Plastic End Plugs…Hidden in Plain Sight

The ongoing joke for many in the paper tube industry, is that the average American uses 8 paper tubes a day…all without realizing it.

Because who really pays attention to how the Pringles can is made? Or that the salt and paper shaker at the dinner table is like a mini Pringles can with a shaker top. Or that mascara is packaged in a cute paper canister.

The same applies to plastic end plugs.

For those who have ever ordered a poster of your favorite band or classic movie, it probably arrived in a spiral paper tube, with white plastic end plugs at each end. But you, like most, probably removed the end plug, carefully removed the prized poster, and simply tossed the poster tube and end plugs without ever giving the packaging a second thought.

Poster tubes and plastic end plugs are the #1 method to ship poster tubes, but since the average person doesn’t really knows that, we’ll just continue to be grateful to play a small role in getting a beloved poster to an appreciative fan.

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Made in the USA

After the past several decades, many manufacturers have relocated their businesses from the United States to another country. Cheaper labor and raw materials cost has been the biggest carrot for these businesses. This has not been unique to any one particular industry.

Spiral Paper Tube is different.

Back in 1949, Spiral Paper Tube & Core was started by two brothers. Both grew up poor in Wisconsin during the Great Depression. Great served their country during World War II. Then both moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of the “American dream.”

The Hibard brothers starting manufacturing spiral paper tubes in South Central Los Angeles. The address was 8802 S. Graham, Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90002. For over fifty years, the business was tucked in, near the 110 freeway and 105 freeway interchange (though the 105 freeway wouldn’t come until the 1980s). It was just south of Manchester Avenue, and just west of the Alameda Corridor.

The proverbial carrot entices many businesses to move their operations offshore, but Spiral Paper Tube & Core is committed to continuing its operations in the United States of America.

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Packaging for Women

Today is the last day of Women’s History Month, and we’d be amiss if we didn’t acknowledge packaging designed for the ladies.

We make all sorts of paper canisters for all sorts of products. In honor of women’s history month, here’s an example of a paper canister we made for a supplement company.

This paper canister, from bottom to top, features a permanent metal bottom (like a Parmesan cheese canister), beautiful artwork, an all white “neck” (the white paper tube coming up out of the base), beautiful artwork on the top (sitting off to the side), and another permanent metal top.

This style paper canister is often referred to by different names, depending on the region you’re in, but we call the Fiber Cans and Telescope Tubes.

>> Click here to see more examples of Fiber Cans and Telescope Tubes. <<
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What’s a “gap seam” on a spiral paper tube?

Not all spiral paper tubes are made the same, and sometimes their features, though obvious to us, are invisible to the untrained eye.

The three most common types of seams on a spiral paper tube are “overlap”, “butted” and “gap”.

In this example, the gap seam is featured. Look at where the paper meets itself, or comes close to meeting in this case. This is the seam.

Anytime you see a spiral paper tube with a small gap in the seam, that is known as a gap seam.

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Self-Locking Metal Ends: the preferred end closure for metal manufacturers

We make heavy duty shipping tubes. We don’t make self-locking metal ends. But, they’re like peanut butter and jelly. Ham and cheese. Ying and yang.

What good is a shipping tube without an end closure?

When a lightweight poster is shipped, the paper poster doesn’t move around much inside the poster tube. And it doesn’t really matter if it does or not because it’s so light. Not the case with a heavy metal bar.

When a metal bar is shipped inside a shipping tube, a dynamic load is created each time the bar moves. Depending on the force, it will puncture a paper end cap and possibly a plastic end plug.

Self-locking metal ends are the preferred end closure for metal manufacturers. One end is hammered into the shipping tube. The metal bar is placed inside. Then, the other self-locking metal end is hammered into the other end so that it fit snugly up against the metal bar inside.

The use of this style end closure prevents a dynamic load from happening, and ensures the product arrives as it should.

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America’s Preferred Poster Tube Manufacturer

Since 1949, we’ve been making poster tubes here in Los Angeles. Hollywood is just a few miles away. Each time a new movie is released, movie posters are printed and need to be shipped around the country.

The best way to ship a movie poster is rolled up and inside a poster tube.

Movie posters are often seen in windows, on bus benches, and inside movie theaters.

The most common inside diameter for poster tubes is 2″, but larger posters often fit better in 3″ diameter poster tubes.

Need poster tubes? Please let us know how we can help you.

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Made in Los Angeles. Ship Nationwide.

Over the past 10-15 years, many American manufacturers have moved their operations over seas. Not us. We’re still here in Los Angeles.

We saw firsthand the importance of domestic manufacturing during the pandemic, particularly when scores of cargo ships were stuck off the coast of Southern California, unable to enter the Los Angeles port or Long Beach port.

Southern California businesses struggled to get the materials they needed, including paper tubes and paper cores.

As a local packaging manufacturer, we’re proud to be able to provide uninterrupted service to our clients.

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I need 3″ tape cores and 3″ label cores…yesterday!

As a manufacturer, we make everything to order. This means we do not keep any tubes, cores, or edge protectors in stock. Distributors keep stock on their warehouse floors and deliver to end users on demand. When a customer sends a Purchase Order and payment, it takes us around 14 days (fewer days for some products) to produce that order, then ship it.

Tape cores and label cores are a bit different.

The most common inside diameter for tape cores and label cores is 3″. The most common wall thickness is .125″. The length, however, varies.

For this reason, we make 3″ ID tape cores and 3″ ID label cores available for purchase directly from our website. No need to send a Purchase Order and wait two weeks.

5 Steps to Order Tape Cores and Label Cores

  1. Visit our website
  2. Select how many boxes you want
  3. Select your preferred UPS service
  4. Complete your order
  5. Receive your cores via UPS

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