In the 1960s, a standard weight of an aluminium can was approximately 45 grams (tank + cover), but in 2020, due to reduction in materials and structural enhancements, the weight of a single tank has been reduced to 12-13 grams, a reduction by 71%. This is made possible through the technological innovation in stamping – Alcoa developed the “Draw and Wall Ironing” method in the 1970s, which reduced the wall thickness from 0.28 mm to 0.10 mm, but increased the strength of the tank by 30% (≥90 pounds per square inch). One tank’s use of aluminum is reduced by 40%. For example, in 1985 a Coca-Cola 330ml can weighed 21 grams, and in 2010 the same was reduced to 13.5 grams, thus reducing more than $120 million of annual aluminum expenses.
Lightweight is also aided by material science breakthroughs. According to a 2021 European Aluminum Association study, using 3104 aluminum alloy (magnesium 1.2%-1.8%) tank, with the condition that compressive strength (axial pressure ≥240N) must be ensured, the thickness of the wall can be reduced to 0.095 mm, and the weight of a single tank is 19% less compared to the 1990s. The “ultra-thin nanocoating” technology (50 nm thickness) developed by Daiwa Canister reduces the coating weight ratio in the tank from 3% to 0.8%, and improves the corrosion resistance to acidic liquids with a pH of 2.5 for more than 180 days. The Red Bull 250ml tank, for example, was 15 grams in 2015 and currently stands at 11.2 grams in 2023, a 27% reduction in carbon emissions (from 11 tons of CO₂ to 8.5 tons per ton of aluminum made).
Green regulations accelerate the lightweighting process. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive requires less than 10 grams of mean aluminium can weight per tank by 2030, and companies are resorting to ring reinforcement design (RPM technology) to improve structural efficiency. In 2022, Ball Corporation launched “Infinity Can,” which increases the tank bottom depth from 5 mm to 7 mm through topological optimization, reducing the weight by 0.5 g/tank but increasing the compressive strength by 15%. With an annual capacity of 50 billion tanks, the design reduces 75,000 tons of aluminum annually, equivalent to reducing 340,000 tons of CO₂ emissions.
Intelligent production and inspection technology to minimize weight variation. Amazon’s “AI visual inspection system” released in 2023 can decrease the standard deviation of tank wall thickness from ±0.008 mm to ±0.003 mm and that of weight variation from ±0.15 grams to ±0.05 grams. Krones, Germany’s laser thickness gauge, real-time adjusts the stamping parameters 200 canisters per second, increasing material utilization from 89% to 96%. For example, AB InBev’s Mexican facility reduced aluminum use from 13.1 grams per tank to 12.4 grams, saving $8.4 million a year.
The direction of the future is to the “ultra-lightweight tipping point.”. The “Honeycomb aluminum composite tank” model (sandwich structure density 0.8g/cm³) released by the University of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Materials in 2024 is 8.7 grams, 30% lighter than conventional tanks, capacity of 350 ml, and the pass rate for drop testing has increased from 92% to 99%. However, its price of mass manufacturing remains 18% higher compared to that of regular tanks, and it only waits for innovations such as hydrogen-powered aluminum smelting (reducing its carbon production by 70%) to get into commercial reality. As calculated by the International aluminium Association estimates that if the world’s aluminium can weight drops to 9 grams in 2040, the world’s yearly aluminum mining can drop by 120 million tons, or 15% of the present world production.