ABL, PBL or co-extruded — and what the barrier numbers say.
| Structure | Typical layers | Barrier | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABL — aluminium-barrier laminate | PE / PE+EAA / AL / PE+EAA / PE | Foil; performance set by pinhole count. Foil thickness now 12 µm or 9 µm, down from the traditional 40 µm | Toothpaste-style tubes, pharma creams, strongly fragranced or solvent-bearing products; visible side seam |
| PBL — plastic-barrier laminate | PE / PE / EVOH / PE / PE (or PVDC, oxide-coated PET) | High; foil-free, so metal-detectable and squeezes back | Mid-range skincare and hair care; non-barrier PBL for fast-moving low-cost products |
| Co-extruded, single layer | PE | Low: OTR 150-300 units | Hand cream, body lotion, cleansers — appearance matters, barrier does not |
| Co-extruded, five layer | PE / tie / EVOH 15-20 µm / tie / PE | High: OTR 0.2-1.2 units; ethanol weight loss tens of times lower than single layer | Vitamin C, whitening and retinol formulas, essential-oil and fragrance-led products; premium seamless look |
Selection rule: if the formula is oxygen-sensitive (whitening, vitamin C, retinoids) or its value is in a volatile aroma (essential oils, ester-rich fragrances) or it is mildly corrosive, specify five-layer co-extrusion. If it is a fast-moving hand cream, a single-layer tube with a good print is the honest choice. Compatibility is confirmed the same way for every structure — the actual bulk in the actual tube at 48°C for 30 days, as set out on our QC standards page.
Printable area by tube diameter, Ø13 to Ø60 (mm).
Artwork is laid out flat and wrapped. The unwrapped length is effectively the circumference; the three centre distances tell a designer where the front, the seam-side and the back of the tube fall on the flat template. Keep the design inside this area and centred, and leave the eye-mark (registration mark) position to the factory template.
| Tube diameter | Front centre distance | Unwrapped centre distance | Back centre distance | Total unwrapped length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ø13 | 10.00 | 20.00 | 30.00 | 40.00 |
| Ø16 | 12.40 | 24.80 | 37.20 | 49.60 |
| Ø19 | 14.65 | 29.30 | 43.95 | 58.50 |
| Ø22 | 17.00 | 34.00 | 51.00 | 68.00 |
| Ø25 | 19.40 | 38.80 | 58.20 | 77.60 |
| Ø30 | 23.25 | 46.50 | 69.75 | 93.00 |
| Ø35 | 27.25 | 54.50 | 81.75 | 109.00 |
| Ø38 | 29.50 | 59.00 | 88.50 | 118.00 |
| Ø40 | 31.00 | 62.00 | 93.00 | 124.00 |
| Ø45 | 34.90 | 69.80 | 104.70 | 139.60 |
| Ø50 | 38.90 | 77.80 | 116.70 | 155.60 |
| Ø55 | 42.75 | 85.50 | 128.25 | 171.00 |
| Ø60 | 46.50 | 93.00 | 139.60 | 186.00 |
Tubes go through several heated steps (extrusion, heading, varnish, offset oven, UV cure for silk-screen), so a small shrinkage in diameter and length within tolerance is normal. A good tube supplier checks your artwork before plates are made — eye-mark position, colours that will not print, barcode orientation and readability, colour separations that cannot be produced, and outline errors.
Standard diameters and fill weights.
| Diameter | Typical fill range | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| Ø13, Ø16, Ø19 | 3-15 g | Samples, eye cream, lip treatment, serum minis |
| Ø22, Ø25 | 15-40 g | Eye and face cream, travel sizes, hand cream |
| Ø28, Ø30, Ø33, Ø35 | 30-100 g | Face cream, cleanser, sunscreen, hand cream, primer |
| Ø38, Ø40, Ø45 | 80-150 g | Cleanser, mask, hair treatment, body cream |
| Ø50, Ø55, Ø60 | 150-250 g | Body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel |
Standard fills: 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 80, 100, 110, 120, 130, 150, 180, 200 and 250 g. Length is set to hit the fill at the chosen diameter, so a brief should state both — "Ø35, 80 g" — rather than a capacity alone.
