Hybrid & Infused Joints Lead the Pre-Roll Market

Pre-rolls are the biggest category in Canadian cannabis, generating $1.4 billion on sales of 77.2 million units in 2025, the top spot in both categories and growth of more than 6% in each over the year before.

That’s a lot of pre-rolls. For a company looking to scale or expand their pre-roll line throughout Canada, it might seem hard to know exactly where to focus for the best return.

But two segments absolutely dominate and every serious Canadian pre-roll producer needs to include them in their pre-roll line: Single Strain Hybrid and Infused pre-rolls. Let’s take a deep look at the numbers.

Single Strain Hybrid

The top-selling pre-roll segment in Canada in 2025 by revenue and by units sold was the single strain hybrid.

According to cannabis analytics firm Headset, which tracks point-of-sale data in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, Canadian consumers bought $531.9 million worth of hybrid pre-rolls last year, or 31.6 million units. That’s about 38% of all pre-roll revenues and 41% of all pre-roll units sold.

Single strain hybrids are a must-have for any pre-roll line. Running down the middle of the indica-sativa spectrum to deliver a well-rounded overall high, the single strain hybrid is also easy to prep and pack into pre-rolls because it is just the flower that need to be ground, sifted and then loaded for packing.

That said, because they are a flower-only product, hybrid pre-roll products carry an average price of $16.84, more than $8 lower than infused pre-rolls. But one of the reasons more customers reach for hybrid pre-roll is the lower price, so it is something that needs to be taken into consideration when making decisions.

Infused Pre-Rolls

Though the top selling pre-roll south of the border in the States, the infused pre-roll comes in as the No. 2 segment in the Canadian market.

Infused pre-rolls accounted for $523 million in revenue in 2025, selling 20.6 million units, accounting for 37% of revenue and about 27% of pre-roll units sold.

Infused pre-rolls combine flower with a concentrate for increased potency and flavor. Because of that they are more expensive to make, not only because of the ingredients, but because specialized pre-roll machinery is needed to make them. However, due to those factors, they have one of the highest average prices pre-unit of any segment at $25.40, second only to mixed strain pre-rolls at $26.62.

A Provincial Look

It should be noted, however, that there are differences in buying habits between the provinces that smart pre-roll manufacturers will take into consideration. The national number for hybrids, for example, is driven by Saskatchewan, where hybrids accounts for 46.6% of pre-roll purchases, well above national average of 37%. Ontario also buys hybrids at an above-average rate of 40%.

Meanwhile, infused pre-rolls top the charts in Alberta (40.5%) and B.C. (36.1%).

Other Top Canadian Pre-Roll Segments

After the top two segments, which account for nearly 75% of all pre-roll revenue, the drop-off to No. 3 is steep, but there is enough value for pre-roll manufacturers to take note and make sure they are serving these important consumer segments.

Indica pre-rolls come in third, pulling in $170.2 million on sales of 11.5 million units, followed by sativa pre-rolls at $139.7 million and 10.2 million units sold.

The mixed strain pre-roll segment lands next, selling 1.4 million units for $40 million in revenue, though an interesting note is that mixed strain products have the highest average price point at $29.62 per unit, presumably due to larger multi-pack formats.

Bringing up the rear are pre-rolled blunts at $21.4 million and 1.7 million units and CBD pre-rolls

Final Thoughts on Infused vs Hybrid Pre-Rolls

While it is important to appeal to a wide range of pre-roll smokers with a diverse line of pre-rolls, the two most important segments of the Canadian pre-roll economy are the Single Strain Hybrid pre-roll and the Infused pre-roll.

For companies starting out, be sure to launch with a single strain hybrid pre-roll with a decent and relatively inexpensive price point, expanding to multi-packs over time.

Then, as you dial in your harvests and can divert more flower to concentrates, the smart move is to launch an infused line as well, adding potency, flavor and a higher priced, more premium option.

After that, focus on indica and sativa pre-rolls and begin adding high-end options like premium filter tips.

And always, always remember to brand your pre-rolls so everyone in the session knows exactly where that high quality smoke comes from.

Contact the Pre-Roll Experts at Cones Canada today to find out how you can launch or expand your pre-roll line.