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Cans (aka tins) are metal containers (usually cylindrical) in which food or drink is hermetically sealed for storage over long periods of time. The size of a Can cannot be taken as an indication of how much weight in food it will hold. Cans that are the same size can vary in weight after they are filled, depending on what they were filled with of course. And, every Can, during filling, must leave some headspace, and not be filled right up to the very top.

In North America, metrification of Can sizes hasn't necessarily led to rationalization of Can sizes.

When you see three digit numbers, they are created as follows:

• The first number of the three digits represents the number of whole inches. So, in a 303 Can/ tin, the first three represents 3 inches (7 1/2 cm);
• The final two numbers represent sixteenths of an inch. So, in 303, the "03" part at the end represents 3/16ths of an inch (4.7 mm.) So the total size of the Can is 3 3/16 inches.

When the full dimensions are given, they will look like this: 303 x 407 (3 3/16 x 4 7/16.) The first number given is the width; the second is the height. So, the Can in our example is 3 3/16 inches (8.1 cm) wide x 4 7/16 inches (11.3 cm) tall. As a short form, usually just the first dimension of 303 is given -- the width.

North American Can Sizes Chart

The standard sizes that evolved in North America were numbered 1 through 10 (plus a 2 1/2 size.)

In North America, some older recipes used these can sizes as a measurement of how much of an ingredient they were calling for.

Size Number	Volume of Food (approx.)	Weight (approx.)	Usage
1/4	1/2 cup	4 oz	Individual portions.
3/8	3/4 cup	6 oz	For both individual portions of fruit juices, and frozen juice concentrates.
1/2	1 cup	8 oz	Portions of vegetables and fruits for 2 people.
#1	1 1/3 cup	11 oz	Fruit, vegetables, condensed soups.
No. 1 picnic 211 by 400	1 1/4 cups	10 1/2 to 12 oz	Mostly condensed soups, but also some fruits and vegetables.
#1 tall 301 x 411	2 cups	16 oz	Mostly condensed soups, but also some fruits and vegetables.
#1 square	2 cups	16 oz
No. 2 307 x 409	2 1/2 cups	20 oz	Juice, uncondensed soup, pineapple and apple slices, fruits, vegetables. Tomatoes.
No. 2 cylinder 307 x 512	26 1/2 oz of water
No. 2 vacuum 307 x 306	1 1/2	12 oz	Mainly used for vacuum-packed sweet corn kernels.
No. 2 1/2	3 1/2 cups	27 to 29 oz	Fruit, tomatoes, sauerkraut, pumpkin puréed, spinach.
#2-1/2 square	4 cups	31 oz
No. 211 211 x 414	1 1/2	12 oz	Cylinder-shaped
No. 3	5 3/4 cups	51 oz	Cylinder shaped. Juices. Institutional sizes of pork and beans, condensed soups and some vegetables.
#3 squat	2 3/4 cups		Looks like a No. 3 can cut in half. Baked beans.
No. 3 cylinder 404 x 700	5-3/4	46 oz
No. 300 used to be #4 300 by 407 or 300 x 509 (cylinder)	1 3/4 cups	14 to 16 oz	Baked beans, cranberry sauce, chili, canned macaroni.
No. 303 303 x 406	2 cups	16 to 17 oz	Main size post 1980s for fruits, vegetables.
No. 303 cylinder 303 x 509	22 oz	22 oz
#5 502 x 510	7 1/3 cups		Large tins for tuna
No. 10 602 x 700 603 x 830	3 quarts (12 cups) *may hold up to 1 cup more based on size of the can	6 1/2 pounds to 7 pounds and 5 oz	Institutional sized fruit, vegetable.

Storage
It's generally still considered a big no-no to store food in an opened Can. The American Food Products Association says: "Once opened, leftover contents must be removed from the can and placed in a covered, non-metallic container and refrigerated or frozen." (2005. Retrieved from http://www.fpa-food.org/content/consumers/faqs.asp.)

History
At first, every manufacturer made its own Cans for its own food. In 1928, when Heinz first started canning baked beans in the UK, it made its own Cans at its factory in Waxlow Road, Harlesden, north-west London (later to be bombed twice during World War Two.) Crosse & Blackwell made their own Cans in Bermondsey in South London, a centre of Can production.

At a certain point, the desire for standardization came about. This allowed food processors to buy Cans from third-party suppliers and realize cost savings.

See also the History section in the Preserves entry.

Other entries for:

Cans
Pullman Cans

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