The Weight of a Can of Beer

You have likely heard the old joke about the man who does 12-ounce curls and laughed, but have you ever really considered how much a can of beer actually weighs?

The answer is it all depends on how many ounces of liquid is in the can and the size of the can. A typical 12-ounce container of beer weighs 12.5 ounces because the .5 ounce container holds 12 liquid ounces of beer.

How Much Does A Can of Beer Weigh?

The weight of a can of beer, a typical can with 12 ounces of liquid inside, is 0.78 pounds.

Determining Beer Weight

Beer is a liquid and therefore the weight of beer is comparable, if not identical, to the weight of water.

A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds without consideration of the weight of the container that would hold the gallon of water.

That means a gallon of water has 128 ounces in it. If you take the number of beer cans in a 12-pack and divide it by 128 you will get 0.094. So, a can of beer is 0.094ths of a gallon.

If you then multiply the 0.094 times the weight of a gallon of water, which is 8.34 pounds then you get the actual weight of each can. The can weighs 0.785 pounds.

A case of beer would weigh about 18.8 pounds before you consider the weight of each individual can and the cardboard container that holds those cans.

How About The Weight of Bottled Beer?

A lot of people like to drink their beer from bottles instead of cans. Of course, that would drastically change the weight of each container of the amber fluid because a glass container weighs more than an aluminum can.

A case of beer has 24 cans or bottles in it. A case of beer that has 12-ounce cans in it weighs roughly 20 pounds. The same case of 12-ounce beers packaged in bottles instead of cans weighs 36 pounds.

That means 24 bottles of beer weigh 16 pounds more than 24 cans of beer.

Cases of beer by brand

Brewing Company	Container Cans or Glass	Case Weight
Old Milwaukee	Can	22.1 pounds
Coors	Can	21.7 pounds
Miller	Can	21.1 pounds
Budweiser	Can	20.8 pounds
Michelob	Can	22.3 pounds
Corona	Bottle	34.8 pounds
Guinness	Bottle	33.6 pounds

Why Does The Weight of A Can of Beer Matter?

One of the biggest reasons why people want to know the weight of a container of beer is because they plan to ship some of the liquid and want to figure out what the shipping costs will be.

Another reason why you might want to know the weight of your beverages per can is because you are loading a cooler to take in a boat or kayak on a body of water.

A boat or a kayak has a limit to the amount of weight that they can support safely. You may need to know the weight of the cooler of drinks you have packed so you can determine if you are still in the safe weight for your floating vessel.

Solving debates between friends is another reason why knowing the exact weight of a can of beer may be useful. When two friends get to discussing a topic like the weight of a can of beer then ultimately the discussion will turn into a debate because two of the friends will have different opinions on the weight.

Knowing the exact weight of a can of beer will more than likely not make a huge difference in your life 100 years from now. But, knowing the exact weight of a can of beer may be really useful on your next outing with friends.

Or it may come in handy if you want to ship your favorite friend a case of their favorite suds.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does 16 Ounces Can of Beer Weigh?

A 16-ounce can of beer weighs 16.5 ounces. The liquid inside the can weighs 16 ounces and the aluminum container it is in weighs .5 ounces. This is the equivalent of one pound and .5 ounces.

How Much Does A 12-Pack of Can Beer Weigh?

This is going to depend on the size of the beer cans in the 12-pack. If the 12-pack is comprised of 12-ounce cans of beer then it will weigh about 150 ounces. That computes into 9.37 pounds.

How Much Does 1 Can of Beer Weigh?

This will depend on the size of the beer can. A typical beer can contains 12 ounces of beer and the can weighs .6 ounces so the typical beer weighs 12.5 ounces. A 16-ounce can also weigh about .5 ounces and holds 16 ounces of fluid so it weighs 16.5 ounces. A 24-ounce beer is in a larger can that may weigh as much as ¾ of an ounce so the total can weigh 24.75 ounces.

How Much Does A 24-Pack of Can Beer Weigh?

A typical case of beer has 24 cans in the case and will weigh about 20 pounds if those contain about 12 ounces of liquid.