CMI data shows diverging trends across the US can segments, shipments climb 3.2%

Shipments of food and general line metal cans in the US recorded modest growth in 2025, reflecting firmer demand in core grocery categories even as certain non-food segments softened.

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Figures published by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) show that total shipments rose by 3.2 per cent over the year to 27.56 billion units. Activity remained steady towards year-end, with fourth-quarter volumes increasing 2.0 per cent compared with the same period in 2024, reaching 6.33 billion cans.

Food applications continued to underpin the market. Annual food can shipments climbed 3.8 per cent to 24.61 billion units, accounting for the overwhelming share of total volumes. Within that category, vegetables delivered the most pronounced uplift, advancing 14.7 per cent year-on-year to 7.60 billion cans. Pet food, which is a substantial segment in its own right, rose 3.3 per cent to 9.11 billion units.

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Other food lines, however, present a mixed picture. Coffee cans increased by 6.0 per cent to 79.9 million units, while fruit volumes were broadly unchanged, slipping marginally by 0.3 per cent to 747.3 million units. On the other hand, soups and a range of miscellaneous food products registered a sharper contraction, with shipments down 8.4 per cent to 3.90 billion cans.

The final quarter of the year broadly mirrored the annual trend. Food can shipments in the three months to December rose 2.9 per cent to 5.65 billion units, supported by an 8.8 per cent rise in vegetable cans and a 3.3 per cent increase in pet food.

In terms of format, two-piece cans remained dominant, with shipments up 3.7 per cent to 19.36 billion units over the year. Three-piece cans recorded slightly faster growth, climbing 4.4 per cent to 5.25 billion.

Outside the food aisle, performance was weaker. General packaging volumes declined 2.3 per cent in 2025 to 2.95 billion cans. Aerosol containers, spanning both steel and aluminium, fell 1.5 per cent to 2.26 billion units. Other non-food categories, including paint and automotive products, saw a steeper drop of 4.8 per cent, ending the year at 691.7 million units. In the fourth quarter alone, general packaging shipments were 5.2 per cent lower than a year earlier.

One notable exception to the broader pattern was cans produced for manufacturers’ own use, which rose by 19.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.82 billion units. However, volumes in the final quarter were unchanged at 358.2 million units.

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