It's one of the most-asked questions about the tube, and the answer isn't printed anywhere on the pack — which is exactly why it keeps getting searched.
The short answer
A standard 38g Smarties tube holds roughly 45 Smarties. That figure is an estimate rather than a guarantee, because of how the tubes are actually filled.
Why it's an estimate and not an exact number
Smarties are filled into their tubes by weight on the production line, not counted out by hand or machine one at a time. Since each sweet varies very slightly in size and the mix of colours packs down a little differently tube to tube, a 38g tube might hold a couple more or fewer than 45 depending on the batch. That's also why you won't find a piece count printed on the packaging itself — Nestlé states the weight, because that's the figure they can actually guarantee.
Does tube size change the count?
Yes. Alongside the standard 38g tube, the smaller 34g tubes sold in our 3 Pack Multipack 102g hold proportionally fewer Smarties — roughly in line with the drop in weight. If you're after the classic single tube rather than a multipack, our 38g tube is the one to go for.
What about the colours?
Smarties come in a roughly even spread of colours, so the colour breakdown in any one tube is down to chance rather than design — there's no colour that's deliberately made scarcer. For more on the one colour change that did happen on purpose, see our piece on why Smarties lost the blue one (and got it back), and for the packaging itself, our guide to why the tube went plastic-free.
Shop the full Smarties range for tubes, multipacks and more.
Frequently asked questions
How many Smarties are in a standard 38g tube?
Roughly 45, though the exact number varies slightly since they're filled by weight rather than counted individually.
Why isn't the piece count printed on the tube?
Because Smarties are filled by weight on the production line, and slight size variation between sweets means an exact per-tube count can't be guaranteed.
Do all Smarties tubes have the same number of pieces?
No — the 38g tube and the smaller 34g tubes in multipacks hold different counts, and tubes of the same size can vary by a few pieces too.
Are all the colours equally likely in a tube?
Yes, roughly — Smarties are mixed in even proportions across colours, so any one tube's exact mix is down to chance.
