In choosing the wholesale can size made of aluminum, capacity requirements and cost efficiency have to be well considered. Take, for example, the 330ml standard can. This accounts for 45% of the global aluminum can buying volume (Euromonitor International data for 2024). The production cost per can is 12% less than the cost of producing the 500ml can, while the transportation cost per milliliter (0.003 US dollars/ml) is 8% higher than the transportation cost of the 500ml can. Coca-Cola’s 2023 experiments found that the repurchase rate of 250ml can beverages in sports scenarios increased by 19%, and the average transaction value of 1L aluminum cans for home use in supermarket channels increased by 23%, showing significant differences in size sensitivity between market segments.
Transport and warehousing costs are the main drivers. According to the DHL Supply Chain calculation, the unit freight cost can be 15% higher of 16oz (473ml) and 18% less when loading a container of 12oz (355ml) aluminum cans. When Anheuser-Busch InBev optimized the tank size in 2024, the utilization rate of warehouse space increased by 27%, and inventory turnover increased from 5.2 times per year to 6.8 times. In addition, the share of small cans (e.g., 200ml) in vending machines rose from 32% to 41% since they are able to satisfy individual consumption needs and the intensity of aisle filling rose by 22%.
The compatibility of the filling line has a direct impact on the efficiency of production. The standard industry tank diameters (52mm, 65mm) serve 83% of the filling equipment worldwide (German KHS Group’s 2025 Technical White paper), and non-standard sizes will lead to an extra 35% cost of refurbishing the production lines. The 209ml Slim can product launched by Carlsberg in the Southeast Asian market requires adjustments to the parameters of the capping machine. But with its design differentiation, every product’s profit margin has increased by 14%, and the filling speed remains 1,200 cans per minute, which is consistent with the error rate (±0.8%) of the standard production line.
Data-driven consumer behavior size strategy. Nielsen research shows that 58% of the rate of preference for 250ml canned sparkling water falls in the age group of 18-35 years, while family users opt to purchase specifications of 500ml and above, reducing the repurchase cycle by 30%. Since Starbucks launched the 236ml mini cold brew aluminum can in 2024, its convenience store weekly sales have increased by 37%, as the level of caffeine per can (150mg) precisely met the requirements of commuting scenarios and the shelf display space decreased by 19%.
Regulations and sustainability requirements also influence decision-making. The EU “Single-Use Packaging Directive” also requires that cans of a drink of less than 250ml capacity by 2030 should consist of 95% recycled aluminium. However, wholesale aluminium can distributor Ball Corporation launched 220ml cans conforming to the requirement. Wall thickness decreased from 0.28mm to 0.24mm, the compressive strength was maintained at 45psi (American Society for Testing and Materials standard of ASTM D4169), and material cost was saved by 6%.
Market testing and dynamic adjustment are absolutely vital. In 2023, A Procter & Gamble subsidiary, SodaStream, through A/B test found that in the North American region, 355ml can water made of aluminum has an acceptance rate 26% higher than that of 500ml, while the opposite happened in the Asian region, as the latter was a more suitable size to be used separately as catering channel cups. Companies can adopt the “main size + regional flexibility” approach. For example, when Heineken purchased wholesale cans of aluminum in bulk, it allocated 70% of the budget to 330ml standard cans and 30% to local tailoring sizes, halving regional SKU’s overstock rate from 18% to 9%.
Technology is breaking through boundaries. Novelis’ advanced sorting system can analyze order data in real-time and dynamically recommend the optimal tank size mix. This system, based on its 2024 case study, helped a craft brewer reduce procurement costs by 11% while improving the Fill Rate to 96% from 89%. Employing a multi-dimensional model that addresses market demand, supply chain efficiency, and policy constraints, businesses can precisely identify the Pareto optimum solution for wholesale aluminum cans configuration size.
