How many cups per person for hot drinks?

Allow 2 cups per person for events lasting 2-3 hours. For longer events or afternoon tea, allow 3 cups. Some guests will want tea and then switch to coffee. Having enough cups avoids washing up during the event.

For formal events and afternoon teas, yes - cups need saucers. For casual events, mugs without saucers are fine. If hiring, cups usually come with saucers included. Saucers catch drips and provide somewhere to put the teaspoon.

How much milk do I need for tea and coffee?

Allow about 30ml of milk per cup of tea or coffee — a generous splash (single-serve UHT catering pots hold around 12ml, so 30ml leaves room for milkier mugs). For 50 servings that is roughly 1.5 litres, or about 1.5–2 pints per 30 servings. Buy semi-skimmed as it suits both tea and coffee, and have a dairy-free option too — oat milk is the most popular alternative.

How much sugar should I provide?

About 50% of people take sugar, using 5g (1 teaspoon) per cup. For 50 servings, provide about 125g of sugar. Put out a sugar bowl rather than individual sachets for environmental reasons. Offer sweetener as an alternative.

Cup Calculator — Hot Drink Cups & Mugs

Calculate cups, saucers, and mugs needed for hot drinks at your event.

Total Guests

Total number of people attending the event.

Tea Drinkers

Guests who will mainly drink tea. Leave both drink fields at 0 to estimate ~70% of guests automatically.

Coffee Drinkers

Guests who will mainly drink coffee. Added to tea drinkers — not the other way round.

Cups per Person

Allow 2 for a 2–3 hour event, 3 for afternoon tea or longer events.

Spare Percentage

Extra cups for breakages, refills and unexpected guests; 10–20% is typical.

Cost per Cup (hire/buy)

Hire or purchase cost per cup, in £. Crockery hire is roughly £0.20–0.50 per cup.

How We Calculate This

This calculator estimates cups, milk, and sugar for hot drink service. Hot drink guests is the larger of your stated tea drinkers plus coffee drinkers, or an estimate of around 70% of total guests when you leave both drink fields at 0.

Formula

Hot drink guests = max(tea drinkers + coffee drinkers, ~70% of total guests)
Total cups = hot drink guests × cups per person + spares
Milk = total servings × 30ml
Sugar = total servings × 50% × 5g

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Adjust quantities based on your guests and event type.