brown sugar or coffee drinks.
- Keep the design simple. A logo and a name, or a logo and your social handle, reads better than a busy layout on a curved, see-through surface.
- Leave space for the drink to show. A small or medium logo keeps the layers and pearls visible.
- Use the same print across sizes so every cup looks like part of one set.
Ask for a proof before printing. It shows where the logo will sit on the cup and how big it will be.
Custom printed boba cups from Avco
Avco prints custom clear cold cups in the USA in 12, 16, 20, 24 and 32 oz, which covers the usual boba sizes. Cases hold 240 to 300 cups depending on size, with a 5-case minimum. Your logo is printed in one colour, chosen from black, red, white, blue, green, yellow or orange.
Cold cup lids are sold separately. Avco does not sell sealing film or straws, so if you seal your drinks, confirm the cup with your sealer supplier before you order. Every order gets a free digital proof and a one-time $75 artwork setup, and production takes 7–10 business days after you approve the proof.
See the full range of custom plastic cups, or browse coffee shop packaging for hot cups and other items a tea shop uses.
Frequently asked questions
- What size cup is used for boba?
- Most bubble tea shops use 16 to 24 oz clear cups, with 16 oz a common regular and 24 oz a common large. Some add a 32 oz size for big fruit teas.
- Are boba cups different from regular plastic cups?
- A boba cup is a clear cold cup chosen to suit bubble tea: big enough for pearls and ice, with a rim that takes a lid or sealing film, and served with a wide straw. Many shops use standard clear cold cups for this.
- Can I use any cup with a bubble tea sealing machine?
- No. A sealer needs a cup whose rim matches the machine. Confirm the rim diameter with your sealer supplier before ordering cups for it.
- Do boba cups need special straws?
- Yes. Pearls and jelly need a wide straw. If you seal your cups with film, use straws cut at an angle so they can pierce it.
- Can I get my logo printed on boba cups?
- Yes. Avco prints clear cold cups from 12 to 32 oz with your logo in one colour, with a 5-case minimum, a free proof and 7–10 business days of production after approval.