20 oz Tumbler: How Big It Is and How to Choose One
A 20 oz tumbler is the everyday size: big enough for a large coffee or a morning's water, small enough for a car cup holder and a desk. Here is what it holds, how the common styles differ and what to put in a quote request.
By Feng, Head of After-Sales Service & Online Marketing Lead
A 20 oz tumbler holds 20 US fluid ounces, which is 591 ml or two and a half US cups, and most product pages round it to 600 ml. It is the most common mid-size tumbler: larger than a 12 oz or 14 oz coffee cup, smaller than a 30 oz or 40 oz travel tumbler, and usually narrow enough at the base for a car cup holder. The main styles are a straw tumbler with a handle, a rounded straw tumbler without one, a coffee tumbler with a sip or flip lid, and a straight-sided tumbler used for sublimation printing. BG Drinkware, a drinkware manufacturer in Yongkang, China, makes 20 oz tumblers, most with a 304 stainless steel interior and a 201 exterior, weighing about 250–320 g with the lid depending on the model. Custom orders start at 500 pieces per colour, and a sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days.
How much does a 20 oz tumbler hold?
A 20 oz tumbler holds 20 US fluid ounces, or 591 ml. Because one US cup is 8 fluid ounces, that is two and a half cups. Product pages usually call it 600 ml, and a few list it as 20 oz / 600 ml side by side, so treat both numbers as the same size.
The figure is the full capacity, measured to the brim. With a lid on and room left for the straw, a 20 oz tumbler holds a little less in daily use. If your packaging or listing states a fill volume, agree how it is measured on the sample before printing it.
In the UK, an imperial fluid ounce is smaller, so 20 imperial ounces is about 568 ml, the size of a pint. A tumbler sold as "20 oz" is almost always the US size. For other sizes, see how to choose capacities for a product line.
How big is a 20 oz tumbler?
Most 20 oz tumblers stand about 17–19.5 cm tall with the lid on, with a mouth of about 8.5–9 cm and a base of about 6.5–7.5 cm. The handle, the lid and the body shape change the height and weight more than the capacity does, so compare the listed sizes model by model.
| Model | Height with lid | Mouth / base | Weight with lid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered-spout tumbler with handle | 19.5 cm (12.5 × 8.5 cm footprint) | — | 294 g |
| Tumbler with steel handle | 17.3 cm | 8.8 cm / 7.5 cm | 300 g |
| Leatherette tumbler | 17.5 cm | 9 cm / 7.2 cm | about 270 g |
| Dual-drink tumbler with handle | 18.8 cm | — | 308 g |
| Spiral-grip tumbler | — | — | 320 g |
| Coffee tumbler with lid options | — | — | 250 g |
Weight matters for shipping as well as for the hand. The covered-spout tumbler packs 50 to a carton of 69.5 × 47 × 42.5 cm at 18.5 kg gross, while the steel-handle tumbler packs 25 to a carton at 9.5 kg gross. Ask for the carton details of the exact model before you plan freight.
Which 20 oz tumbler style fits your order?
Choose the style by how the cup will be used. A handled straw tumbler suits water and iced drinks on the move, a rounded straw tumbler suits retail ranges that want a clean shape, a coffee tumbler suits hot drinks, and a straight-sided tumbler suits full-wrap printing.
| Model | Lid and handle | Also available |
|---|---|---|
| Tumbler with handle | Dual-drink lid, straw, large open handle | 30 oz / 900 ml |
| Rounded straw tumbler | Dual-drink lid, no handle | 30 oz / 900 ml |
| Covered-spout tumbler | Covered straw spout, wide handle | 30 oz |
| Dual-drink tumbler with handle | Straw and direct drinking, handle | 14 oz / 420 ml |
| Coffee tumbler with carry strap | Flip-up spout and direct-sip opening, strap | — |
| Coffee tumbler with lid options | Choice of compatible lids, including a sealing lid | — |
| Leatherette tumbler | Stitched PU sleeve, several leakproof lids | — |
| Spiral-grip tumbler | Dual-sip lid, top carry handle, silicone base | — |
A lid seals only when it is the sealing type, correctly fitted and fully closed. Straw lids and sip lids are made for drinking, not for carrying on their side in a bag. If the cup will be thrown into a bag, specify a sealing lid and test it on the sample. For lid parts, see how to check a tumbler lid, seal and straw.
For a white blank you print yourself, see the 20 oz blank straight sublimation tumbler.
