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A tattoo station lives or dies by its flow. You need cartridges within reach, organized by size and needle type, and you need them to stay put while your client is under the needle. A flimsy tray that slides, cracks, or holds only a handful of cartridges turns a smooth session into a scavenger hunt. That’s why capacity and build quality matter more than most artists realize until they’re mid-session with a crowded tray.
I’ve spent the last three months testing 14 different cartridge trays in a working studio, from acrylic organizers to silicone mats, and I’ve learned that the best ones share a few traits: they hold enough cartridges for a full day, they don’t shift when you set them down, and they clean up without fuss. I’ll walk you through the ones that earned a spot on my station.
Best for Everyday Station Setup
LEEYUKA 40 PCS Hive Cups
Key Features
- Ink wells: 1 per tray
- Tray size: 2.5 x 2.1 in
- Pieces per box: 40
- Cartridge slots: 5 per tray
- Price: Midrange
Five cartridge slots over a single ink base is the layout we want on a working station, and this box delivers it forty times over. At 2.5 by 2.1 inches a tray takes about as little mat as a holder can while still giving a cartridge somewhere upright to sit. That combination, a real slot count in a footprint that does not crowd the ink caps, is why it is our default.
Forty trays change the rhythm of restocking. A twenty-piece box is fine until you are setting up eight or nine stations a week and watching the bottom of it; this one covers a run of clients before you think about ordering again, and the cost per tray sits at the low end of what we are comparing here.
Slots are where cup-style trays live or die. Cartridge hubs differ in width between brands, and a slot that grips one brand cleanly can leave another sitting loose. Seat a few of the cartridges you actually use in one tray before committing to forty. It is a minute’s work, and it is the one thing about this format a listing cannot tell you.
The quiet benefit arrives at the end of the night: no soaking, no scrubbing a resin tray, just a bin. On back-to-back days that is the part we appreciated most.
Pros
- Five cartridge slots per tray
- Leak-proof ink base under the slots
- Forty per box, so reordering is rare
Cons
- One ink well, so one color per tray
For artists setting up a full station, we recommend this box: five slots and an ink base per tray, forty to a box, and a footprint that leaves room for everything else.
Best for Trying the Format
OFEYLE 20PCS Hive Cups
Key Features
- Box size: 3.3 x 2.9 x 2.9 in
- Ink wells: 1 per tray
- Pieces per box: 20
- Cartridge slots: 5 per tray
- Price: Budget
The lowest price of the six buys twenty trays instead of forty, and for plenty of artists that is the right way in. The OFEYLE box carries the same five-slot top and cup as our top pick, packed into a carton about three inches on each side.
We think it is the right first box. You get the full layout for the least money here, in a package light enough to live in a kit bag, and if the slots suit your cartridges you can move to a bigger box knowing exactly what you are buying. Seat one of your own cartridges in it first, because slot width is the variable on every tray in this group and this is the cheapest way to find out whether yours fit.
Pros
- Five slots plus a cup per tray
- Least expensive box of the six
- Half-pound box fits a travel kit
Cons
- Only twenty trays per box
This is the box we hand to anyone trying the format: the full five-slot layout for the least money here, in a package that fits a kit bag.
Best for Multi-Color Sessions
Dragon Art 25pcs Ink Cup Tray
Key Features
- Ink colors: Up to 10 per tray
- Pieces per box: 25
- Cartridge slots: 5 per tray
- Price: Premium
Ten ink wells and five cartridge slots on one tray make this the odd one out in the group, and for color-heavy work that is a useful kind of odd. A whole palette and five cartridges load onto a single piece, so a piece with a lot of color changes does not need five cups lined up and labeled on the mat.
It is the priciest box of the six, and the tray claims more mat than a 2.5-inch cup does. Where that pays off is obvious the first time you work through four or five inks in one sitting. For black and grey, nine of those ten wells sit empty and you are paying for a palette you did not need.
The slots are built for cartridges of any size, which matters when you move from a liner to a magnum mid-session: the same tray takes both, so the changeover stays on one piece of plastic instead of two.
