How to Choose the Right Stick Pack Size: A Guide

It seems simple, right? Pick a size, launch a product.

But here’s the truth: the size of your stick pack impacts how it fills, tears, feels in your customer’s hand, and whether you look like a cheap knockoff or premium category leader.

Choose wrong? And you risk everything from poor shelf presence to production failures.

We learned the hard way – on projects that tested our patience, equipment, and sometimes our sanity (ask me about the 300,000 unit order we took two weeks before my wedding. It was chaos). 

Let’s break this down.

You’re Not Just Choosing a Size: You’re Designing a Customer Experience

The width, the feel, the way it tears… it all communicates something about your brand.

Too narrow? It can feel cheap.

Too wide? You might confuse customers about what your product even is.  

Plus, filling machines might jam (leading to frustrating cost overruns or delays). 

We’ve dealt with that before – a brand landed a big club store recently and needed 100,000 + units on a tight deadline, but their packaging supplier sent us product that wouldn’t work on our automated line.

We worked things out in the end, but margins were a bit tighter for everyone involved.

Stick Pack Sizes

At Steuart Nutrition, we run every major stick width, and each one serves a different purpose.

Here’s a cheat sheet, just for you:

How to Pick the Right Size for or Product

I talk about this all the time: slow down to speed up. 

Spending the time up front is important. Because once you commit, your decisions will ripple across everything from COGS to logistics, shelf presence, and customer perception. 

So before you start, step back and ask:

• What’s the fill weight per serving? A light hydration mix might only need 2-3 grams, but a collagen blend will be closer to 10-12g.
  
• Do you want a sleek or substantial feel? Slimmer sticks are minimalist and portable, while wider formats feel both premium and bold.
  
• Will this size scale well for retail, ecommerce, and co-packing? Aesthetics matter, but so does run efficiency, material cost, and machine compatibility. 

Real Talk: Your Manufacturer Should Help You Decide

When brands bring us product ideas, our job isn’t to say “yes” and push it through. 

Sure, we could fill the line in the short term, but the real goal is to build long-term partnerships with our brands. And that means stress testing, checking for key details, go-to-market plans, and giving honest feedback.

Before any launch, we provide full consultations to determine the best:

• Film layouts:. From art design to sustainability considerations, your choice matters for customer experience (and unit costs).
  
• Stick pack size: What fits your formula and consumer positioning?
  
• Seal patterns: They matter more than you think, influencing both shelf life and openability.
  
• Run volumes: Larger runs are cheaper per unit, but there’s a delicate balance to strike between minimizing costs and expected demand. Stick pack MOQs are tricky to navigate, but the right partner will work with you (without talking you into too large a run).
  
• Formulation: Balancing quality ingredients with costs, taste, and shelf life is part art, and part science. Our expert scientists have you covered.

It’s easy to feel like if you don’t move quickly, you’ll miss out on the next big trend. But if an idea isn’t ready? We’ll tell you (we’ve done it before). It’s better to launch correctly than quickly.

Want to See and Feel the Difference?

Sometimes, it’s tough to make a choice without experiencing the product for yourself.

We’ll send you samples and walk you through the costs, benefits, and risks for your specific product. 

Whether you’re after slim and convenient, or want to make a statement and stand out on retail shelves, we’re the stick pack manufacturer for you.

Book a free consultation, and let’s size up your brand’s next move.

Ben Steuart — CEO & Owner, Steuart Nutrition

Ben Steuart is the co-founder and CEO of Steuart Nutrition, a contract manufacturing and supplement innovation partner for powder, liquid, and stick‑pack supplements. He launched the company in 2019 alongside his wife, Sarah, building on his lifelong roots in the food production industry, where he grew up working in his father's food-manufacturing business in Mabel, Minnesota.

Throughout his career, Ben has developed deep expertise in supplement manufacturing and business operations. At Steuart, he leads with a commitment to lean operations, fostering long-term partnerships, and delivering flexible, transparent service—prioritizing the client’s vision as much as his own. His leadership guided the business’s rapid expansion from a single facility to multiple locations, enabling agile responses to market needs—from producing hand sanitizer during the COVID‑19 pandemic to scaling CBD and nutrition supplement lines.

Ben’s approach is rooted in strong values—his faith as a born‑again Christian deeply informs the company’s mission of “glorifying God and establishing a transformational workplace”. This culture of integrity and continuous improvement fosters a trusting, mission-driven environment, distinguishing Steuart as both a capable and conscientious industry leader.