The most common beverage can sizes are 8.4oz slim (energy shots), 12oz standard (soda), 12oz sleek (seltzers and RTD coffee), 16oz standard or pint (energy drinks, craft beer, RTD cold brew), 19.2oz stovepipe (single-serve beer), and the 32oz crowler (taproom fills). Cafés canning their own still drinks use clear PET in four sizes: 4, 8, 12 and 16 oz. All four neck down to the same 55mm mouth, so a single countertop machine runs every one of them.
| Size | Volume | Typical body | You see it on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slim | 8.4oz / 250ml | 2.25 in wide, 5.4 in tall | Energy drinks, mixers |
| Standard | 12oz / 355ml | 2.6 in wide, 4.8 in tall | Soda, macro beer |
| Sleek | 12oz / 355ml | 2.25 in wide, 6.1 in tall | Seltzers, RTD coffee, cocktails |
| Pint / standard 16 | 16oz / 473ml | 2.6 in wide, 6.2 in tall | Craft beer, energy, RTD cold brew |
| Stovepipe | 19.2oz / 568ml | 2.6 in wide, 7.4 in tall | Single-serve craft beer |
| Crowler | 32oz / 946ml | 3.5 in wide, 7.8 in tall | Taproom to-go fills |
Dimensions are typical manufacturer specs; exact heights vary slightly by maker.
The retail sizes above are aluminum bodies made for shelf-stable product. A café canning its own drinks on the counter runs clear PET instead, and that lane has its own four sizes. The lid is included with the can either way: the 8, 12 and 16 oz take a standard soda-style cap, and the 4 oz takes an aluminum peel-off seal with a snap-on plastic cover.
| Size | Volume | Body | Cans per case | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 oz | 4oz / 120ml | 2.1 in wide, 2.9 in tall | 200 | Espresso shots, tasting flights, samples |
| 8 oz | 8oz / 240ml | 2.1 in wide, 5.3 in tall | 200 | Single-serve pours, samplers, kids' drinks |
| 12 oz | 12oz / 355ml | 2.6 in wide, 4.6 in tall | 200 | Iced tea, lemonade, chai, the classic soda size |
| 16 oz | 16oz / 500ml | 2.6 in wide, 6.7 in tall | 100 | Cold brew, iced lattes, matcha, the full pour |
Cases are the ordering and shipping increment. Lids are included in the per-can price.
Yes. This is the part most operators get wrong when they price out canning. Older seamers were built around a single can format, so adding a size meant adding a machine or paying for a changeover. Canned clear PET cans all neck down to the same 55mm mouth, so one countertop seamer covers all four sizes on the same setting.
That is what one seam standard means in practice: the 4 oz espresso shot and the 16 oz cold brew are the same motion, the same machine, and the same few seconds. You are changing the can, not the workflow.
Because your menu is not one drink. A single size forces every drink into the same price and the same occasion, and that leaves money on the counter. Range does the opposite.
A 16 oz cold brew is a full grab-and-go purchase. The same customer will add a 4 oz espresso shot at the register because it is cheap and it is an impulse. A 12 oz iced tea prices under the 16 oz and pulls the customer who balked at the bigger number. An 8 oz sampler turns a new seasonal drink into something people will try instead of commit to.
The smaller sizes are also cheaper per can, which widens the margin on the drinks that carry less liquid cost anyway. Entry pricing starts at 70 cents a can on the smallest size and comes down from there on subscription volume.
Aluminum dominates shelf-stable retail: it takes pasteurization, blocks all light, and recycles well. If your product ships to grocery stores, aluminum through a co-packer is the road.
Clear PET wins behind a café counter: the customer sees the drink, which is the whole grab-and-go pitch, it seals on a countertop machine starting at $1,799 instead of brewery equipment, and it suits fresh refrigerated product with short dated windows. One material is a retail supply chain; the other is a menu extension.
Start with the size that matches your best-selling cold drink, then add from there. For most cafés that is 16 oz, because the canned latte is the same drink as the iced latte at the bar and prices the same way.
Add a second size once the first one moves. The usual next step is 12 oz for the lighter drinks, iced tea and lemonade, where a smaller pour at a lower price sells better than a discount on the big can. Espresso bars often go the other direction and add 4 oz shots at the register first.
There is no changeover cost to adding a size, so the only real question is what your fridge sells, not what your machine allows.
Yes. Every clear PET size we sell, 4, 8, 12 and 16 oz, necks down to the same 55mm mouth, and every Canned seamer seals it. One seam standard, no changeover, no second machine. The cans are made for the Canned line, so results on other seaming machines are not guaranteed.
32oz aluminum, occasionally 25oz or 16oz aluminum bodies. Crowler seamers are taproom equipment for carbonated beer, not café gear.
No, seamed cans are single-open like any beverage can. Lid options are a standard pull tab, a full-open peel end, or a snap-on overcap if the drink gets sipped over time.
The 4 oz can, then 8, then 12, then 16. Larger cans use more material, so per-can price rises with volume. Every size gets cheaper as you order more, and cheapest of all on a subscription.
The 4, 8 and 12 oz sizes ship 200 cans per case. The 16 oz ships 100 per case because the cans are taller. One case is the minimum order in any size.
Countertop sealers from $1,799, shipping free on every model. Add a case of blank cans in any size and start the day it lands.