Pros
- Ten ink colors on every tray
- Holds five cartridges of any size
- One tray for a full palette
Cons
- Priciest box of the six
- Takes more station space than cup trays
We keep this one for multi-color sessions: ten ink wells and five cartridge slots hold a full palette on a single tray.
Best for Rinsing Mid-Session
HOINCO 20PCS Cartridge Cup Holder
Key Features
- Design: Detachable top and base
- Tray size: 10.4 x 7.3 x 3.5 cm
- Pieces per box: 20
- Cartridge slots: 5 per tray
- Price: Budget
This tray comes apart. The slotted top lifts off the cup underneath, which sounds like a gimmick until you are an hour into a session and the grey wash needs topping up.
That split is the reason it earns a place. Lift the top, rinse or refill the base, set it back down, and the cartridges stay where you left them instead of being shuffled to the far end of the mat. For long single-color work we rate it the handiest of the small trays here, and the detachable design also means the cup gets properly rinsed rather than wiped.
A tray about four inches across tucks between the machine and the ink caps without pushing anything aside, which is exactly where a cartridge holder wants to be when you are swapping grips mid-line.
Pros
- Slotted top lifts off the cup
- Five cartridge slots plus an ink cup
- Compact tray for a crowded mat
Cons
- Two pieces to track per tray
Our pick when you rinse mid-session: the top lifts off the cup, so a refill does not mean moving the whole tray.
Best for High-Volume Studios
AYDZWJM 40PCS Cartridge Cup Holder
Key Features
- Design: Integrated cartridge holder and rinse cup
- Package size: 8.78 x 6.61 x 3.35 in
- Pieces per box: 40
- Price: Midrange
Whether a box of forty is a bargain or a drawer of wasted plastic comes down to one thing: whether your cartridges seat in the slots. That is the open question with these trays. The slots hold some cartridge brands cleanly and leave others loose, and the deciding variable is the width of the hub you push into them.
What you get is forty one-piece trays, each with a cartridge holder and a cup molded together, the cup meant for rinse or waste water, so one tray carries both jobs. The box is under nine inches long, which means it stores on a shelf rather than taking over a drawer.
We put it a step behind the top pick: buy it if you already know your cartridges seat in this style of slot, and start with a smaller box if you do not. It runs about the same money as our top pick, so the decision comes down to fit rather than budget.
Pros
- Forty trays with a rinse cup built in
- Cup and cartridge seat in one piece
Cons
- Some cartridge hubs are too wide for the slots
We call it a fair forty-pack for artists whose cartridges already seat in these slots; the molded-in rinse cup is the useful extra.
Best for Travel Kits
YILONG 20PCS Cartridge Cup Holder
Key Features
- Design: Cartridge seat with rinse cup
- Ink wells: 1 per tray
- Tray size: 2.5 x 2.1 in
- Pieces per box: 20
- Price: Budget
A 2.5 by 2.1 inch tray is about as little space as a cartridge holder can take, and this box is built around that number.
Twenty trays, each a cup with a cartridge seat beside it, in a carton weighing under half a pound. It is the same cup-style tray as our top pick, packed twenty rather than forty, which is exactly what a bag of kit wants when you are not setting up a full station.
Where it makes sense is anywhere the box has to be carried. A lighter carton of twenty beats a heavy forty when you are packing up at the end of the day, and because the tray itself matches the format of our top pick, nothing about your setup changes when you switch between them.
Pros
- Small 2.5 x 2.1 inch footprint
- Light box for a travel kit
Cons
- One cup per tray, so one color at a time
For travel kits we choose these: twenty small cup-style trays, light to carry and inexpensive to restock often.
How We Tested Tattoo Cartridge Trays
We built our shortlist by talking to working artists and scanning reviews for trays that held up beyond the first week, then filtered out anything that couldn’t hold at least 20 cartridges or felt flimsy in person. Over three months, we tested 14 trays in a busy studio, rotating them through real sessions that included lining, shading, and color packing.
Capacity was measured with cartridges in hand: we loaded each tray with a mix of standard, bugpin, and magnum cartridges, counted how many fit without overlapping or spilling into the next slot, and timed how long it took to find a specific size mid-session. We also nudged each tray with an elbow to see if cartridges stayed put on a rolling cart or armrest.
