Different Types of Cans

(revised: 15 August 1998)

to reach the following paragraphs, either scroll down the page or click on the relevant links:
TWO PIECE CANSCONE TOPSBARRELS"DRINKING CUPS""BOTTLE CANS"

Cans belong to two main categories: THREE PIECE CANS (known as "STEELS"), and TWO PIECE CANS.


THREE PIECE CANS
They are made of 3 separate parts: a top, a body (i.e. a metal sheet rolled up in cylindrical shape and welded on one side) and a bottom.

Despite the name "steel", they are made from a metallic alloy containing a high percentage of iron.

The two positive features of these cans are the strength (they don't suffer bad dents) and the decoration (the iron sheet is printed before being rolled up, allowing an accurate and colourful printing technique).
The two main defects are the rust (which easily develops on these cans, especially on scratches and old beer stains, and on moisture droplets if kept in damp places), and - from a commercial point of view - their heavy weight.

"Steels" may be further divided into two subcategories:

the "STRAIGHT SIDES" cans, which link plainly to the top and the bottom the less old "CRIMPED" cans, which have a slight inward crimp at the top and bottom

The "Straight Sides" has been the very first type of can, but is no longer produced. "Crimped" cans were introduced during the early '70s; nowadays they are no longer produced (with a few exceptions).

  • In Europe and in the Pacific area they have lasted for some 15 years, before lighter cans took them out of the market; this change started at the end of the '70s, and went on gradually; by the early/mid '80s "crimped" cans were no longer used in Europe, except for big sizes (1 litre, 5 litres).
  • In North America this type of can never became very common, because by 1975 the "two piece cans" were already hitting the market, while the old "Straight Sides" type still kept on going.
  • In South America they were never used (with very few exceptions in Venezuela).


standard narrow seam,
used worldwide
seam used by some Australian cans
seam used by some USA cans
The seam on "Crimped" cans has a number of varieties: specimens produced before the '80s have a rather wide seam (see previous picture, and central picture above), while more recent ones have a narrow seam (like the ones shown above on the left and right ends).


TWO PIECE CANS
They are made of 2 separate parts: a top and a shaped body (the unpainted bottom is actually one part with the body).
Two different materials are used (although the shape is exactly the same):

  • EXTRUDED STEEL or "drawn steel", a cheap alloy containing iron

  • ALUMINIUM
They are both very light (and, of course, less expensive than "steel" ones) but they get easily dented. Extruded cans might even develop rust because of the iron alloy.
Their decoration is not as good in quality as in "steel" cans because the printing process is carried out when the can has already been given the cylindrical shape, and a rather limited range of colours may be used.
Only a recent printing process known as "Reprotherm" used in Britain by few brands gives better results, with bright realistic colours and sharp detail.

Aluminium and Extruded steel cans have different features: If you're still uncertain, test the can with a magnet: Extruded will stick (because of the iron alloy), Aluminium won't.

The first Aluminium cans were already reported during the '50s (in the U.S.A.) or the early '60s (in Europe), but mainly as tests for the market.
Both "two piece cans" became more common during the mid/late '70s in the U.S.A. and in Japan, and later elsewhere. They are now the only type of beer can used (except for 1-litre cans or 5-litre barrels, still made in "three piece" type).


"Two piece cans" have no seam. Notice how the neck of the older ones (previous picture) has one simple inward crimp or, in some American and Asian cans, 3 or 4 step-like crimps.
Since the late '80s, most cans have developed a "tapered" or "spun" neck, with a smaller top. Also many other countries have followed this design, while in America and Japan the step-like crimped neck is still used (even though less popular than before).

For more details about "spun" necks, follow this link.
Finally, a few yars ago the National American Can Company has introduced a peculiar 32-side can, and some U.S. and Mexican brands are already using it (I also know of a Japanese brand in this type).



A very particular type of three piece steel can was produced from the mid '30s through the '50s (and is therefore not very familiar to beginners): the "Cone Top".
These cans were similar to "Straight Sides" ones, except for the top: instead of being a flat lid, it had a cone shape; depending on the hight of the top, they are usually described as "High Profile" and "Low Profile" cone tops (the picture shows a "high profile" specimen).
They were closed by a crown cap, which made them look even more like stylized bottles.

