What Does Tube Filling Cost?
Almost nobody in this industry publishes pricing, and there's a reason: the honest answer is that it depends on your project. What we can publish is exactly what the price depends on — the five factors below account for nearly all of it — and what we never charge for.
1. Run size
Every run starts with setup: loading tubes, dialing in fill weight, sealing temperature or crimp, and first-piece checks. That work is the same for 250 tubes or 250,000, so it's spread thinner as the run grows — the main reason per-tube cost falls with quantity, at any filler. It's also why we can run small batches at all: our operation is built around changeovers, so setup stays efficient instead of becoming a penalty.
2. The tube itself
Material and size drive machine setup and handling. Plastic, laminate and aluminum tubes each run differently; larger diameters and fill volumes cycle differently than small ones. The tubes are yours — you source them from your tube supplier — so their cost sits with your packaging supplier, not in our quote. What we price is the work of filling them: 16mm to 50mm, 0.25oz to 11oz fills.
3. The product going in
A thin lotion and a thick sugar scrub are not the same fill. Viscosity, abrasives, air sensitivity and temperature behavior all change how a product runs — how fast it fills, what it does to seals, how much care the line needs. Straightforward products run efficiently; difficult ones take more time and attention, and the quote reflects that honestly.
4. Pack-out scope
Fill and seal is the base job. Most projects add some combination of lot coding, cartoning into your secondary boxes (IFCs), internal inserts or pamphlet drops, stickering, and master case packing. Each addition is real handling, so the scope you choose is one of the biggest levers in the price — and one of the easiest to adjust when you're working to a budget.
5. Timeline
Standard turnaround at We Fill Tubes is about one week, and that's what standard pricing assumes. When a launch date can't move, emergency turnaround exists — ask us about it before assuming a deadline is impossible.
What we never charge for
No tooling fees — our 16–50mm tooling is in-house. No minimum order quantity, and no small-run surcharge. And no charge for a quote: the calculator below gives you an estimated price from your actual specs, and our team will turn that into a firm quote when you're ready.
Frequently asked questions
How much does contract tube filling cost per tube?
Do you charge tooling fees?
Is there a minimum order or a small-run surcharge?
What do you need from me for an accurate quote?
Are the tubes included in the filling price?
Ready to get your tubes moving?
Send your tube size, quantity, product type and ideal timing. We’ll help you map the fastest route to production.