Fine differences in 500ml can sizes are very important in the cost of transport. Carlsberg in 2023 reduced the tank diameter from 66.0mm to 64.8mm and the height from 168mm to 172mm, increasing the number of 40-foot containers carried from 180,000 cans to 195,000 cans and lowering the unit transport cost by 7.2% (DHL Logistics White Paper). This is optimization due to the increase in stacking density – when the tank diameter reduces by 1.2mm, the pallet layers rise from 15 to 16, and the utilization ratio of warehouse space rises by 12% (McKinsey Supply Chain Benchmark test).
The tank’s structural strength has a direct relationship with transportation loss. To enhance the ring crush strength of 500ml can sizes (210 pounds to 245 pounds), AB InBev increased the reinforcing ribs at the bottom of the can from 6 to 8. While material costs increased by 2.3%, the breakage rate during transportation decreased from 0.8% to 0.3%. The loss cost per year was saved by over 3.6 million US dollars (in the 2024 financial report). The Coca-Cola Africa Edition conical can (62mm top / 66mm bottom) has enhanced stacking tilt Angle tolerance from 15° to 22° through the optimization of the center of gravity distribution. The transportation vibration test reveals that the content leakage rate has decreased by 0.7 percentage points.
Dimensional tolerances affect loading efficiency. Japan’s Kirin Beer has lowered can diameter tolerance from ±0.5mm to ±0.3mm, increasing vending machine aisle filling density by 19%, reducing replenishment frequency by 23%, and saving logistics fleets’ yearly mileage by 85,000 kilometers (the equivalent of diesel consumption savings by 142,000 liters). Although Ball Corporation’s thin tank wall (0.21mm) reduces material usage by 12%, by optimizing the diameter/height ratio of 500ml can dimensions (from 1:2.55 to 1:2.63), it ensures a 17% increase in nested compression rate when shipping empty tanks. The volume of empty 40-foot container tanks increased from 720,000 to 840,000.
Regional regulations drive cost differences. The EU EN 1335 regulation requires the stacking load-bearing strength of the 500ml tanks to be ≥800kg/m², and some of them have had to increase the height of the tanks to 172mm from 168mm and reduce the layers of pallet loading by one layer, which has resulted in an increase in the freight charge per unit by 4.8%. The compulsory specification of the tank diameter tolerance (±0.8mm) of China’s “Green Logistics Packaging Specification” GB/T 35774-2023 prompted Nongfu Spring to reduce the tank diameter to 65.6mm. While this added 15% to the mold revision cost, the pallet standard compatibility rate increased from 89% to 97%, and the loading and unloading efficiency improved by 21%.
Intelligent algorithms size configure optimally. The CANOptima system concurrently designed by Maersk Logistics and Orkin will automatically work out the optimal loading plan after matching degree between parameters of dimensions of 500ml can (diameter ±0.5mm, height ±3mm) and the container, thereby decreasing the yearly sea transport cost of a given beverage brand by 9.3%. Container space utilization rates have been lifted from 86% to 92%. Fedex test data shows that when the tank height is increased from 168mm to 173mm, air transport container load capacity decreases by 8% and unit cost increases by 11%.
Market data verifies economic correlations. Euromonitor International statistics indicate that in 2024 the world 500ml tank diameter parameter standard deviation will rise by 41% compared to 2015, while variance of transportation costs will rise by 37% at the same point in time. But leading companies have been cutting costs against the trend by employing precise design – the PepsiCo North America 500ml can with a diameter of 64.1mm and height of 169mm has increased the turnover rate of land transport vehicles by 13% and saved over 22 million US dollars on the logistics budget annually with size optimization.
From millimetric size adjustment to structural mechanics innovation, 500ml can size has become one of the primary drivers of supply chain cost management in the beverage industry, demonstrating that in packaging engineering it is sufficient to tweak geometric parameters to drive logistics cost rebuilding on the millions level.