A drink can (or beverage can) is a metal container with a polymer interior designed to hold a fixed portion of liquid such as carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, teas, herbal teas, energy drinks, etc. Drink can exteriors are made of aluminum (75% of worldwide production) or tin-plated steel (25% worldwide production) and the interiors coated with an epoxy resin or polymer. Worldwide production for all drink cans is approximately 370 billion cans per year.
History
The first commercial beer available in cans began in 1935 in Richmond, Virginia. Not long after that, sodas, with their higher acidity and somewhat higher pressures, were available in cans. The key development for storing drinks in cans was the interior liner, typically plastic or sometimes a waxy substance, that helped to keep the product's flavor from being ruined by a chemical reaction with the metal. Another major factor for the timing was the repeal of Prohibition in the United States at the end of 1933.
In 1935, the Felinfoel Brewery at Felinfoel in Wales was the first brewery outside the US to commercially can beer. Prior to this time, beer had been available only in barrels or in glass bottles. From this time, lightweight tin cans could be used. Felinfoel was a major supplier to British armed forces abroad in the Second World War. Cans saved a great deal of space and weight for wartime exports compared to glass bottles and did not have to be returned for refilling. These early cans did not have a pull tab, being equipped instead with a crown cork (metal bottle cap). From the 18th century until the early 20th century Wales dominated world tinplate production, peaking in the early 1890s when 80% of the world's tinplate was produced in south Wales.
Canned drinks were factory-sealed and required a special opener tool in order to consume the contents. Cans were typically formed as cylinders, having a flat top and bottom. They required a can piercer, colloquially known as a "church key", that latched onto the top rim for leverage; lifting the handle would force the sharp tip through the top of the can, cutting a triangular hole. A smaller second hole was usually punched at the opposite side of the top to admit air while pouring, allowing the liquid to flow freely.
In the mid-1930s, some cans were developed with caps so that they could be opened and poured more like a bottle. These were called "cone tops", as their tops had a conical taper up to the smaller diameter of the cap. Cone top cans were sealed by the same crimped caps that were put on bottles, and could be opened with the same bottle-opener tool. There were three types of conetops: high profile, low profile, and j-spout. The low profile and j-spout were the earliest, dating from about 1935. The "crowntainer" was a different type of can that was drawn steel with a bottom cap. These were developed by Crown Cork & Seal Company (now known as Crown Holdings, Inc.), a leading drink packaging and drink can producer. The popularity of canned drinks was slow to catch on, as the metallic taste was difficult to overcome with the interior liner not perfected, especially with more acidic sodas. Cans had two advantages over glass bottles. First for the distributors, flat-top cans were more compact for transportation and storage and weighed less than bottles. Second for consumers, they did not require the deposit typically paid for bottles, as they were discarded after use. Glass-bottle deposits were reimbursed when consumers took the empties back to the store.
In 1959, the recyclable aluminum can was introduced to the market in a 7 oz. size by the Adolph Coors Company.
In 2008, an aluminum version of the crowntainer design was adopted for packaging Coca-Cola's Caribou Coffee drink.
Standard sizes
+Comparison chart of various standardsmlimp fl ozUS fl oz56820.0one imperial pint19.2 47316.616.0one US pint2378.38.0half a US pint
The standard size of drink cans in each country significantly varies, and various standard capacities are used internationally.
Africa South Africa In South Africa, standard cans are 330 ml (reduced in the early 2000s from the up-until-then ubiquitous 340 ml) and the promotional size is 440 ml. There is also the 500 ml can. A smaller 200 ml can is used for "mixers" such as tonic or soda water. It has a smaller diameter than the other cans. In September 2018, a 300 ml can was introduced as an alternative to the 330 ml can in a continued effort to reduce the amount of sugar consumed in soft drinks.
Asia China In China, the most common size is 330 ml.
Can dimensions may be cited in metric or imperial units; imperial dimensions for can making are written as inches+sixteenths of an inch (e.g. "202" = 2 inches + 2 sixteenths).
Hong Kong In Hong Kong, most cans are 330 ml – in the past they were usually 355 or 350 ml. 200 ml has also become available. Some beers and coffees are, respectively, sold with 500 ml and 250 ml cans.
India In India, 250 ml, 300 ml, 330 ml, 350 ml and 500 ml cans are available.
Indonesia In Indonesia, 320 ml cans were introduced for domestically produced beer in 2018. Carbonated soft drink cans are typically 330 ml.
Japan In Japan, the most common sizes are 350 ml and 500 ml, while larger and smaller cans are also sold.
Malaysia (and Singapore) In Malaysia, beer cans are 320 ml. For soft drinks in both Malaysia and Singapore, the most commonly found cans are 300 ml for non-carbonated drinks and 325 ml for carbonated drinks. Larger 330 ml/350 ml cans are limited to imported drinks which usually cost a lot more than local ones.
Pakistan In Pakistan, the most common sizes are 250 ml and 330 ml, and 200 ml cans are also sold.
