The cannabis pre-roll market has exploded into a $3.6 billion per year industry – and still growing. It’s the fastest-growing category in the industry and one of the top add-ons at dispensaries around the country, with 82% of cannabis smokers buying pre-rolls.

That’s why it’s never been more critical for manufacturers to understand what drives consumer choices, particularly in this highly competitive category. 

Custom Cones USA’s comprehensive consumer report, which surveyed over 900 cannabis users and analyzed Headset’s point-of-sale data from across multiple states, helps give a better idea of what today’s pre-roll consumers are looking for in their favorite smokes.

Potency, Price and Brand: The Holy Trinity

When it comes to purchasing decisions, three factors dominate consumer priorities: potency, price and brand. These are the make-or-break elements that determine whether a product flies off dispensary shelves or collects dust. 

It’s one of the reasons infused pre-rolls (which combine flower with a concentrate for a higher potency number) sell so well, and why the top brands all put significant effort into the customization and branding efforts.

However, the market also shows a push and pull between premium and value segments, with successful brands offering products at both ends of the spectrum.

The data reveals a clear premiumization trend, particularly in infused pre-rolls, which now command over 44% of pre-roll market share and tend to deliver the biggest bang for the buck. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay premium prices for premium experiences, with top brands like Jeeter averaging nearly $25 per unit. 

At the same time, value-focused brands are thriving by offering high-volume, low-cost options that appeal to budget-conscious consumers seeking consistent quality. These brands may not have the highest price points, but what they may miss at the register they can make up for in volume.

After price and potency, the top factor for choosing a pre-roll is brand, which is why all five of the top 5 brands in the country use custom branding on their pre-rolls themselves, not just the packaging. 

Without its packaging, every unbranded pre-roll looks basically the same, so how is a consumer supposed to know what to ask for the next time they are at the dispensary? The top brands customize their pre-roll filter tips, either with custom logos printed directly on the filters themselves, custom cigar bands, colorful overwraps that wrap around the filter, or some combination of all of them.

Size Matters: The Full-Gram Preference

But what size pre-roll should you offer? The modern pre-roll market encompasses a wide variety of sizes in both cones and tubes, ranging from the 70mm mini cone that holds about 0.3 grams all the way to full-gram 109mm cones (and even bigger).

Well, consumer preference for pre-roll size is clear: the 1-gram size dominates the US market, generating $1.45 billion in revenue, more than double the amount of second place (2.5 grams). And of those 1-gram products, nearly 82% are single, 1-gram pre-rolls. 

The remaining 18% of 1-gram product sales are multi-packs, which is the real key to unlocking pre-roll sales. 

While only about 49% of all pre-roll products are multi-packs, the format owns the best-selling product charts, accounting for 49 of the top 50 and 91 of the top 100.

In fact, the Headset data shows that nine of the top 10 best-selling products are, specifically, five-packs of half-gram pre-rolls, giving even more insight to just what shoppers are looking for in their pre-roll experience.

Our survey of smokers backed this up, with 56.7% of respondents saying the full-gram is the size they buy most, followed by the half-gram at 28.3%.

Paper Type: More Than Just Wrapping

While it might not rank in the top three purchasing factors, paper type also matters significantly to pre-roll consumers. More than 55% of surveyed users rated paper type as “very important,” while only 9% of those surveyed called it “not important.” 

Though there is no way in the POS data to tell what type of paper is used in the products sold, there are three main types and each play more into branding and messaging than one may think.

Refined white papers, sometimes called “rice papers” in the industry despite being made of wood pulp, remain popular for their clean, tasteless smoking experience. Meanwhile, natural brown papers appeal to consumers seeking a more, well, natural look. There is no difference in taste or burn rate from the whites, but many smokers have a preference. Finally, there is organic hemp, made from hemp pulp instead of wood pulp and are a great option for holistic, environmentally conscious brands. 

But the variety in paper preferences underscores an important truth: today’s pre-roll consumer is sophisticated and discerning, with specific expectations about their smoking experience from start to finish that factor into their purchasing choices.

What Types of Pre-Rolls Are People Buying?

The top segment of pre-roll sales, by far, is the Infused pre-roll, as we already mentioned, accounting for 47.2% of sales in 2025, totaling nearly $1.7 billion. That was followed by Hybrid single-strain at $1.3 billion (37%), Indica single-strain at $238 million (7%), Sativa single-strain at $227 (6%) and Mixed strain at $77.8 million (2%).

However, when we look at the units sold, the top two spots flip, with Hybrid single-strain pre-rolls selling 175.6 million units (46%) compared to 144.6 million (38%) for Infused products.

The difference, of course, comes back to price point. Infused products have a higher price point, generating more revenue on fewer units sold. That said, again looking at the top-selling products, 16 of the top 20, 43 of the top 50 and 80 of the top 100 are infused.

Premium Features Gaining Traction

While traditional pre-rolls remain popular, premium features are gaining significant traction. 

More than 21% of consumers purchase pre-rolls with premium filter tips at least once weekly, indicating openness to enhanced smoking experiences. Premium filter tips, like flavored wood, can enhance any session, while smooth glass and premium ceramic filter tips help cool the smoke for bigger, more flavorful hits.

Premium filter tips are also a great way to help your product stand out and be remembered.

The Bottom Line

Today’s pre-roll consumers want quality, consistency and value, whether they’re purchasing budget-friendly options or premium infused products. They care about potency levels, price, brand and paper quality as part of their decision-making process.

They prefer single-serving, full-gram pre-rolls AND multi-packs that offer variety and convenience. Most importantly, they want products that deliver a superior smoking experience that enhance their lifestyle.

For producers, the message is clear: the pre-roll is here to stay and is a major driver of revenues for the entire industry. It is a category that all serious brands must be a part of if they want to grow and expand.