# What's with those cone-shaped cups at water coolers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 27, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605 "2007-06-27T04:04:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/21 "2007-06-27T07:00:38Z")
[QUOTE=Monty] Yep, I remember the thing too. I think it’s so you don’t have to worry about having a dirty cup around. Actually, I wish the water coolers here had those pointed cups. Most places have little envelopes which you fill with water. [/QUOTE] Sheesh. Soon I expect to hear reports of a handy [poster](http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/cup.htm) scotch taped to the wall above the breakroom sink with stacks of paper next to it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/22 "2007-06-27T16:41:57Z")
[Plastic paper cup holder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Green_plastic_paper_cup_holder.jpg). [QUOTE=SparrowHawk] Useful for hot drinks before styrofoam. [/QUOTE] There is no such thing as a Styrofoam cup: > [@](#): > > Today, the Dow STYROFOAM brand includes a variety of building materials (including insulated sheathing and housewrap), pipe insulation and floral and craft products. But there isn’t a coffee cup, cooler or packaging material in the world made from STYROFOAM. > > These common disposable items are typically white in color and are made of expanded polystyrene beads. They do not provide the insulating value, compressive strength or moisture resistance properties of STYROFOAM products. In order to protect the Dow trademarked name “STYROFOAM”, such other material should be referred to by the generic term “foam.” ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/23 "2007-06-27T17:10:42Z")
I justed asked our office manager here at work (we recently switched to those ungodly white cones at our water coolers). He said that they are SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than others. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/24 "2007-06-27T18:21:36Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] There is no such thing as a Styrofoam cup: [/QUOTE] Yeah, I knew that. Kleenex! Xerox! Google! Ha, ha, they can’t stop me!! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/25 "2007-06-27T18:39:22Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] I justed asked our office manager here at work (we recently switched to those ungodly white cones at our water coolers). He said that they are SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than others. [/QUOTE] I don’t know about _substantially_, but cheaper, yes. You can get 200 4 oz. cone cups for 7.49, or 3.74 cents per cup [here](http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&prodBlockOID=1611530920&expansionOID=-536907188) Or 1200 5 oz. paper cups for $63.89, or 5.32 cents per cup [here.](http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&prodBlockOID=1611532602&expansionOID=-536907188) Of course, both of these are small business packages at OfficeMax. A huge office would probably buy in larger quantities from a wholesaler. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/26 "2007-06-27T18:42:02Z")
[QUOTE=Cagey Drifter] But we’re talking about mass production here. The marginal price difference even for a whole bag of cups is going to be so negligible that it couldn’t possibly be the real reason… could it? [/QUOTE] I was too lazy to do too much googling, but it appears that conical cups are nearly half the price of regular paper cups. At this UK site, regular cups cost about 1.8 pence, and conical ones cost about 1 p. > **[Buy Water Cooler Accessories Online](https://www.watercoolersdirect.com/purification-accessories)** > > Browse our range of water cooler accessories and buy online. Keep you water cooler clean and healthy for pristine, fresh drinking water. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/27 "2007-06-27T19:01:49Z")
A penny and a half a cup really adds up when you are a company the size of Xerox. If you just estimate one cup per employee per day (53700 X $.015 = $805.50 per day) times 260 work days per year equals **$209, 430!** Conical all the way! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/28 "2007-06-27T19:17:25Z")
I just wanted to chime in and say we have those Ogforsaken cups in my office. I hate them. In the winter, my hands get very dry. So, when I trot on down the hall to the cooler and I grab a cup, fill it with icy cold goodness, then slowly bring the cup to my parched lips, my dry hands realize they can’t grip anything, especially something as smooth and gripless as a conical shaped paper cup. So, of course, the cup is launched upward through my dry, flakey-skinned hand and the water goes a sloshing all over my shirt and the floor. I bring a water bottle now and fill it up at the cooler. Take that _The Man._ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/29 "2007-06-27T19:21:28Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] [Plastic paper cup holder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Green_plastic_paper_cup_holder.jpg).There is no such thing as a Styrofoam cup: [/QUOTE] They’re less fancy versions of the [zarf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarf). My son’s preschool has the cone-shaped cups because they get a certain number free from their bottled-water supplier and because they’re harder for kids to set them down and walk away. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/30 "2007-06-27T19:41:19Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] [Plastic paper cup holder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Green_plastic_paper_cup_holder.jpg).There is no such thing as a Styrofoam cup: [/QUOTE] If people call it a styrofoam cup, it’s a styrofoam cup. We’ve genericized it, so the capitals are no longer necessary. And Dow can lump it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/31 "2007-06-27T20:05:45Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] Anyone else remember the plastic mug-like holders for the pointycup? I’ve nothing of interest to add. [/QUOTE] Like [these?](http://www.cleansweepsupply.com/pages/skugroup5894.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/32 "2007-06-27T20:09:37Z")
[QUOTE=Cagey Drifter] Is there a point to that [/QUOTE] Well duh. It’s at the end of the cup. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/33 "2007-06-27T20:40:42Z")
Conical cups are inefficient. The best design is hyperbolic. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605/34 "2007-06-27T20:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] Like [these?](http://www.cleansweepsupply.com/pages/skugroup5894.html) [/QUOTE] Kinda. I can’t find the exact product I remember - Solo nor Sweetheart seem to carry them, but that’s the basic idea. Coffee in a paper cone… gotta love the 70’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-cone-shaped-cups-at-water-coolers/409605.md?page=1)