South Korea In South Korea, 250 ml cans are the most common for soft drinks, but when accompanying take-out food (such as pizza or chicken), a short 245 ml can is standard. Recently, some 355 ml cans which are similar to North American cans are increasingly available, but are limited mostly to Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper, and beer cans are available in 500 ml.
Thailand In Thailand, Singha beer uses 320 ml cans for domestic sales and 330 ml cans for exports.
West Asia In West Asia, standard cans are 330 ml.
Europe In Europe, the standard can is 330 ml, but since the 1990s 250 ml has slowly become common for energy drinks (e.g. Red Bull), along with 500 ml, often used for beers and sometimes for soft drinks too (particularly in wholesale supply).
United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, 440 ml is commonly used for lager and cider. Some beers are available in 568 ml pint cans.
Ireland In Ireland, 330 ml and 440 ml fat cans are used for soft drinks.
Austria In Austria, energy drinks are usually sold in sizes of 200 to 330 ml.
North America In North America, the standard can size is .
United States The United States standard can is high, in diameter at the lid, and in diameter at the widest point of the body. Also available are cans (known as tallboys or, referring to the weight, "pounders"), and .
In the U.S. state of Hawaii, many domestically filled beverages use a distinctive "206 diameter" 12 US fl oz can with a longer neck and four reinforcing ridges below the lip, a legacy format produced locally by Ball Corporation's Kapolei plant. Separately, several locally made juice and tea drinks are commonly sold in cans, including products from Hawaiian Sun and Aloha Maid/ITO EN Hawaii.
Canada In Canada, the standard size was previously 12 Imperial fluid ounces (341 ml), later redefined and labelled as 341 ml in 1980. This size was commonly used with steel drink cans in the 1970s and early 1980s. However, the US standard 355 ml can size was standardized in the 1980s and 1990s upon the conversion from steel to aluminum. Some drinks, such as Nestea, are sold in 341 ml cans.
In Quebec, a new standard for carbonated drinks has been added, as some grocery stores now only sell cans of all major carbonated drinks in six-packs of 222 ml cans. Many convenience stores also began selling "slim cans" with a 310 ml capacity in 2015.
Mexico In Mexico, the standard size is 355 ml, although smaller 235 ml cans have gained popularity in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Oceania Australia In Australia, the standard can size for alcoholic and soft drinks is 375 ml. Energy drinks and some soft drinks are served in 250 ml and 500 ml sizes. Some beers are produced in 330 ml and 500 ml cans.
New Zealand In New Zealand, the standard can size is 330 ml, although Coca-Cola Amatil changed some of its canned drinks to 330 ml in 2017.
South America Brazil In Brazil, the standard can size is 350 ml.
Composition
Most metal drink cans manufactured in the United States are made of aluminum, whereas in some parts of Europe and Asia approximately 55 percent are made of steel and 45 percent are aluminum alloy. Steel cans often have a top made of aluminum. Beverage containers are made of two different aluminum alloys. The body is made of the 3004 alloy that can be drawn easily and the top is made of the harder 5182 alloy.
In 2001, the Australian Aluminium Council reported that the average Australian-size can weighed approximately . Improved manufacturing techniques had allowed Australian manufacturers to reduce metal requirements from the 1992 average of . In 2011, an empty U.S.-size can weighed approximately , with approximately 34 per pound or 70 per kilogram.
In many parts of the world a deposit can be recovered by turning in empty plastic, glass, and aluminum containers. Scrap metal dealers often purchase aluminum cans in bulk, even when deposits are not offered. Aluminum is one of the most cost-effective materials to recycle. When recycled without other metals being mixed in, the can–lid combination is perfect for producing new stock for the main part of the can—the loss of magnesium during melting is made up for by the high magnesium content of the lid. Also, reducing ores such as bauxite into aluminum requires large amounts of electricity, making recycling cheaper than producing new metal.
Aluminum cans are coated internally to protect the aluminum from oxidizing. Despite this coating, trace amounts of aluminum can be degraded into the liquid, the amount depending on factors such as storage temperature and liquid composition. Chemical compounds used in the internal coating of the can include types of epoxy resin.
Fabrication process
Modern cans are generally produced through a mechanical cold forming process that starts with punching a flat blank from very stiff cold-rolled sheet. This sheet is typically alloy 3104-H19 or 3004-H19, which is aluminum with about 1% manganese and 1% magnesium to give it strength and formability. The flat blank is first formed into a cup about three inches in diameter. This cup is then pushed through a different forming process called "ironing" which forms the can. The bottom of the can is also shaped at this time. The malleable metal deforms into the shape of an open-top can. With the sophisticated technology of the dies and the forming machines, the side of the can is thinner than either the top and bottom areas, where stiffness is required.
Plain lids (known as shells) are stamped from a coil of aluminum, typically alloy 5182-H48, and transferred to another press that converts them to easy-open ends. This press is known as a conversion press which forms an integral rivet button in the lid and scores the opening, while concurrently forming the tabs in another die from a separate strip of aluminum.
Filling cans