The diameter of a standard 500ml aluminum can (can size 500ml) is typically 66.1 millimeters (tolerance ±0.15 millimeters), the height is 168 millimeters (tolerance ±0.3 millimeters), the thickness of the can body wall is 0.21 millimeters, and the depth of the arched structure at the can bottom is 5.8 millimeters. To enable compressive strength up to 90 psi (pounds per square inch). For example, Ball Corporation’s “standard Can” has an upper necking diameter of 58.5 millimeters, a can mouth thread height of 6.1 millimeters, an adaptation error rate with the filling line of less than 0.5%, and a production line speed of up to 2,000 cans per minute. European standard EN 1.206 demands that the ellipticity deviation of the tank should not exceed 0.2 millimeters, or else the error in the filling liquid level will exceed ±1.5% (for example, the production line downtime rate of Heineken Beer increased by 12% in 2021 because of tank deformation).
Lightweighting compels dimension fine-tuning. Orekin launched a super-thin 500-milliliter aluminum can in 2023 (with 0.18 mm wall thickness). Through the application of structural strengthening technology, the diameter remains 66.1 mm, the height is lowered to 162 mm (the capacity remains the same), the weight of a single can is reduced from 20 grams to 17 grams, and the material cost is lowered by 14%. This design was launched by Yanki Forest on the packaging of sparkling water and reduced the energy consumption of the filling line by 9%. However, the stacking layer of the tank needs to be reduced from 15 to 12 to ensure any possibility of crushing is eliminated. The diameter of Toyo Can-making’s “seamless cold-formed can” in Japan was made a bit larger to 66.3 millimeters, and the error in can body thickness was maintained within ±0.02 millimeters (industry average was ±0.05 millimeters), reducing the breakage rate from 1.2% to 0.3%, but at a cost of mold development that was increased by 28%.
Regional standards are substantially different. The United States FDA prescribes that the internal diameter of the can mouth of the 500ml can size ought to be 57.0±0.25 millimeters, which is not in conformity with the European ISO 20645 standard (57.3±0.3 millimeters). This has led to a failure rate of up to 8% for the adoption of imported aluminum can filling lines (e.g., Coca-Cola lost 1.2 million cans at its Mexico plant in 2022 due to specification differences). The Chinese GB/T 31976 standard allows for a tolerance of ±0.5 millimeters in tank height, while the Indian BIS standard requires ±0.4 millimeters. The difference leads to a 15% increase in the cost of resetting filling line parameters in cross-border procurement. For instance, the Indian aluminum cans purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev differed in height by 0.6 millimeters and resulted in a 3% discrepancy of filling liquid level in 2023 and a loss of over 500,000 US dollars every year.
Special function design redefines size parameters. Carlsberg’s “Snap Pack” six-pack can utilizes the shared can wall technology. The diameter of a single can is enlarged to 67.5 millimeters, but the gap between adjacent cans is narrowed to 2 millimeters, reducing the total packaging volume by 24%. To enhance the grip, the diameter of the Red Bull energy drink can was increased to 67.8 millimeters, the width of the reinforcing ring at the bottom can was increased from 1.2 millimeters to 1.8 millimeters, and the compressive strength was raised to 110 psi. The switching time of the mold in the production line was, however, added by 40 minutes. In 2023, the smart can (NFC chip implanted) designed by Ball Corporation added a 0.4-millimeter raised structure at the base of the can, with a total height of 168.4 millimeters. The chip implantation accuracy had an error of ±0.05 millimeters, while the success rate of data acquisition of consumer interaction increased to 98%.
Compliance maximizes size. EU’s “Green Packaging Directive” has mandated that all 500ml can dimensions sizes by 2030 be recyclable with existing equipment. The tank diameter is rigidly between 66.0-66.3 millimeters, and the height fluctuation range is ±0.2 millimeters. Trivium Packaging’s recycled aluminum cans developed for this application example use laser engraving technology. The printed part of the can body wall thickness is reduced by 0.02 millimeters (without affecting the strength), and it saves 7% of recycling and smelting energy consumption. Field tests at Coca-Cola’s European factories show that the downtime frequency of the filling line for compliant aluminum cans has been reduced from 1.2 times an hour to 0.3 times an hour, and the productivity has been enhanced by 18%. In addition, California’s AB 2784 Act mandates the presence of 0.3-millimeter anti-slip patterns on the bottom of tanks, which has increased the mold modification price per set by $12,000 but cut the occurrence of tank sliding on the filling line by 65%.