When it comes to plastic bottles, style choices are endless. Should you use a round bottle or a square bottle? Or would a jar or a cylinder work better for your product? Not only does the shape of the bottle matter, but the size of the neck and the geometry of the shoulder also influence the ease of dispensing the product inside.
For reference, here are a few definitions for parts of the bottle that influence how products are dispensed. 
Neck: the part of the bottle that contains the opening. This is where the shoulder of the bottle transitions to form the finish. The neck is from where the product inside is dispensed.
Finish: the part of the bottle that accepts the closure. It’s important to use a closure that works with the finish so that the contents inside are protected.
Shoulder: the transition between the base of the neck and the body of the bottle, which is normally the widest part of the bottle. Depending on the contents inside, a shoulder design may inhibit dispensing.
Tablets, powders, creams, and liquids all have different dispensing requirements. At Drug Plastics, our knowledgeable experts can help you select the right bottle shape and neck finish that will make your product easy to dispense for consumers. Here are general guidelines for bottles that work well for specific products.
Solid Dose Products
Many prescription, OTC medications, supplements, and lifestyle products are available in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, or edibles. Solid dose products are easier to dispense from a bottle that has a wide neck finish. Depending on the quantity of pills and the capacity, we offer a variety of Round Bottles used 
for solid dose formulations. These include: our Artistic Series Wide-Mouth Round, Contemporary Series Wide-Mouth Round, and our Classic Series Wide-Mouth Round bottles. Round bottles are easier to label and fill product on automated packaging lines.
We also offer Wide-Mouth Square bottles that can differentiate your product from the competition. Square bottles are sometimes preferred over a round bottle because they use less space on retail shelves – and more bottles can fit. Round and Square Wide-Mouth bottles are available in neck finishes ranging from 24mm to 89mm and are available in multiple resin types.
A variety of closures including our Continuous Thread, SecuRx® Child Resistant, and THUMBLE EZY® Dispensing Closures, can be paired with our wide-mouth bottles. Our entire line of closures are available in sizes that are designed to work with the specific neck finish.
Liquid Products
Cough medicines, liquid vitamins, and lifestyle oils are a few examples of liquids that can be packaged in plastic bottles. Liquids are dispensed by pouring, so the best vessel is a bottle with a narrow neck finish to control the amount of liquid being dispensed. Having the appropriate shoulder design to keep the liquid from dispensing too quickly is also beneficial to the pouring process.
If you have a liquid product, consider using our Cylinders, Oblong, Oval, and Round bottles for your packaging. Neck finishes on these bottles range from 13ml to 38mm, and work well with a variety of Continuous Thread, Child Resistant, and Dispensing Closures that keep liquids protected and dispense them efficiently. For instance, we offer a 38mm SecuRx® 15ml Dosage Cap Closure that is user-friendly and delivers measurable doses of liquid products. Watch the video to learn more.
We manufacture bottles out of LDPE so they are easy to squeeze for products such as saline solutions or nasal sprays. These products also require a particular type of fitment designed to function properly with the bottle.
Powders
Our Ointment and Straight Sided Jars are great choices for powdered supplements and lifestyle products. Both jar styles are made with a wide 38mm or more neck opening and are designed without extended shoulders at the neck. This design allows the product to be dispensed easily.
We make our Ointment Jars with several neck finishes ranging from 58mm to 89mm. We make our Straight Sided Jars with neck finishes from 38mm to 89mm. The wider finish options on both jars are ideal when the contents are dispensed with a scoop.
Another option for powdered products is a Wide-Mouth Cylinder with a 38mm or larger neck finish. Wide-Mouth Cylinders are available in multiple resins and works with several types of closures. No matter which style jar or cylinder you choose, your powdered product will be easy for consumers to use.
Ointments, Creams, and Gels
Since creams, ointments, and gel products are often applied by using fingers, our Ointment or Straight Sided Jars are an excellent packaging choice. Jars without an extended shoulder near the neck opening allows fingers to scrape the inside of the jar and use all of the contents. We offer a variety of sizes ranging from our smallest 8cc jar to the largest 32oz. jar.
Select the Right Bottle
Product type is the first thing to consider when selecting a plastic bottle for your packaging. Determining the correct size and capacity is important, but how the product is dispensed should also be at the top of the list. Whether your product is a solid dose, liquid, powder, or cream, Drug Plastics manufactures a variety of bottles with the appropriate neck finish to dispense it properly. Our knowledgeable team can help you identify which one will work best for you. Ready to discuss your project? Call 610-367-5000 to speak with someone immediately.
