Carton vs Case: What the Difference Actually Costs You
Quick answer: A carton is 200 cigarettes (10 packs of 20) and starts at $45. A case is 50 cartons of the same product: 500 packs, 10,000 cigarettes, priced at $30 per carton, which is $1,500 all in. Moving from single-carton buying to a full case takes the cost per cigarette from 22.5 cents down to 15 cents, and because a case is well past our $450 free shipping threshold, it ships free anywhere in Canada.
Carton and case get used almost interchangeably in casual conversation, but on this site they are two precisely defined formats with a $460 pricing decision sitting between them. This guide lays out exactly what each one contains, what each one costs at every quantity tier, and where the boundaries fall so you can put the right number of cartons in the cart rather than one too few.
How many cigarettes in a carton vs. a case in Canada?
A carton holds 200 cigarettes and a case holds 10,000, because a case is simply 50 cartons of the same product. The carton is arranged as 10 packs of 20, and that count applies to every one of the 26 products we carry across all 11 brands, from the Canadian line through Playfare, BB, Rolled Gold and the rest. Every product is king size, so there is no size variable hiding inside the count either.
It is worth being precise here because carton is not a fixed unit everywhere. Counts have varied by country, by era and by manufacturer, and pack formats inside a carton differ between markets too, so a carton from another retailer or another country is not automatically 200. Ours always is. The case is even less standardised as a word: in this industry it sometimes means a shipping box and sometimes means a pricing quantity. On this site it means one thing only, which is 50 cartons of a single product line, the quantity that unlocks our lowest per-carton price.
| Format | Cigarettes | Packs of 20 | Cartons | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pack | 20 | 1 | 1/10 of a carton | Not sold separately; always part of a carton |
| Carton | 200 | 10 | 1 | $45 base, $40 from 21 cartons, $30 from 50 |
| Case | 10,000 | 500 | 50 | $30 per carton, $1,500 total, ships free |
How many cartons of cigarettes in a case?
Fifty. A case is 50 cartons of the same product, which works out to 500 packs of 20, or 10,000 cigarettes.
Two details matter more than the headline number. First, the boundary is exact: at precisely 50 cartons the price is $30 per carton, not $40. The $40 tier runs from 21 to 49 cartons and ends there. Second, the count is per product line. Fifty cartons of Canadian Fulls is a case and prices at $30 each. Twenty-five cartons of one product plus twenty-five of another is not a case; each line is priced on its own quantity, so both sit in the $40 tier instead. If the case price is the goal, commit to one product.
Is buying cartons worth it?
For a regular smoker who can plan a week or two ahead, yes, and the reasons are arithmetic rather than marketing. A carton spreads its price across 10 packs, so a $45 carton is $4.50 per pack of 20, and the volume tiers pull that down to $4.00 and then $3.00 as quantities rise. Retail single-pack prices vary by province and by store, so we will not pretend to quote them, but you can compare those per-pack figures against whatever you currently pay locally and see where you land.
Shipping strengthens the carton case rather than weakening it. Shipping is a flat $25 per order regardless of size, so it dilutes as the order grows: on a minimum order of 2 cartons it adds $12.50 per carton, on 5 cartons it adds $5 each, and at $450, which is 10 cartons at the base price, it disappears entirely because orders of $450 or more ship free.
The honest caveat is pace. A carton is 200 cigarettes, and a case is fifty times that. If your smoking rate means a case would sit around for a very long time, storage becomes part of the decision, because tobacco slowly loses moisture once packs are opened. Keep cartons sealed until needed and read our guide on keeping cartons fresh before committing to case quantities. And if what you actually want is a single pack for this afternoon, an online carton retailer is the wrong tool entirely; a local counter serves that job better than we can.
Which format gives the best value?
On pure cost per cigarette, the case wins and it is not close: 15 cents per cigarette against 22.5 cents at the base tier, a full third off every cigarette in the order. The middle tier splits the difference at 20 cents from 21 cartons. Here is the complete picture, with real order totals so the jumps are visible.
| Order size (one product line) | Price per carton | Per pack of 20 | Per cigarette | Order total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 carton | $45 | $4.50 | 22.5 cents | $45 |
| 20 cartons | $45 | $4.50 | 22.5 cents | $900 |
| 21 cartons | $40 | $4.00 | 20 cents | $840 |
| 49 cartons | $40 | $4.00 | 20 cents | $1,960 |
| 50 cartons (1 case) | $30 | $3.00 | 15 cents | $1,500 |
| Crush flavoured, any quantity | $65 | $6.50 | 32.5 cents | Not tiered |
Read the totals column twice, because two of the rows are strange in a useful way. Twenty cartons costs $900 while twenty-one costs $840: the larger order is $60 cheaper in absolute dollars and contains 10 more packs. The same inversion happens at the case boundary on a bigger scale. Forty-nine cartons costs $1,960 while fifty costs $1,500: crossing into case pricing removes $460 from the total while adding a carton. Nobody ordering in the forties should stop short of 50, and nobody at 19 or 20 should stop short of 21.
