| Common Can Volume | Select the volume that matches the target market, filling line, and retail channel. | 250 ml, 330 ml, 355 ml, and 500 ml are widely used beverage-can formats. | Confirm body diameter, can height, neck profile, end diameter, and compatibility with the seamer and filler. | A standard format usually offers easier sourcing and lower tooling risk than a custom shape. |
| Aluminium Material | Use beverage-can aluminium suitable for high-speed drawing and wall ironing. | Common body alloy families include 3004 or 3104; 5000-series aluminium such as 5182 is commonly used for easy-open ends. | Request alloy designation, temper, thickness tolerance, mechanical properties, and migration or food-contact documentation. | Lower gauge can reduce material use, but only when burst pressure, buckle resistance, and seam performance remain within specification. |
| Can and End Compatibility | Match the can body, lid end, tab, liner, and seaming parameters as one validated system. | Common end sizes include 202 diameter ends; exact specifications vary by can format and supplier design. | Check countersink depth, seam overlap, seam thickness, end load, tab opening force, and double-seam inspection records. | Do not approve a body and end solely by nominal diameter; seam-tool compatibility is critical to leakage prevention. |
| MOQ | Use a production MOQ for standard specifications and a higher MOQ for custom printing or special dimensions. | Indicative market range: approximately 100,000–300,000 cans for standard printed orders; custom projects may require 300,000–1,000,000+ cans. | Confirm whether MOQ is measured per SKU, artwork, color version, can size, shipment, or production run. | Ask for a lower-MOQ pilot option using plain cans, labels, or digital decoration before committing to full-scale printing. |
| Packaging Quantity | Calculate the total order by cartons, pallets, and container utilization. | A pallet commonly contains several thousand empty cans, but the exact quantity depends on can volume, pallet pattern, carton design, and stacking limits. | Request the confirmed cans-per-carton, cartons-per-pallet, pallet dimensions, gross weight, and maximum stack height. | Freight cost should be calculated from the supplier’s final packing list, not from a generic pallet estimate. |
| Incoterms® 2020 | Choose the term according to control over freight, customs, insurance, and destination delivery. | Common options include EXW, FCA, FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP, and DDP. FCA is often practical for containerized shipments; FOB is used for many port-based purchases. | State the named place or port, transfer point, insurance responsibility, export clearance party, and import-tax responsibility. | Avoid comparing quotations with different Incoterms. Convert every offer to the same landed-cost basis. |
| Food-Contact Compliance | Require documentation for aluminium, internal lacquer, external coating, inks, varnishes, and sealing compounds. | Depending on the destination, documentation may reference EU Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, EU Good Manufacturing Practice Regulation (EC) No. 2023/2006, or applicable United States food-contact requirements. | Obtain a declaration of compliance, composition or restricted-substance statement, migration-test evidence where applicable, and lot traceability. | The buyer should specify the destination market because food-contact rules and test expectations differ by jurisdiction. |
| Quality-System Certification | Prefer a documented quality-management and food-safety system with current audit evidence. | Common certificates include ISO 9001 for quality management and, where relevant, FSSC 22000, BRCGS Packaging Materials, or ISO 22000. | Verify certificate scope, manufacturing site, expiry date, certification body, audit status, and whether the certificate covers beverage packaging. | A certificate alone does not replace product testing, factory approval, incoming inspection, or batch traceability. |
| Can Coating and BPA-NI Status | Specify the internal coating system and confirm suitability for beer, acidity, alcohol, pasteurization, or tunnel warming. | BPA-NI coating options are available in the market, but “BPA-NI” does not automatically mean free from all bisphenol-related substances. | Request the exact coating chemistry, compliance statement, storage-life validation, adhesion test, and product-specific migration data. | Use precise chemical and regulatory language in the specification instead of relying on a broad marketing claim. |
| Printing and Decoration | Select direct printing, sleeving, labeling, or digital decoration based on volume, artwork complexity, and recyclability requirements. | Standard multi-color direct printing normally requires plate or setup charges and a defined minimum run; labels and digital methods can support smaller trials. | Confirm color tolerances, artwork approval process, barcode readability, print-registration limits, varnish type, and scuff resistance. | Request a physical production sample or approved color proof before mass production. |
| Lead Time | Separate artwork approval, raw-material planning, production, inspection, and shipping time. | Indicative production lead time: approximately 4–8 weeks after artwork and specifications are approved; custom tooling or peak-season capacity may extend the schedule. | Confirm the production start trigger, inspection date, cargo-ready date, port cut-off, and delay-notification procedure. | Build buffer time for ocean-transit variability, port congestion, customs clearance, and regional holidays. |
| 2026 Aluminium Cost Driver | Request a price formula rather than accepting an unexplained fixed-price adjustment. | Major drivers include primary aluminium or recycled aluminium input, alloy surcharge, conversion cost, energy, and freight. Exact contribution varies by contract and region. | Ask whether the quotation uses a published aluminium reference, a fixed conversion fee, a currency adjustment, or a periodic reset. | Compare the same metal-price reference date, alloy basis, can weight, and currency before evaluating supplier prices. |
| 2026 Energy and Conversion Cost | Evaluate forming, washing, coating, printing, curing, inspection, and plant-energy charges. | Energy-intensive processes and labor, maintenance, packaging, and plant utilization can materially affect the conversion fee even when aluminium prices are stable. | Request the conversion-price validity period, setup charges, tooling charges, and surcharge triggers. | A lighter can may lower metal consumption but can increase process-control requirements and quality risk if specifications are too aggressive. |
| Freight and Landed Cost | Compare the full delivered cost per thousand cans, not only the factory unit price. | Landed cost may include product price, inland haulage, export documentation, ocean freight, insurance, duties, port fees, customs brokerage, and local delivery. | Use the same destination, shipment quantity, currency, Incoterm, tariff classification, and tax assumptions for every quotation. | Empty cans are relatively bulky; container utilization and freight rates can significantly change the effective cost per can. |
| Recycled Content and Sustainability | Set a measurable recycled-content target while preserving forming, coating, and seam performance. | Aluminium can recycling can be repeated without loss of the metal’s basic properties, but recycled-content percentages depend on the material supply chain and mass-balance method. | Request recycled-content calculation methodology, verification documents, environmental claims support, and packaging-recycling instructions for the destination market. | Avoid using a single recycled-content claim without defining whether it applies to the body, end, total can, or annual production average. |
| Inspection and Acceptance Criteria | Approve a written specification before production and use an agreed sampling plan for each lot. | Typical checks include dimensions, weight, coating coverage, print quality, dents, scratches, pinholes, flange condition, seam performance, and pallet integrity. | Define acceptable quality limits, inspection level, defect classification, retention samples, claim period, and replacement or credit process. | Use third-party pre-shipment inspection for new suppliers, new formats, major artwork changes, or high-value orders. |
| Documents for Import Clearance | Prepare commercial, transport, origin, compliance, and packaging documents before cargo departure. | Common documents include commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or sea waybill, certificate of origin where required, product specification, and food-contact declaration. | Confirm the correct HS classification with the importer or customs broker and verify destination-specific labeling and packaging obligations. | Documentation errors can create storage, demurrage, and customs delays even when the cans meet technical requirements. |