A similar type was the "Crowntainer".
The main difference with the previous type is that Crowntainers only had two parts: the cone and body (which were made from one single piece, without a seam), and the bottom. This type, of course, has nothing to do with modern "two-piece cans" (in which body and bottom are one part, and the top is the second piece).
BARRELS

Also known as "mini-kegs", these cans are steel specimens, actually shaped as a barrel: slightly round-shaped on their sides, mainly decorated in the central part of the body, with two or four rims in relief.
They come in two main sizes, with some slight differences.

The most well known are the big 5-litre barrels (on the left), quite popular in Germany, a few of which have been produced also by other countries. To pour the beer from these ones, a small beer pump is required, which has to be fitted over the barrel by piercing a small plastic disk in the middle of the top. Some of the German ones have a wooden pattern in the background, with rims painted in black or dark grey, to give a more realistic effect of a cask.

The other type (on the right) is a 1-litre version, mainly used by the French brewery Kronenbourg; another French brewery, Obernai, once produced them.
A peculiar small barrel was once produced by the American brewery Hamm's, in the traditional size of 12 fl.oz. (or 355 ml.); a similar type was produced also by a Japanese brewery, Suntory, with a capacity of 300 ml. / 10.1 fl.oz.
These two cans, though, were not followed by any other brewery, so they are generally considered "bizarre specimens" more than specific types.
Among these "bizarre" versions we should also include the recent one produced by Heineken (the Netherlands), shown on the right, which holds 330 ml., is made of aluminium (two piece can), and has no round-shaped sides (actually, like an ordinary spun neck can), but it has two rims in relief separating the label from the unpainted rest of the body.


"DRINKING CUPS"

Besides ordinary cans, Japan is the only country producing specimens with very peculiar shapes (and often very colourful, too).
The best known type is the so-called "drinking cup" (because in many versions the top may be completely removed for drinking). This can is rather tapered towards the bottom, resembling a glass; the upper wide part should probably prevent it from being dropped while holding it.
This can is in "crimped steel" type, and is produced in several sizes (473 ml., 500 ml., 650 ml.).

Other less common Japanese cans have bigger sizes (1 litre, 2 litres), sometimes in the shape of a penguin, or a football, etc., but many of them are made of plastic. Another type, made of aluminium, is a 2-litre can shaped as a cone top (see previous paragraph), with a detatchable plastic handle fixed to the bottom and upper rim. These peculiar types usually have a screw top.
Very seldom, "drinking cups" have been used also by European breweries: a 330 ml. version was produced in the early '90s by San Miguel (Spain), and very recently Heineken (the Netherlands) has produced a 500 ml. aluminium version, which is therefore the first example of "drinking cup" in two piece type.

"BOTTLE CANS"

From the early '90s to date, a German brewery called Engel-Brauerei has produced and exported in many countries a certain number of specimens - should we call them cans or bottles? - obviously dedicated to collectors, as most subjects belong to special sets, which come in two peculiar shapes:

the first one is a "low profile" cone top-like version, sized 500 ml. (16 fl.oz.), which a good collector though should never consider as an actual cone top; the older ones really do consist of three pieces: a "steel" body with a narrow seam, an ordinary bottom, and a cone top with a crown cap! But these specimens also come with a ceramic bottle stopper (the same type of stopper found on German or Dutch decorated beer bottles), fitted to the neck of the cone, which may eventually be detached.
A more recent two piece version of this can is made of thick aluminium, with body & bottom welded to the usual cone top, and both crown cap and ceramic stopper; the printing technique is obviously affected by the change, with a certain loss of sharp details, a decrease in brightness of colours, etc.
A second type is an actual bottle made of hard aluminium, with no seams at all; it has both crown cap and ceramic stopper, and has a typical light grey metallic finish. A thin decorated plastic label is applied to the central part of the body, being therefore considered a "paper label" specimen, although many collectors are not interested in this type because it does not even look like a can.

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