Mix & Match Your Postal Tube Sizes...

Graphic Design Students & Fine Art Students requiring cardboard tubes for rolled banners, graphics or other artwork in various diameters can club together & contact us to discuss having the lengths & diameter tubes they need combined into a single economical shipment to their University.

If you’re wondering where’s the best place to buy postal tubes then you’ve found it. Here at Defendapack we manufacture & stock the widest range of cardboard postal tubes in the U.K. with the diameter, lengths & wall thickness you need to dispatch your goods.

Postal Tube Questions

Many of the questions we get asked about cardboard postal tubes relate to what size is needed for particular paper sizes...

We will cover some of the questions here & hopefully help you purchase the right product for the task.

A3 postal tubes

"what size postal tube do i need for mailing an a3 size poster" is a question we are often asked and the answer is that a postal tube measuring 13" or 33cm (330mm) is ideal. They allow sufficient space for an a3 poster or document with room to insert the caps without damaging the contents.

A2 postal tubes

"what size postal tube do i need for mailing an a2 size poster" is another question we are often asked and the answer is that a postal tube measuring appx 17.5" or 45cm (450mm) is great. We actually manufacture our a2 postal tubes slightly shorter at 448mm which allows them to be posted through royal mail as small parcels. They still allow sufficient space for an a2 poster or document with room to insert the caps without damaging the contents.

A1 postal tubes

"what size postal tube do i need for mailing an a1 size poster" is also question were often asked and the answer this time is that a postal tube measuring 25" or 63.5cm (635mm) is perfect. They allow sufficient space for an a1 poster or document with room to insert the caps again without damaging the contents. We also manufacture custom a1 postal tubes in 625mm & 650mm lengths for certain clients. 65cm long postal tubes are used for some oversized a1 posters, blueprints, maps etc.

A0 postal tubes

"what size postal tube do i need for mailing an a0 size poster" is a question we are also often asked and the answer is that postal tubes measuring 34" but ideally 34.5" or 87.5cm (875mm) is the best size to use. They allow sufficient space for an a0 poster or document with room to insert the caps without damaging the contents. We are also sometimes asked what is the difference between a0 & ao size and the answer is of course none. It is just mistaken terminology.

We also regularly get asked about ideal postal tube diameters & strength which requires a more nuanced answer.

Choosing the diameter of your cardboard tubes

when asked "what diameter tube should i use for a3, a2, a1 or a0 posters or prints" we strongly advise that a client rolls their item as tightly as they are happy with and measure the diameter of the rolled document before buying tubes. The problem with providing general advice on diameter is that it will depend on the paper weight of the item & in the case of oil paintings the medium. It is important not to use too narrow tubes with oils as nobody wants the oils to crack.

Choosing the strength of postal tubes

what strength postal tube do i need? A question regularly asked & the answer to which is really determined by the value of the item being sent in the postal tube. The wall thickness of the tube plays a huge part in determining its strength. For lower value items a good quality 1.5mm wall postal tube is sufficient (but be aware that not all 1.5mm wall tubes are equal. So buy from a reputable maker or supplier such as defendapack). More valuable items should be shipped in our heavy duty 2mm wall, 3mm wall or 4mm wall tubes. Thicker wall tubes can always be custom made in a day or two if required.

We manufacture and hold stock of more styles of postal tubes than any other U.K. company. We can therefore provide same day delivery of postal tubes in dedicated vehicles if a client has an urgent deadline to meet. However, more usually mailing tubes or postal tubes are available for same day dispatch on a next day or on an economy FREE DELIVERY service.

Customers wanting to avoid same day shipping costs can collect most postal tubes from our Coventry Distribution Centre after placing their order. This works best for customers needing postal tubes near our Coventry base, such as those in: Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Northampton, Banbury, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Exhall, Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth.

Bulk orders of stock or custom postal tubes by printers, poster sellers, digital marketing and advertising companies can be satisfied immediately or with extremely short lead times.

We have always supplied our quality cardboard postal tubes to customers in Europe & other Worldwide destinations. We continue post Brexit to provide international shipping of postal tubes to overseas destinations including EU member states. Because our postal tubes & caps are manufactured in the United Kingdom the Trade & Cooperation Agreement between the United Kingdom & The European Union ensures minimal issues when exporting postal tubes to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland Eire, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain & Sweden.