End seals, cap types and filling.
| Element | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| End seal | Straight, angled (diagonal), umbrella, shaped | Date/batch code can be embossed in the seal; seal width 3.5-4.5 mm |
| Cap types | Screw (single or double-wall), flat-top, round-top, nozzle, flip-top, super-flat, dome, lipstick-style, plug cap | Double-wall screw caps are usually metallised for a premium look; professional lines favour screw caps |
| Cap finishes | Hot-stamped gold or silver edge, coloured, clear, sprayed, metallised | Nozzle and lipstick-style caps normally include an inner plug |
| Cap sourcing | Injection-moulded, mostly stock moulds | Tube bodies are extruded and most tube factories do not mould their own caps — allow for the second supplier in the timeline |
| Filling | Tail-fill (open end) or head-fill | Tail-fill: confirm the filling nozzle passes the tube bore; head-fill: confirm carton orientation; state hot-fill or ambient |
MOQ, plates, lead time and the ±10% rule.
| Item | Industry floor / typical value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MOQ per SKU | 5,000-10,000 tubes; large factories 10,000; 3,000 negotiable | Stock tube body and stock cap assumed; private-mould caps add tooling |
| Printing plates | RMB 200-300 ≈ USD 30-45 per design | Hot-stamping charged by foil area; silk-screen costs more and fewer factories run it |
| Lead time | 15-20 days from sample-tube approval | Add sampling time and cap supplier lead time |
| Delivery tolerance | ±10% over/under | Industry-wide; invoiced on delivered quantity |
| Tooling | Almost all stock (public) moulds | Only special cap shapes need a private mould |
We work as a sourcing partner with vetted partner factories, so these are the industry numbers we negotiate against rather than a promise of a single floor. Smaller runs are possible on stock tubes — see real minimum order quantities by route.
What a tube is checked against.
| Test | Method | Typical pass threshold |
|---|---|---|
| End-seal strength | Heat-seal peel | ≥20 N/cm |
| Seal geometry | Gauge | Seal width 3.5-4.5 mm; height variation ≤0.5 mm on one tube; seal centred within ±1 mm |
| Pressure burst | Air gun into tube | 0.15 MPa for 3 s, no burst |
| Seal integrity, loaded | Filled to nominal, between plates | 10 kg for 5 min, no burst, no leak |
| Crush resistance | Plate load 3 s | 10 kgf for Ø under 25 mm; 15 kgf for Ø over 25 mm; no rupture, no seal failure |
| Flip-top hinge | Cycling | 200 opens plus twist ±30° twice, no fracture |
| Cap torque | Torque meter | ≤10 kgf·cm application without thread damage; cap-to-shoulder gap ≤0.8 mm, variation ≤0.5 mm; inner-plug retention 0.5-1.2 kgf |
| Dimensions | Calliper / micrometer | Diameter 0.5 mm, length 1.5 mm, wall 0.05 mm; wall uniformity (over 50 ml) ≤0.05 mm across 15 points; orifice centred ≤0.25 mm |
| Weight & capacity | Balance, 20°C water | Weight ±10%; brim-full capacity ±5% |
| Print registration | Visual / gauge | Position ≤±1.5 mm (≥100 ml) or ≤±1 mm (<100 ml); text mis-register ≤0.1 mm; primary elements ≤1 mm, secondary ≤2 mm |
| Appearance | Light box | Scratches ≤10 mm and not obvious; ≤5 pits per tube; foreign specks ≤0.5 mm, front ≤1 (≥100 ml) with total area ≤0.2 mm² |
| Thermal | Oven / freezer | 48°C and -15°C, 48 h each; 1 lot in 10 sampled, ≥20 tubes |
| Yellowing | UV 24 h, sun 1 week, or 300 W lamp at 50°C 48 h | No visible colour shift (≈ one year of UV) |
| Compatibility | Actual bulk, 48°C, RH 75% | 30 days: no colour, odour, swelling or surface change; colour migration test in 75% alcohol 12 h at 48°C |
| Seal, quick | 9/10 filled, cap at 0.6-1.2 N·m | -0.05 to -0.06 MPa, 3 min; then inverted 24 h; no leak |
| Heavy metals | Third-party lab | Pb + Cd + Hg + Cr(VI) ≤100 ppm (94/62/EC) |
| Hygiene | Microbiology | Total viable count ≤10 cfu; E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus not detected |
| Decoration durability | 75% alcohol soak 30 min; cream on plated edges 24 h | No coating loss; ≤1 in 10 fail |
Partner factories operate to ISO 22716 / GMP, and every tube order passes the four inspection gates (IQC, IPQC, FQC, OQC) with a signed golden sample before production. The point of publishing the thresholds is that acceptance becomes arithmetic rather than argument.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between ABL, PBL and co-extruded cosmetic tubes?
ABL (aluminium-barrier laminate) tubes are built PE / PE+EAA / AL / PE+EAA / PE; the aluminium foil gives the barrier and its pinhole count decides performance, with foil thickness now down from 40 µm to 12 µm or even 9 µm. PBL (plastic-barrier laminate) tubes replace the foil with a polymer barrier such as EVOH, PVDC or oxide-coated PET, typically PE / PE / EVOH / PE / PE. Co-extruded tubes are extruded in one shot: single-layer for fast-moving products like hand cream, or five-layer PE / tie / EVOH / tie / PE for premium skincare. Laminate tubes have a visible side seam; co-extruded tubes are seamless.
