What Size Logo Mug Should I Buy? Coffee Mug Sizes Explained

These days drinkware is a fashion accessory, sported with pride among beverage drinkers of all kinds—from students to teachers, movers and shakers to loafers and loungers, sports players to tailgaters. With the tumbler front and center in any crowd, it makes good sense to think of custom drinkware as a terribly cost-efficient billboard for your branding, delivering marketing impressions galore, all around town.

Customizing a mug or tumbler with your logo is a no-brainer. Pick a custom coffee mug or tumbler that’s right for the occasion and a color that suits your branding style, and distribute willy-nilly among your target audience. Easy! But wait…

What size? With a generation or two brought up on Starbucks sizing, it might be hard to know. Is an 8 oz. mug ridiculous? Is a 20 oz. tumbler unwieldy? Who’s to say? We’re here to help! Below we translate drinkware sizes into Starbucks speak, using a few of our favorites as examples:

Eight ounces corresponds to the Starbucks “short” size. It’s requested so infrequently that Starbucks has all but phased it out and we at National Pen only offer one mug option in this size. What’s more, the mug we carry includes a spoon, which begs the question of whether an 8 oz. mug is perhaps more suitable for the oatmeal-eaters and baby food servers among your target audience…. Anyway, here it is:

Moving on up, a 12 oz. mug size is equivalent to what Starbucks calls a “tall”. But don’t be fooled, as the “tall” is the smallest among their most commonly requested sizes. Check out these examples:

12 oz. Kappa Stainless Steel Tumbler

To attach your messaging to a mug that most folks will find “just right” (oatmeal referenced above segues to Goldilocks, see that?), go for the 16 oz. This is equivalent to a Starbucks “grande” size. Two examples:

16 oz. Ree Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel Tumbler

The 20 oz. mug coincides with the Starbucks “venti” size. If you want to ensure your logo mug stands out from the other options in the cupboard, go for the 20 oz. It’s a luxurious size that says you’re serious about your cup of coffee or spot of tea. Check these out:

Basecamp® Mesa Tundra Bottle – 20 oz

Okay folks, we’re stopping here (for now). Starbucks’ latest, the “trenta” size, clocks in at 31 oz. but is only available in cold drinks. Phew!

…But just in case your recipient needs a LOT of liquid on hand, at all times, without exception, check out these two, nearly larger-than-life options:

The standard size mug capacity in the US is still listed as 8-12 oz. However, one might conclude from coffee culture and Starbucks speak that this range could easily be updated to more like 12-20 oz. Until then, caffeinate often, promote shamelessly, and resist the lure of the trenta.

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