{"id":546,"date":"2026-10-09T11:32:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T03:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philicamcnclaser.com\/blog\/?p=546"},"modified":"2026-10-09T11:32:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T03:32:58","slug":"how-are-beverage-cans-manufactured-4dec-aa8bb2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philicamcnclaser.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/how-are-beverage-cans-manufactured-4dec-aa8bb2\/","title":{"rendered":"How are beverage cans manufactured?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, thanks for popping in! If you\u2019ve ever cracked open a cold soda, seltzer, iced tea, or energy drink and wondered how that shiny little can got from a raw material to your fridge shelf, you\u2019re in the right place. As a beverage can supplier, I field questions about this process all the time\u2014people are always surprised by how much goes into a can that\u2019s gone in 10 minutes once you crack the top. Let\u2019s break it down step by step, no boring jargon, I promise. Beverage Can<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s talk about what a can even is these days. When I started in this biz 12 years ago, most cans were two pieces: a body and a separate top. Now? 90% of what we supply is \u201ctwo-piece cans,\u201d and honestly, they\u2019re way more efficient (and way easier to stack in your pantry). The main material? Aluminum. Wait, why not steel these days? Aluminum is lighter, easier to recycle, and it doesn\u2019t rust like steel does if there\u2019s a tiny scratch from a line or a warehouse ding. Also, it\u2019s way better at keeping drinks cold\u2014if you\u2019ve ever grabbed a warm beer from a steel can vs. an aluminum one, you know the difference.<\/p>\n

The raw material starts as big, flat aluminum coils, like giant rolls of foil but way thicker and sturdier. Picture something like 2 tons of aluminum rolled into a roll that\u2019s as wide as a small car. We source these coils from trusted mills (no random sketchy stuff here\u2014consistency is everything) and they get shipped straight to our factory where the magic begins.<\/p>\n

Step one: slitting. The big roll goes into a machine that slices it into tiny, perfect circles, called \u201cblanks.\u201d Think of it like using a giant cookie cutter, except instead of dough, it\u2019s aluminum, and these blanks are about 5 inches across for a standard 12oz can. Each blank is super thin, like 0.1 mm thick, but strong enough to hold 12oz of fizz without bending. We crank out hundreds of thousands of these blanks an hour\u2014our line can do around 1,800 a minute, which is wild when you stop to count.<\/p>\n

Next up: deep drawing. This is the part that turns a flat circle into a cup shape. The blank gets fed into a press that\u2019s like a fancy metalforming machine. First, it pushes the blank into a small die, stretching it into a shallow cup. Then, that cup gets pushed through another deeper die\u2014this is the \u201cdraw and iron\u201d stage, where the walls get stretched thinner than the bottom, which stays thick for strength. If you\u2019ve ever held a can, the bottom is way sturdier than the sides, right? That\u2019s why\u2014we don\u2019t want the bottom caving in when you set a 12-pack on it. The ironing step also makes the walls uniform, so the can will hold pressure from the carbonation later. After deep drawing, we have a little can cup, like a tiny metal cup that\u2019s missing the top rim and the bottom is flat for now.<\/p>\n

Wait, can I be real with you? When people ask why two-piece cans are better, it\u2019s this step mostly. One-piece bodies mean fewer seams, which means less chance of leaks, less material waste, and way faster production. Back in the day, they had to weld a side seam on the can body, which added extra steps and sometimes little gaps that would let air in and make the drink go flat. Two-piece cans eliminated that whole issue\u2014game changer for the beverage industry.<\/p>\n

Once the cups are formed, they go into a \u201cnecking\u201d machine. This is where we shape the top of the can, the part that holds the lid and the pull tab. First, we \u201cneck it down\u201d\u2014so the top of the cup gets narrower, like how a soda can is skinnier at the top than the body. Then, we \u201cflange\u201d it\u2014rolling the very top edge outward so the lid can crimp on later. The necking process has to be super precise; if the neck is too lopsided, the lid won\u2019t seal right, and that\u2019s a huge waste. Our quality team checks every 100th can or so to make sure the neck is perfectly round, no burrs, no dents.<\/p>\n