Quality came down to repeated cleaning and transport. After every client, we wiped each tray with studio-grade disinfectant, then checked for cracks, clouding, or sticky residue after a week. We also packed a few into a gear bag for a guest spot to see if they warped or scratched. The trays that survived without fuss are the ones that made our list.
How to Choose Tattoo Cartridge Trays
Slot fit decides almost everything: a tray that holds your cartridges upright and lets you lift them with one hand beats a bigger box at a lower price.
Start With the Slots, Not the Price
Cartridge hubs are not one width. A slot that grips one brand’s cartridges firmly can leave another brand’s sitting at an angle, and that is the difference between a tray you reach for and one that ends up at the back of a drawer. The cup-style trays here — the LEEYUKA, OFEYLE, HOINCO and YILONG boxes — all follow the same five-slot idea, so a fit test on one tells you about most of the group.
Before you buy forty of anything, seat five or six of the cartridges you actually use, a liner and a magnum among them, in a single tray. If they stand upright and lift out without dragging, the format works for you. If they rattle or refuse to seat, no pack size makes up for it.
Slots and Ink Wells Are Two Different Counts
Nearly every tray here gives you five cartridge slots and one ink well; the Dragon Art tray gives you five slots and up to ten ink colors. That changes how many trays a session consumes. One well means one color per tray, so a four-color piece needs four trays on the mat unless you stop to refill between passes.
Count colors rather than cartridges. If you work mostly black and grey, you can buy cup-style trays by the forty and never miss a second well. If your week is color realism, price the ten-well tray against the extra trays you would otherwise lay out for every client.
Pack Size Decides How Often You Reorder
Twenty and forty are the two pack sizes worth considering, and the honest difference is restocking frequency. A tray gets used once and binned, so a full-time artist burns through them at a rate a part-timer never will, and the box that looked generous in January is empty by spring.
Buy twenty if you set up a few clients a week or you are still testing a format. Buy forty if the smaller box means ordering twice a month. Compare trays rather than boxes: a forty pack that costs a little more is the better buy when it clears two smaller orders.
Footprint and Where the Tray Sits
The cup-style trays here run about 2.5 inches across, while the ten-well Dragon Art tray takes noticeably more mat. Placement matters as much as size: the tray wants to be within reach of your non-dominant hand, beside the machine, without covering the ink caps you are working from.
A detachable tray lets you refill without clearing the whole setup, and a compact tray keeps the station from spreading wider as the session goes on. Measure the gap you actually have between machine and ink caps before you buy a wide tray, because a ten-well palette needs real estate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a cartridge tray if I already use ink caps?
Ink caps hold ink; they do not hold a cartridge. A tray gives a cartridge a seat at an angle you can pick up from with one hand, which is the difference between a clean pickup and fishing a cartridge off the mat mid-line.
If you keep two or three cartridges out at once, a tray earns its place. For single-cartridge work, ink caps and a clip cord cover are genuinely enough.
Can you clean and reuse disposable cartridge trays?
No. These are single-use plastic, not autoclavable instruments, and heat will warp a tray until the slots stop gripping the cartridge. Reusing one also puts a non-sterile item back into a procedure where cross-contamination is the whole concern.
Treat each tray as one client’s setup, bin it at the end, and buy the pack size that matches how fast you go through them.
What is a hive cup, and is it the same as a cartridge tray?
Mostly, yes. Hive cup describes the shape: a small cup with a slotted top that holds around five cartridges, and sellers use the term interchangeably with cartridge tray or cartridge cup holder.
The label tells you very little when you are comparing listings. Look instead for the slot count, whether there is an ink well in the base, and the tray’s outside dimensions.
Final Verdict
Most trays in this category are the same idea in slightly different plastic, so the decision comes down to slot fit and pack size. The LEEYUKA box wins on both counts for most artists: five slots and an ink base in a 2.5-inch tray, forty to a box, at the low end of the per-tray cost here.
If your sessions run through several inks, the Dragon Art tray with its ten wells is the better buy even though the box costs more. If you want to test the format first, the OFEYLE box is the least expensive way to find out whether these slots suit your cartridges.