Industry Trends

How to Spec and Order Aluminum Beverage Can Packaging: A 6-Step Checklist for Brands

So, you’re ready to launch a new beverage. Or maybe you’re switching from plastic or glass to aluminum. Either way, you need to spec and order your cans. It’s not as simple as picking a size and hitting "order." If you don’t get the details right, you’ll be looking at reprints, delays, and a lot of extra cost.

This checklist is for the person in charge of getting the packaging right the first time. Here are the six steps you need to take, from initial specs to delivery. (And I’ll walk you through the one step most people forget.)

Step 1: Lock in Your Can Dimensions and Style

You’d think everyone starts here. They don’t.

I’ve seen teams order a 12 oz. slim can when they meant a 12 oz. standard. The difference? About a quarter-inch in diameter. That quarter-inch means your label art looks wrong on the shelf. Your filling line might not handle it. Your customer thinks you made a typo. Don’t guess.

Get the spec sheet from your supplier. For Ball Corporation, the standard options are typically 12 oz. (standard and slim), 16 oz., and 32 oz. cans. Check the official spec:

• Flange diameter: This is the opening. If it’s wrong, the lid won’t fit.
• Body diameter: Width of the can body. 211, 202, 200… these numbers matter.
• Height: 12 oz. standard is different from 12 oz. slim. A slim can is taller and narrower.
• Necking: The taper at the top. Some styles have more or less of a taper.

Pro tip: Get a physical sample of the can in-hand before you design the label. Specs on a PDF are great. A physical can in your hand tells you if the label wraps right.

Step 2: Confirm Your Printing Method

Are you printing directly on the can (decorating) or using a shrink sleeve? The choice determines your timeline, your artwork setup, and your per-unit cost.

• Direct Decoration (can coating): The ink is applied directly to the aluminum. This is the standard for mass-market, high-volume runs. It’s permanent, looks sharp, and is the most common method for large beverage brands. Turnaround is typically 4-6 weeks once art is approved.
• Shrink Sleeve Label: A plastic film is shrunk around the can. This is better for small runs, test markets, or complex designs (like full 360° art with no seams). It’s flexible, but it’s an extra material layer (plastic) on a package you might be marketing as "all-aluminum."

Most people I work with choose direct decoration for standard products and shrink sleeves for limited editions or new flavors. That’s the safe choice. (Ugh, if you pick shrink sleeve for a high-volume SKU, your cost per unit jumps 30-40%. Don’t do it.)

Step 3: Check Your Artwork Specs and Bleeds

This is where I see the most rookie mistakes. (I made this one in my first year.)

In my first year of managing packaging, I made the classic artwork spec error: assuming "bleed" meant the same thing to every vendor. It doesn’t. For direct-decorated cans, you need a .125" bleed. For shrink sleeves, you need a .25" bleed. I approved art with .125" on a shrink sleeve order. Cost me a $600 redo because the label didn’t wrap fully.

Your checklist:

• Use the template from your supplier (Ball Corporation provides an artwork template for every can size). Don’t make your own.
• Save your file as a .PDF/X-1a with embedded fonts. (Trust me, if you use a .jpg, the printer might reject it, adding 2 days to your timeline.)
• Include a color proof (unless you’re okay with a color match that’s "close enough").
• Check the bar code. Verify it scans. (We once had a shipment of 50,000 cans that had to be redone because the bar code didn't scan. That's $12,000 down the drain.)

Step 4: Understand Your Order Minimums and Lead Times

Here’s something most vendors won’t tell you: the published "standard turnaround" includes buffer time. For Ball Corporation, a standard run of 250,000 cans might have a 6-week lead time on paper. But that includes time to manage their production queue. If you call the sales rep and you’ve got a solid order history, sometimes you can get it in 4 weeks. Not always. But it’s worth asking.

What most people don't realize is that 'standard turnaround' often includes buffer time that vendors use to manage their production queue. It's not necessarily how long YOUR order takes.

Order minimums are real. For a standard decorated run, expect a minimum of 100,000 cans. If you’re a small brand, this is a problem. Your options: co-packing (partner with a bigger brand), shrink sleeve (lower minimums, 15,000-25,000 units), or a test run (some suppliers offer short runs at a premium).

Step 5: Nail Down Your Delivery and Logistics

This step is almost always an afterthought. It shouldn’t be. Cans are heavy and they ship on pallets. A single pallet of 12 oz. cans (about 4,000 cans) weighs over 2,000 lbs. You can’t just ship it via FedEx.

Logistics checklist:

• Confirm the delivery location: Do you have a loading dock? A forklift? The driver can’t just leave 20 pallets in your parking lot.
• Check for scheduling rules: Some warehouses only accept deliveries between 8 AM and 2 PM. Miss that window, your shipment sits on the truck for 24 hours (and you’re paying demurrage).
• Figure out who pays for shipping: It’s usually FOB origin (you pay). Get the freight quote before you place the order, not after.
• The one step most people skip: Check the purchase order lead time for your freight carrier. Your can supplier needs 4-6 weeks. Your freight carrier might need 2 days. But if you don’t book the truck until the cans are ready, you’ve lost 3 days. Book it the same day your artwork goes into production.

Step 6: Arrange for a Pre-Production Sample

Before the full production run, ask for a pre-production sample (sometimes called a "first article" or "FPO"). This is a physical sample of the final can: decorated, sealed, and in your hand.

Here’s why this matters:

• You can verify color match. (What you see on screen isn't what you get on a can.)
• You can check the label alignment. (Misalignment is invisible until you hold the can.)
• You can test fill and seal. (If the can leaks, your entire run is a problem.)

Cost: Expect to pay $100-500 for a custom pre-production sample, depending on complexity. Skip this, and you might pay $50,000 for a bad run. I’ve seen it happen.

So glad I paid for rush delivery on that sample. Almost went standard to save $50, which would have meant missing the launch date entirely. Dodged a bullet.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Here’s the short version of what I’ve seen go wrong over the last few years:

• Artwork not in the right format. Use PDF/X-1a. Don’t send a .psd or a .jpeg.
• Bleed settings are wrong. As mentioned, always use the supplier’s template.
• Assuming "standard" is the same everywhere. It isn’t. A 12 oz. can from Ball Corporation is not the same as a generic import. Check the spec.
• Shipping to a residential address or a location without a dock. The driver will refuse to unload.
• Not confirming the internal lead time for freight. You wait 6 weeks for the cans, then wait 3 more days for a truck. That’s 45 days total instead of 43.

I have mixed feelings about rush orders. On one hand, they feel like gouging. On the other hand, if you’re paying rush fees because you missed a deadline, that’s on you. Plan ahead. The standard turnaround is standard for a reason.

Final Thought

Ordering aluminum can packaging is a process. It’s not hard, but it’s detailed. Follow this checklist, and you’ll save yourself a lot of stress (and a lot of money). The goal is to get the cans in the customer’s hand, not to have a story about the time you ordered 100,000 cans with the wrong artwork. That story isn’t fun. Trust me.