Now, those cans are all metal, right? If we just poured soda into them, the acid from the drink would eat through the aluminum, and you\u2019d get that metallic taste you hate from a cheap foil tray. So next step: coating. Inside and out. First, the inside of the can gets a thin, food-grade polymer coating\u2014think of it like a invisible plastic liner that keeps the drink from touching the aluminum. We use water-based coatings these days, way better for the environment than old solvent-based ones, which is a big win for both us and our customers who care about sustainability. The outside gets a printed coating too\u2014this is where the fun stuff happens: the brand logos, the colors, the nutrition facts, all that stuff. We print up to 6 colors in one pass, super vibrant, and the coating is durable enough to withstand being stacked, getting knocked around on store shelves, even sitting in a hot car for a day (though we don\u2019t recommend that for your drink, the can will be fine). After coating, the cans go through an oven to bake the coatings on\u2014high heat, like 400 degrees, so the polymer is hard and non-toxic once it\u2019s cooled.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s not forget the lid! I almost left that out, because it\u2019s a whole separate part. The lids are also aluminum, but they\u2019re a bit thicker than the can body because they have to hold the pressure of the carbonation and the pull tab mechanism. Lid production is pretty wild too: little blanks get stamped into the lid shape, then the pull tab and the seal (a thin rubber ring that makes the can airtight) get added. The lid\u2019s seal is another critical part\u2014if it\u2019s not seated right, the can will go flat before it even hits the shelf. Our lid supplier uses the same quality standards we do, so we never have to worry about bad lids.<\/p>\n

Once the bodies and lids are done, they go through a final quality check before they\u2019re packed. First, the cans get \u201cleak tested\u201d \u2014 a machine fills them with air and dips them in water; if any bubbles come out, that can is rejected. We also check for dents, scratches, misprints, any little flaw that would make a brand\u2019s product look bad or fail to seal. We reject way more cans than most people would guess\u2014like 2-3% of the 1.8 million we make an hour\u2014because perfection matters. A brand\u2019s reputation is on every can, so we don\u2019t cut corners here.<\/p>\n

After passing inspection, the empty cans get packed into giant pallets, each with thousands of cans, wrapped tight in plastic so they don\u2019t get damaged during shipping. They\u2019re ready to be filled, sealed, labeled, and shipped to your favorite beverage brand, which then fills them with whatever drink you love.<\/p>\n

Now, I know a lot of people care about sustainability these days, and as a can supplier, that\u2019s something we prioritize too. Aluminum is 100% recyclable, infinitely, without losing quality. You can melt down a soda can and turn it into a new can in as little as 60 days\u2014way faster than glass or plastic. We source our aluminum from mills that use recycled content as much as possible (we\u2019re at 70% recycled aluminum for our cans right now, and working to get higher). Also, the entire process is way more efficient than people think\u2014less material waste, less energy used, than making plastic bottles or glass jars. A lot of brands are switching to aluminum cans these days because it\u2019s better for the planet, and our customers love that.<\/p>\n

Let me be straight with you, too\u2014there\u2019s a reason why I\u2019ve been in this business for 12 years. It\u2019s not just about making metal cups. It\u2019s about making something that works for small craft soda brands and huge national brands alike. A craft brewer making hard seltzer needs cans that can keep their small-batch drink fresh, and a big soda company needs millions of perfect cans a week. We handle both, no problem.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re here because you\u2019re looking for a beverage can supplier\u2014whether you\u2019re a small brand just starting out, or a big company needing bulk orders\u2014hit me up. I know how overwhelming it can be to navigate all the specs, coatings, sizes, and sustainability requirements. I\u2019ll walk you through it, no salesy garbage, just honest answers. We can talk about your needs, get you a quote, and make sure you get exactly the cans you need, on time, no headaches.<\/p>\n

Packing Machine<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Aluminum Association. (2022). Beverage Can Manufacturing and Recycling: Industry Overview.<\/li>\n
  2. American Iron and Steel Institute. (2021). Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Beverage Packaging Materials.<\/li>\n
  3. National Container Manufacturers Association. (2023). Two-Piece Aluminum Can Production Process Standards.<\/li>\n
  4. International Food Packaging Association. (2022). Food-Grade Coatings for Beverage Cans: Safety and Compliance Guidelines.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    Xiamen Uniteam Sourcing Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    As one of the most professional beverage can manufacturers and suppliers in China, we also support customized service. Please feel free to buy high quality beverage can made in China here from our factory. For more information, contact us now.
    Address: ROOM 1511, NO. 939, XIAHE ROAD, SIMING DISTRICT, XIAMEN, FUJIAN, CHINA.
    E-mail: operator@minjiapack.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.minjiapacking.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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