What is the oxygen barrier of a five-layer EVOH tube compared with a single-layer PE tube?
A five-layer co-extruded tube (PE / tie resin / EVOH / tie resin / PE) has an oxygen transmission rate of roughly 0.2-1.2 units against 150-300 units for an ordinary single-layer PE tube — about two orders of magnitude lower. In ethanol weight-loss tests the co-extruded tube loses tens of times less than the single-layer tube. The EVOH layer performs best at 15-20 µm. Choose five-layer for oxygen-sensitive actives such as vitamin C and whitening agents, and for fragranced or essential-oil formulas where aroma loss matters.
What is the typical MOQ, plate cost and lead time for cosmetic tubes?
The industry floor is 5,000-10,000 tubes per SKU; large factories usually want 10,000, and 3,000 per SKU can be negotiated for a smaller run. Printing plates cost about RMB 200-300 (approx. USD 30-45) per design; hot-stamping is priced by foil area; silk-screen looks better but costs more and fewer factories offer it. Production takes 15-20 days from approval of the sample tube. Nearly all tube bodies and caps are stock moulds, and the industry accepts a ±10% over/under delivery against the contract quantity.
What are the standard cosmetic tube diameters and capacities?
Standard diameters are Ø13, Ø16, Ø19, Ø22, Ø25, Ø28, Ø30, Ø33, Ø35, Ø38, Ø40, Ø45, Ø50, Ø55 and Ø60 mm. Standard fills are 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 80, 100, 110, 120, 130, 150, 180, 200 and 250 g. Small samples and eye creams sit at Ø13-Ø19 for 3-15 g; face creams and cleansers at Ø25-Ø35 for 30-100 g; body and hair products at Ø40-Ø60 for 150-250 g. Tube length is adjusted to reach the target fill at a given diameter, so quote both diameter and fill weight.
How big is the printable area on a cosmetic tube?
The flat printable length is close to the circumference. Measured in millimetres for front centre distance / unwrapped centre distance / back centre distance / total unwrapped length: Ø13 = 10.00 / 20.00 / 30.00 / 40.00; Ø16 = 12.40 / 24.80 / 37.20 / 49.60; Ø19 = 14.65 / 29.30 / 43.95 / 58.50; Ø22 = 17.00 / 34.00 / 51.00 / 68.00; Ø25 = 19.40 / 38.80 / 58.20 / 77.60; Ø30 = 23.25 / 46.50 / 69.75 / 93.00; Ø35 = 27.25 / 54.50 / 81.75 / 109.00; Ø38 = 29.50 / 59.00 / 88.50 / 118.00; Ø40 = 31.00 / 62.00 / 93.00 / 124.00; Ø45 = 34.90 / 69.80 / 104.70 / 139.60; Ø50 = 38.90 / 77.80 / 116.70 / 155.60; Ø55 = 42.75 / 85.50 / 128.25 / 171.00; Ø60 = 46.50 / 93.00 / 139.60 / 186.00. Keep the artwork inside the design area and centred; a good supplier sends the template once diameter and length are fixed.
What QC tests does a cosmetic tube have to pass?
The core thresholds: end-seal heat-seal strength ≥20 N/cm; seal line height variation ≤0.5 mm with a seal width of 3.5-4.5 mm; seal centred within ±1 mm; 0.15 MPa air pressure held 3 seconds with no burst; filled tube under a 10 kg plate for 5 minutes with no leak; crush resistance 10 kgf for diameters under 25 mm and 15 kgf above 25 mm for 3 seconds; flip-top hinge 200 cycles; orifice centred within 0.25 mm; diameter tolerance 0.5 mm, length 1.5 mm, wall thickness 0.05 mm; weight ±10%, brim-full capacity ±5%; thermal cycling at 48°C and -15°C for 48 hours each; compatibility with the actual formula at 48°C for 30 days; and the four heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr VI) at ≤100 ppm combined under 94/62/EC, with total viable count ≤10 cfu and no E. coli, P. aeruginosa or S. aureus.
Send us the spec, we will source against it.
Send diameter, fill weight, formula type and quantity. You get a structure recommendation, the print template for that diameter, and a quote with the QC thresholds attached.
Related reading.
- Cosmetic tubes — the product range this reference sits behind.
- QC standards with the numbers — four gates, golden sample and the full laboratory battery.
- Neck finish & closure standards — thread series, torque and liner sealing for the caps on your tubes.
- Real minimum order quantities, by route — how a 3,000-tube run is actually achieved.
- Sunscreen packaging — tubes and bottles for SPF formulas.
- Airless bottles — the alternative when a formula needs zero air contact.