Tin can sizes explained: ml, oz and can numbers (with chart)

XYH CAN · November 2026 · 5 min read

Three systems describe the same can. Brands talk in ounces or millilitres, can makers talk in can numbers, and drawings use millimetres. If you are sourcing cans for the first time, the mismatch is the first thing that slows a quote down. Here is how they fit together.

Can numbers

A can number such as 211 × 400 encodes the nominal diameter and height in inches and sixteenths: 211 = 2 and 11/16 inches (about 68mm); 400 = 4 and 0/16 inches (about 102mm). The first figure is diameter, the second is height. Our 100ml mini can is a 202 body: 2 and 2/16 inches, about 53mm.

Millimetres

Factories work in millimetres, and most of our bodies are height-adjustable: a Ø99 body runs from 90mm to 220mm tall, which is how one tooling covers 400g and 500g of milk powder. When you ask for a quote, diameter plus height is the most useful thing you can give us.

Millilitres and ounces

Capacity depends on both dimensions and on the fill level, so two cans with the same can number can be sold as different "sizes" by different brands. For dry goods, grams matter more than millilitres because bulk density varies: 250g of whole-bean coffee needs a bigger can than 250g of ground.

Chart: the sizes we run

Full dimensions, lids and minimums are on the Sizes & MOQ page. If your target size isn't there, send the diameter and height you need and we'll tell you whether an existing body can reach it by adjusting height.