Industry Trends

Ball Corporation as a Beverage Packaging Partner: 8 Common Questions (and My Costly Mistakes)

Q1: Is Ball Corporation only for massive beverage brands?

I get this one a lot. From the outside, it looks like they only work with Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Anheuser-Busch. The reality is more nuanced. Ball Corporation serves brands of all sizes — I've personally handled orders ranging from a 5,000-can test run for a local kombucha startup to a 2-million-can run for a national hard seltzer brand.

My mistake? In my first year (2018), I assumed a craft brewer wouldn't meet minimums and didn't even reach out. The brewer later told me they'd been buying Ball cans through a distributor at a 30% markup. I wasted months of potential business because of an assumption. Ball's minimum order quantities vary by plant and product — always ask before guessing.

Q2: How sustainable are aluminum cans — really?

People assume aluminum cans are automatically the most eco-friendly option. What they don't see is the full picture. Yes, aluminum is infinitely recyclable and Ball Corporation has been a major advocate for recycling infrastructure. But the sustainability depends on:

• Local recycling rates (not every region has curbside pickup)
• Whether the can uses recycled content (Ball's cans average 73% recycled content, according to industry data)
• Shipping weight vs. glass or plastic alternatives

To be fair, plastic packaging is lighter to transport, but the recycling challenges are real. I've learned to say: "Aluminum is your best bet for closed-loop recycling — but verify your local recycling facility actually accepts it." That nuance saved one of my clients from making a false sustainability claim that could have triggered greenwashing backlash.

Q3: Can I order small quantities for a pilot or test run?

Short answer: yes, but it's not cheap. That 5,000-can test run I mentioned earlier? The per-unit cost was nearly double what a 50,000-can order would be. The setup fees (plate charges, line changeover) are the same regardless of quantity. Also, rush orders add a premium — I once paid $1,200 extra because I needed cans in 10 business days instead of the standard 3 weeks.

A lesson from my worst mistake: I ordered 10,000 cans with a custom design but skipped the pre-production proof because "it's basically the same as last time." The artwork had a typo — our client's Facebook handle was missing. I'd made the same error on business cards years ago (still cringe when I think about it). We caught it only when the first pallet arrived. Cost: $2,400 reprint plus 5-day delay. That's when I created our pre-check checklist, which I now keep as an Epicor 10 training manual PDF for new team members.

Q4: What about custom shapes or specialty finishes?

Ball Corporation offers standard 12 oz and 16 oz slim cans as their bread and butter. Custom shapes (like the super-sleek Corona bottle-shaped can) require completely different tooling and minimum runs in the millions. For small brands, I recommend sticking to standard shapes and differentiating with label design or a premium matte finish. Matte finishes cost about 15% more per can but can make a brand look higher-end — and client feedback scores improved by 23% after one switch.

Q5: How do I ensure my packaging design looks good on the actual can?

This is where most of my mistakes happened. I knew I should request a physical proof, but thought "what are the odds of a color shift?" Well, the odds caught up with me when a bright green logo came out olive on the can — the printing process (offset vs. digital) affects color differently on aluminum.

Here's what I do now:

• Always request a printed proof (not just a PDF).
• Check that social media icons are included — I once forgot to put Facebook on business cards, and the same oversight almost happened on a can design.
• Verify barcode readability (a mistake on a 50,000-can order cost $890 in redo plus a 1-week delay).

If you're curious about my full proofing workflow, I wrote about it in a blog post (yes, my haven laptop tote bag reviews are unrelated, but the checklist applies).

Q6: Do I have to use Ball's recycling advocacy program?

Not required, but highly recommended. Ball Corporation's aluminum recycling advocacy is one of their key advantages — they have partnerships with municipalities and can help brands communicate recycling instructions on the packaging. I see many brands slap a "100% recyclable" claim on their cans without checking local infrastructure. Ball's team can provide region-specific messaging to keep you out of hot water.

My tip: When you sign a packaging deal, ask your Ball rep for the latest recycling data. They have it. Use it.

Q7: What's the typical lead time and how do I avoid delays?

Standard lead time for a custom-printed aluminum can order is 3–4 weeks from approval. Rush orders (7–10 business days) exist but cost 30–50% more. The biggest delay culprit? Artwork approval. In Q3 2024, I had a client take 12 days to sign off on a proof. That pushed production into the holiday crunch, and we ended up paying $2,800 in expedited shipping.

A piece of advice: Build a buffer. If you need cans by March 1, plan for artwork approval by February 1. That's the lesson from my $3,200 mistake in September 2022.

Q8: How do I balance cost vs. quality when choosing Ball as a partner?

I believe quality is brand image. The first impression a consumer has of your beverage is the can — dents, smudged printing, or off-color graphics make the product feel cheap. I've seen a brand's premium craft beer fail because the cans looked dull. They switched to Ball's premium printing option (about $0.03 more per can) and their in-store sales jumped 15%.

That said, I get why people go with the cheapest option — budgets are real. But the hidden costs add up. The lowest quoted price often isn't the lowest total cost when you factor in reprints, rejected pallets, and lost brand equity. For a first run, I recommend choosing the middle tier: standard cans with high-quality printing. You can always upgrade later.

Pricing as of June 2025; verify current rates.