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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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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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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.

Where do you manufacture?

For the past couple of years, our supply chains have been irregular to say the least.

We used to order parts and components without thinking twice about lead times, let alone availability. That has all changed, and has caused many to ask us where we actually manufacture our paper tubes and edge protectors.

The Answer: We manufacture in the Los Angeles area. Exactly where we’ve been since 1949.

If you are having challenges getting paper tubes and/or edge protectors from your offshore supplier, please consider contacting us.

Save time and money buying from a domestic manufacturer.

Solutions

We’re constantly receiving phone calls and emails from customers and potential customers who need a solution to that out-of-the-box problem.

Even though we make paper tubes, paper cores, and edge protectors in an array of sizes, sometimes it’s just not quite right. Our creative engineers have built a reputation for providing solutions to unique problems.

Sometimes a paper tube is the best “sleeve” to fit over a part or tool…but it needs a small notch. Or sometimes a slot or slit will be needed.

If you have a unique problem, contact us and let us create a solution that is just as unique.

Made in America. Made in Los Angeles.

Over the past 10 years, California manufacturing has become nearly nonexistent.

Many businesses that were started by the Greatest Generation have gone out of business, moved out of California, or moved their operations off shore. And for good reason.

California businesses pay some of the highest taxes in the country. California businesses also have to endure crippling regulations. Most recently, we had to sell a few of our 26 foot bobtail delivery trucks, though they worked just fine, because California outlawed them.

Even though Los Angeles is a tough place to run a business, we continue to endure. We adapt, and move forward. We’re proud of our history, and proud that our products are still manufactured here in the Los Angeles area.

Over the past seventy years, we’ve expanded our product line, and value the relationship we have with each and every one of our vendors and customers.

In 2022, we’re looking forward to solving more packaging and shipping problems, one paper tube at a time. Happy New Year!

When choosing a paper tube, be sure to consider the End Closure

Getting a product to market, or planning how best to ship it, is quite a feat. There’s a million details that need to be considered.

A brown cardboard box is simple and economical. Think about all of your amazon.com orders. How do they arrive? In a brown cardboard box with an Amazon logo. It gets the job done. But does it leave a lasting impression? No.

When you order a rare print or poster, and it arrives in a poster tube (not a box), but default, it’s exciting. But why?

It’s different. It’s not a box. It’s round.

Round packaging is less common, so it feels exciting.

A “paper tube” becomes a “poster tube” when two things happen: first, when you insert a poster. And second, when you insert end closures.

Friction-fit plastic end plugs are used with poster tubes for a variety of reasons. Plastic end plugs are light and help keep shipping costs low.

The ribbed, friction fit helps the packer and end user easily remove and replace them. And lastly, they’re available in different colors.

For more information on our end closures, visit our product page.

Paper Canisters look great on retail shelves

Is it possible to make a brown paper tube look good? Yes!

Paper canisters are spiral paper tubes, wrapped with custom graphics, with a top and a weight-bearing base.

This “buy WHY doesn’t money grow on trees?” example (picture above) is what we refer to as Style 1A. It’s a beautiful way to package your product without using a boring square box.

This canister is made up of three separate tubes. The first is the “top,” seen on the right, leaning against the base. The top has a permanent metal end, similar to what you’d see on a Pringles canister.

The brown paper tube is called the “neck.” The top fits right over the neck. The neck fits snugly into the base, and gets glued into place. When the top is placed onto the base, the neck is completely hidden. Depending on preference and budget, the neck can also be made with all flat white paper to give it a clean, retail look.

The base matches the look of the top, but is much taller than the top to ensure stability when placed on a shelf. The base also has a permanent metal end. The metal ends we use are all silver in appearance.

We’ve tried gold and other colors, but our process scratches the finish. So, we stick to silver.

For more information on paper canisters, visit our product page.

3 inch diameter tape cores and label cores

When it comes to spiral paper tubes, the most common inside diameter is 3 inches. But why?

When you order egg bites from Starbucks, the barista peels a sticker off of a roll of stickers, and adheres it to the outside of the paper bag you’re handed. When you’re walking around a convention and get handed a free promotional sticker by one of the vendors, they peel the sticker off of a roll of stickers. When you’re clicking around on eBay and order a cool, rare poster, the seller carefully rolls that poster up and slides it into a poster tube with a 3″ diameter.

Tape manufacturers and label manufacturers most often wrap their products around a spiral paper tube with a 3″ diameter.

Further down the supply chain, these 3″ diameter paper tubes and paper cores also fit a wide variety of tooling and machinery.

For additional product details, visit our product page.