Order the wrong tube length and you find out on packaging day — a king-size cone crushed into a tube built for a half-gram, or a dogwalker rattling around in three inches of dead space. Tube sizing isn't complicated, but the naming conventions are inconsistent enough across the industry that even experienced purchasers get caught. Here's the working guide we give our own wholesale customers.
How pre-roll tubes are measured
A tube's stated size refers to its usable interior length in millimeters — the space your pre-roll actually occupies. Two other numbers matter just as much:
- Diameter. Standard tubes run roughly 19mm across the opening, which comfortably fits standard and king-size cones. Fat blunts and infused pre-rolls with a wide crown may need a wider-body format — always check the crown, not just the length.
- Headroom. Leave a few millimeters above the cone so the tip doesn't bear against the lid. A cone that just barely fits will get crushed by the closing action a hundred times a day on a production line.
When in doubt, order samples and run your actual cones — filled, twisted or folded exactly the way production does it — before committing to master cases.
The cone-to-tube cheat sheet
These pairings cover the overwhelming majority of pre-roll programs:
- 70–78mm dogwalkers and minis (0.3–0.5g) → 80mm pop-top tubes
- 84mm cones (0.5–0.75g) → 90mm or 95mm pop-top tubes
- 98mm cones (0.75–1g) — the industry-standard single — → 98mm pop-top tubes, sized so a standard 98mm cone seats correctly with the twist folded
- 109mm king-size cones (1g+) → 116mm king-size pop-top tubes
Every pop-top length above comes in clear, opaque black and opaque white — the opaque versions exist because several states require non-transparent packaging, and because opacity hides the inevitable variation between hand-finished pre-rolls.
Pop-top vs. screw-cap: picking a format
Squeeze pop-tops are the volume workhorse: certified child-resistant, one-piece, fast to load, and the cheapest per unit at scale. If you're packaging thousands of singles a week, this is your format. Browse the full pre-roll tube range.
Screw-cap CR tubes — like the Chubby Gorilla Aviator 113mm and its 100mm and 120mm siblings — cost more per unit but read as premium in the hand, seal more securely for humidity-sensitive infused products, and carry wrap labels beautifully. The Chubby Gorilla line is the recognized name here.
Glass tubes — 18x79mm and 18x115mm — suit slim singles and pre-roll programs where the unboxing experience is the point. Note that glass tubes with cork or standard caps are generally not child-resistant on their own, so they're paired with a CR exit bag or outer package where regulations require it.
When a jar beats a tube
Multi-packs changed the math. If you sell 3-, 5- or 7-packs, a single wide-mouth jar is cheaper than three to seven individual tubes, presents better, and gives the customer a reusable container:
- Mini multi-packs (3–5 half-gram pre-rolls) → 40ml mini straight-sided glass jars
- Full-size multi-packs (5–7 pre-rolls) → 2oz wide-mouth straight-sided glass jars, tall enough for 98mm cones stood upright
Pair either with a certified child-resistant cap from our caps range and the multi-pack meets the same re-closable child-resistance standard as a flower jar. For the full compliance picture, see our child-resistant packaging guide.
A purchasing checklist before you order cases
- Measure your cone, filled. Twisted or folded tips add length — measure the finished unit, not the empty cone spec.
- Confirm child-resistance paperwork for the exact tube SKU, and whether your state accepts single-use CR or requires re-closable.
- Check opacity rules in every state you ship into — buying opaque from day one avoids requalifying later.
- Plan the label panel. Required warnings eat space fast; longer tubes and wrap labels give your designer room to work.
- Sample first, then buy by the master case. Per-unit pricing drops hard at case quantities, and we price-beat quotes on like-for-like SKUs.
Make the tube yours
Stock tubes get your product legal; branded tubes get it remembered. Silk-screen printing and custom-colored tubes are available across the pop-top range with reasonable minimums, and full custom molds are on the table for programs ready to own their format. Start with our custom packaging program — send your cone spec and volumes, and we'll quote the right tube, branded, within one business day.
