Glasses and cups for a party: glass, hard PVC or cardboard?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
How many glasses do you need per guest, and when do you choose glass, hard plastic, or cardboard? A sober comparison of volumes, prices, and what you need to arrange for cleanup.
The most common miscalculation when hosting a party at home: you count the number of guests and buy the same number of glasses. Halfway through the evening, there are half-full glasses everywhere on windowsills, no one recognizes their own anymore, and you are forced to take mugs out of the cupboard.
A more realistic starting point is two to three glasses per guest over an entire evening. Not because people are sloppy, but because glasses get lost, knocked over, and people switch drinks. With that number in mind, the choice between glass, hard plastic, and cardboard suddenly becomes a calculation instead of a matter of feeling.
The three materials side by side
Material
Strong point
Weak point
When to choose
Glass
Feels good, no flavor transfer, lasts for years
Breaks, heavy to transport, needs washing
Indoors, seated company, up to about 20 guests
Hard PVC / plastic
Unbreakable, reusable, lightweight
Scratches over time, less festive
Garden, terrace, kids present, standing party
Cardboard
No washing up, stacks compactly, low purchase price
Single-use, only suitable for small portions
Coffee, large numbers, outdoor location
In practice, you combine them. Glass for the important drinks, plastic for outdoors, cardboard for coffee afterwards.
Shot glasses: the size you run out of fastest
Shot glasses disappear faster than any other glass. They are small, they are taken to other rooms, and they are everywhere. So buy more than seems logical.
The Shot Glass Set 6 pieces - 60 ml costs €3.00. Six glasses for three euros means you can painlessly put out two or three sets. Note the 60 ml: that's more generous than a standard shot, so you can also use it for a small liqueur or a mixed drink.
Beer or long drink: 2 glasses per guest = 40 pieces
Shot: 1 glass per guest, plus reserve = 25 pieces
Coffee afterwards: 1 cup per guest = 20 pieces
Having forty large glasses at home is unrealistic for most people. Therefore, a mix of materials is not a compromise but the logical solution.
Large glasses: 450 to 500 ml is the usable size
For beer, long drinks, and soft drinks, a glass of about half a liter works best. Large enough not to have to refill every ten minutes, small enough to still hold comfortably.
For outdoors and for gatherings with children, hard plastic is more practical. The Sports and Coffee Cup Hard PVC 500 ml costs €9.95 and will survive a fall on tiles. The Milk Cup with Lid - Old School Design of 750 ml (€9.95) has a lid, which helps if there are wasps or leaves flying around outside.
Cardboard for coffee and large quantities
For coffee or tea at the end of the evening, cardboard is the sensible choice. You don't want to wash twenty extra mugs and the portions are small.
Coffee Cups 150ml - 100 pieces cost €14.95 for a hundred pieces. Calculate what that is per cup and you'll understand why this is the standard for clubs, markets, and neighborhood parties. The 150 ml is exactly a cup size: it's too little for a large mug of coffee, but ample for a regular cup.
Ice is the step everyone forgets
You can have the most beautiful glasses, but with lukewarm drinks, the party is still mediocre. An average long drink requires three to four ice cubes, so for twenty guests with two drinks per person, you'll quickly need over a hundred cubes. That won't fit in one mold from the freezer.
Start freezing two days in advance and store the loose cubes in a sealed bag or container. This way, the mold doesn't have to refreeze repeatedly.
Storage and transport without shards
Glassware most often breaks in the bag on the way, not during the party. If you are taking glasses to another location, or sending them, wrap them loosely in bubble wrap. A Green Bubble Wrap Roll 50 x 500 cm costs €5.00 and is enough for an entire set.
If you're giving a glass as a gift, a box makes the difference between a gift and a loose item. The White Cube Gift Box 12x12x12 cm costs €2.99 and leaves just enough space for a layer of filling around it.
In short
Count on two to three glasses per guest, not just one.
Take more shot glasses than you think is logical — they disappear the fastest.
450 to 500 ml is the usable size for beer and long drinks.
Outdoors or with children: hard plastic instead of glass.
Cardboard only for coffee and small portions, but then by the hundred.
Freeze your ice two days in advance and store it loosely.
Assemble your own
The full range of glasses and cups can be found under Glasses. For the rest of your bar, check Drink & Bar Accessories, for finishing touches Straws, and for cooling Coolers & Ice Cubes. Do you know how many guests you expect but not how many items to order? Email the number and type of party to info@verpakkingdeals.nl, and we'll help you calculate it.
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