As the Canadian cannabis market continues to grow and evolve, the category that continues to drive not only innovation, but revenues as well is the humble pre-roll.
Simple in design but endless in possibility, the pre-roll is a signature product for the industry, an old school joint packed and ready to go, but with a fully modern feel. The portability and relatively inexpensive nature of pre-rolls make them perfect not only for someone looking to try a new strain or grab something for the walk home, but also for high-powered innovation like the addition of flavor-boosting terpenes or potency-boosting concentrates, all with a built-in on-the-go delivery system.
At Custom Cones USA, home of the Pre-Roll Experts, we took a look at the Top 50 Pre-Roll Brands in Canada, based on sales data from cannabis analytics firm Headset and we noticed a few trends and insights valuable to any cannabis brand looking to boost its sales and generate excitement in its products.
Here are seven insights drawn from the Top 50 producers that companies looking to expand their pre-roll reach should consider:
Pre-Rolls are King in Canada
Last year, after reviewing Canada’s sales data, we predicted that by mid 2025, pre-rolls would regularly top flower as the no. 1 category in the industry and by the end of summer, we were proven correct.
According to Headset data, through Sept. 9 of this year pre-roll sales reached $982 million and a 34% market share, up $72 million (8%) over the previous year-to-date period and on pace to break last year’s record.
By comparison, flower recorded $909.4 million in sales and a 32% market share over the same period, down $23 million (-2.5%) from 2024. Additionally, pre-roll revenue grew 4.3% year-over-year, while flower continued to lose market share, as it has since the legal market’s inception, seeing marginal declines last year.
So while they may have once been considered an after though, today, pre-rolls are the main driver of the industry and any cannabis company not making pre-rolls is going to be left in the dust.
In Summer Months, Canadians Flock to Pre-Rolls
One of the things our research found is that while pre-rolls remain solid year-round, they are especially popular in the summer months.
Our 2025 State of the Canadian Pre-Roll Market Report found that for the six-month period of May-October 2024, pre-rolls outsold Flower by $33 million, peaking in July ’24 with a 3% lead in sales.
Though October numbers are not yet available, the 2025 numbers from May through September show a similar trend, with pre-rolls climbing to a 36% market share in July, August, and September.
Additionally, pre-roll revenues over the same period are more than $70 million higher than revenues for flower. The gap in units sold is even higher, with Canadians buying more than 35 million pre-roll units during the warm months, compared to just over 12 million flower units.
Infused Pre-Rolls Drive Revenues
Within the pre-roll category, the top-selling segment in Canada continues to be the single strain hybrid, however a lead driver of revenues continues to be the infused pre-roll, which have a higher price point due to the addition of a concentrate.
Three of the Top Five best-selling pre-roll products in Canada are infused products, including the top spot, as are six of the Top 10. And all five of the best-selling products from the country’s top selling pre-roll brand, General Admission, are infused products. So are those of the fastest-rising brand, No. 4 Jeeter, which also boasts the highest average price point of any brand in the Top 50 at $33.36, nearly double the national average.
With potency remaining a top factor for pre-roll and cannabis consumers in general, we expect infused pre-rolls, with their heightened flavor and increased THC percentages to only continue to grow in Canada, even as the single-strain hybrid remains exceedingly popular.
Multi-Packs Drive Sales
Another major driver of revenues in the Canadian pre-roll market is the multi-pack, with consumers wanting to get more of a good thing at one time to lower costs and save on trips to and from the dispensary. They also usually carry a higher-than average price point and help boost revenues for brands.
In fact, 49 of the Top 50 best-selling pre-roll products by revenue are multi-packs (the other is a 2-gram infused pre-rolled blunt at No. 48). All five of the top 5 products from each of our Top 5 Canadian Brands is a multi-pack, including 2-packs, 3-packs, 5-packs, 10-packs and even a 70-pack pre-roll product from the No. 5 business, Redecan.
Even by unit sales, multi-pack options fill the top five spots, and nine of the top 10. In fact, in the Top 50 products by unit sales, only 7 are single-pre-roll packs. It’s an easy way to move product and the data shows that not only do the people want multi-packs, the Top Brands are providing them.
Branding Matters
Along with potency and price point, consumers routinely tell us that brand ranks among the top factors for deciding which pre-rolls to buy and Canada’s top-selling brands all use branding to their advantage, whether on the pre-roll itself, the packaging or both.
This is especially important with a product like a pre-roll, that is often shared but has a standardized look, making it difficult to tell one from another.
The Top 8 Brands all use colorful and/or custom filter tips, most with a company name or logo, to ensure that their products are distinctive and memorable, even when outside of their packaging and being passed around a session.
It’s an important reminder that getting on top and staying on top means making sure everyone can see whose product they are smoking.
The Blunt Opportunity
Though not one of the top segments within the category, pre-rolled blunts remain a popular product for smokers and a potential revenue stream for producers.
Research in the US shows that blunts are the third most popular way to consume, with the category showing modest but continued growth in the Canadian market, though the numbers are deceptively low as Headset data will place an infused blunt in the infused category instead of the blunt category, skewing the overall numbers.
Though only 5 of the top 200 products are blunts, four of those five are infused. And there is only one brand in the Top 15 companies that focuses on blunts, No. 15 BoxHot. Four of BoxHot’s top five products are blunt products, and all four are infused. The company uses a tea leaf cone with a bright cigar band to stand out from traditional pre-rolls and other blunt offerings.
But the lack of brands in the space focusing on this nascent category makes it a perfect spot for producers to launch well-branded hemp wrap pre-rolled blunts and truly make a mark in the Canadian marketplace.
Innovation and Originality is key
With pre-rolls having a low barrier to entry for brands new and old, the entire category is ripe for innovation and experimentation. The top sellers consistently try new formats, new infusions, new branding, and unique packaging in order to stand out and stay on top of the sales charts.
New brands like Jeeter, the top American pre-roll maker, have taken the market by storm in 2025 with its color-coded, triple-infused pre-rolls, for example.
Other brands continue to innovate in packaging options with bright colors and fun names, like No. 6 Good Supply’s popular “Jeans Guy” and “Inzane in the Membrane” strains, the “Grape Ape” and “Motor Breath” from No. 10 Dab Bods or even the top-selling “Tiger Blood” line from General Admission.
Pre-Rolls provide an opportunity for smokers to take a chance and try something new, and producers need to lean into that, offering new strains and new styles, all with attention-grabbing names and packaging in order to truly stand out.
Final Thoughts On Canadian Pre-Rolls
With pre-rolls surpassing flower this year as the top category in the Canadian cannabis industry, the opportunity to make a mark on the industry is now. But the pre-roll space is fast-moving and ever-changing, so it is important to keep an eye on the latest trends, from infusion techniques to branding opportunities to packaging innovations.
It’s important to have a supply partner that can keep an eye on the larger picture, allowing you to focus on what you do best: creating top-quality flower and products that people want.
Contact the Pre-Roll Experts today to begin, expand or scale up your pre-roll line today.