But best value and best decision are not always the same thing. A case asks for $1,500 up front and commits you to 10,000 cigarettes of a single product. If that outlay or that commitment does not fit, the 21-carton entry point of the $40 tier is the strongest middle path: $840 for 4,200 cigarettes at 20 cents each, with free shipping included since the total clears $450 comfortably.
How do I get the lowest cost per cigarette?
Order 50 or more cartons of a single non-Crush product. Every carton in that line then prices at $30, which is $3.00 per pack and 15 cents per cigarette, the lowest figure available anywhere on the site.
The conditions, stated plainly: the 50 cartons must be one product line, because tiers do not pool across products. The product must be non-Crush, because Crush flavoured cartons are $65 at every quantity and never enter the tiers; a case-sized order of Crush is still $65 per carton, or 32.5 cents per cigarette. Shipping takes care of itself, since $1,500 is far past the $450 free shipping line. And there is a ceiling: non-Crush products are capped at 80 cartons each per order as a fraud control, so two full cases of the same line cannot go through one transaction. If you need more than 80 of one product, contact us and we will arrange it by email instead.
One more floor worth knowing: every order needs at least 2 non-Crush items to reach checkout. Any case obviously clears that, and smaller orders can mix and match two different products to get there.
Our picks by buyer type:
- First order, testing the water: two cartons meets the minimum. Canadian Fulls, from $45 a carton.
- Want free shipping without bulk: 10 cartons is $450, exactly where the $25 fee disappears. Canadian Lights, from $45 a carton.
- Bulk without the full case outlay: 21 cartons drops every carton to $40. Playfare Full Flavour, from $45 a carton.
- Chasing the 15 cent cigarette: a case, 50 cartons of one line at $30 each. Rolled Gold Full Flavour, $1,500 the case.
- Flavoured buyer: tiers never apply, so order any quantity. Canadian Crush Cherry, $65 a carton.
Frequently asked questions
How many cartons are in a case?
Fifty. A case is 50 cartons of the same product, which is 500 packs of 20, or 10,000 cigarettes.
How many cigarettes are in a case?
A case holds 10,000 cigarettes: 50 cartons, each containing 10 packs of 20. Every product we carry uses that same count.
How much does a case cost?
A case is 50 cartons at $30 per carton, which comes to $1,500. Orders of $450 or more ship free, so every case qualifies for free shipping.
Can I mix products to reach the case price?
No. The volume tiers apply per product line, so the $30 price needs 50 cartons of one product. Two lots of 25 across two different products price at $40 per carton each, not $30.
Do Crush flavoured cartons get case pricing?
No. Crush cartons are $65 at every quantity and sit outside the volume tiers, so a case-sized order of Crush is still $65 per carton.
What is the difference in cost per cigarette between a carton and a case?
A single carton works out to 22.5 cents per cigarette at the $45 base price. Case pricing brings that down to 15 cents, a difference of 7.5 cents on every cigarette in the order.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes. The cart needs at least 2 non-Crush items to reach checkout, and you can mix and match different products to get there. Crush products are exempt from the minimum.
Is there a maximum order?
Non-Crush products are capped at 80 cartons each per order as a fraud control. For more than 80 of one line, contact us and we will arrange it by email.
Does a case ship for free?
Yes. Shipping is a flat $25 per order and becomes free at $450, so a $1,500 case ships free anywhere we deliver in Canada.
How quickly does a case order ship?
The same as any other order: dispatch within 24 to 48 hours, Canada-wide, in discreet packaging. Transit time after dispatch depends on the carrier and your location.
How should I store a case of cartons?
Keep cartons sealed, cool, dry, and out of direct sunlight. Unopened cartons hold their condition longest, so open one carton at a time and leave the rest sealed.
Ready to price out a real cart?
Start with Canadian Fulls, from $45 a carton and let the tiers do the work: $40 from 21 cartons, $30 at the full case of 50. Dispatched in 24 to 48 hours, Canada-wide, in discreet packaging, with flat $25 shipping that goes free at $450. First order gets 20 percent off with code WELCOME20.
Related reading: how many cigarettes are in a carton, carton pricing and cost per cigarette in detail, and how to store cartons so they stay fresh.