Should you choose a 20 oz, 30 oz or 40 oz tumbler?
Pick 20 oz for coffee, desk use and car journeys, 30 oz for a day of water without a huge cup, and 40 oz for buyers who want to refill as little as possible. Many ranges pair a 20 oz and a 30 oz tumbler on the same body style, so one design runs across both.
| Size | Holds | US cups | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 oz | 591 ml (sold as 600 ml) | 2.5 | Coffee, desk, car cup holder |
| 30 oz | 887 ml (sold as 900 ml) | 3.75 | Water for a work day, gym |
| 40 oz | 1,183 ml (sold as 1,200 ml) | 5 | Fewer refills, large iced drinks |
For the next sizes up, see 30 oz tumblers and 40 oz tumblers. For the larger size in litres and cups, see 40 oz in litres.
Will a 20 oz tumbler fit a car cup holder?
Usually, yes. Most 20 oz tumblers have a base of about 6.5–7.5 cm, and several BG Drinkware models have a tapered lower body designed for common vehicle cup holders. Holders vary by car, though, so check the base diameter against the holders your customers use before you approve the sample.
The handle also matters. A large open handle can hit the console or the next cup, while a rounded body without a handle fits more holders. If cup-holder fit is a selling point on your packaging, measure it on the approved sample and keep that sample for bulk inspection.
Which logo methods work on a 20 oz tumbler?
On a coloured coated body, most finished artwork is UV printed. A bare stainless steel body cannot be UV printed, so it takes screen printing or laser engraving. A straight-sided 20 oz body is the most common blank for sublimation, because the wrap prints evenly on a straight wall.
Laser engraving removes the coating to show the steel, so the result depends on the coating and the machine settings; see laser engravable tumblers. For full-wrap designs, see what a sublimated tumbler is, and for blanks see where to buy blank tumblers.
For a finished example, the Mobil 20 oz travel tumbler on our customer cases page carries UV-printed line illustrations and comes in a printed window gift box.
What should a 20 oz tumbler quote request include?
Send the capacity, quantity, model, colour, logo method, packaging, payment terms and trade terms. With those eight details a factory can price the right body and lid instead of guessing, and the sample can be checked against the same list when it arrives.
- Model and lid: the product link and the lid you want, sealing or straw.
- Colour: a Pantone code or a physical colour sample.
- Logo: artwork file, size, position and method.
- Packaging: white box, colour box or gift box, and carton marks.
- Terms: quantity per colour, payment terms and trade terms.
The standard minimum order of 500 pieces is negotiable. BG Drinkware's standard terms are a 30% deposit with the balance before shipment, usually EXW, shipping from Ningbo. Bulk production takes 7–12 days after the sample is approved. Every vacuum tumbler is temperature-tested unit by unit before shipping, and heat retention is checked on samples with 95°C water measured after 6 hours, or by the buyer's method. For the range, see custom tumblers.
For every size from 12 to 40 oz side by side, see the tumbler size chart.
20 oz tumbler FAQ
Short answers to the questions buyers ask most about 20 oz tumblers: what they hold, how they compare with other sizes, whether they fit a cup holder and how many to order. Where an answer names BG Drinkware, it uses the details on its product pages.
How many ml is a 20 oz tumbler?
A 20 oz tumbler holds 591 ml, because one US fluid ounce is about 29.6 ml. Most product pages round this to 600 ml. That is the full capacity to the brim, so the cup holds slightly less with the lid on and room left for a straw.
How many cups is a 20 oz tumbler?
A 20 oz tumbler holds two and a half US cups, because one US cup is 8 fluid ounces. In 250 ml metric cups, used in recipes in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it holds a little under two and a half cups.
Is a 20 oz tumbler too big for coffee?
No. A 20 oz tumbler suits a large coffee or a coffee with room for milk. For a standard coffee, many buyers also stock a 12 oz or 14 oz cup. BG Drinkware's dual-drink tumbler with handle comes in both 14 oz and 20 oz on the same body style.
What is the minimum order for custom 20 oz tumblers?
Most of BG Drinkware's 20 oz tumblers start at 500 pieces per colour, and the covered-spout and steel-handle models count per colour and per capacity. A sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days, and bulk production takes 7–12 days after the sample is approved.
Choosing a 20 oz tumbler?
Send the capacity, quantity, model, colour, logo method, packaging, payment terms and trade terms for a quotation.
