It is estimated that 720,000 metric tonnes of tinplate are consumed in Germany every year. Besides food and beverage cans, tinplate is used in numerous other applications including crown caps, vacuum closures and special containers for chemical products.

Beverage cans

About a third of the tinplate consumed in Germany in 2002 was used in the manufacturing of beverage cans. This was mainly used for beer and soft drinks. Beverage cans come primarily in 0.33 or 0.5 litre sizes. In Germany, about 90% of the beverage cans are made of tinplate and the remaining 10% of aluminium. Since the introduction of the mandatory deposit on one-way containers in 2003, the share of tinplate beverage cans has dropped dramatically.

Food cans

Food cans constitute another important application, accounting for a share of approximately 25% of tinplate consumption in 2002. The range of foodstuffs sold in cans is very wide: fruits, vegetables, sauerkraut, sausages, fish, ready-to-serve meals, meats, soup, condensed milk, are the major products. The 425 ml tinplate food can has a wall thickness of only 0.14 mm, thanks to continual material savings over the last 70 years. At retail there are various sizes of containers available, from the 400 g single portion to the 1500 g family meal size. Cans with a capacity of up to 10 litres or more are used by wholesale consumers.

Pet food

In the pet food (moist food) segment, cans are the dominant form of packaging. This is true for both dog and cat food. This segment accounted for 10% of tinplate consumption in 2002. Meanwhile, there is an increased use in this segment of ring pulls for easy opening.

Closures

In 2002, the closures segment accounted for 13% of tinplate consumption in Germany and was primarily made up of crown caps and vacuum closures. Crown caps have been used for more than a hundred years and are the tried-and-true classic amongst bottle caps. Vacuum closures are used for both bottles and jars, and are available in many different dimensions. Tinplate vacuum closures are the ideal solution for all consumer needs: they provide a secure seal, are easy to open and can be used to reseal the container. In addition, they guarantee that the contents remain in perfect condition, which is particularly important in the case of baby food, for example, and is easily recognized by the characteristic “knack” when first opened.

Chemical products packaging

In the field of chemicals packaging, a wide range of products such as paints, lacquers and similar products are packed in cans. The product category also comprises building protective agents, petroleum products, adhesives, bonding agents, detergents, polishes, etc. In 2002, it accounted for 18% of tinplate consumption in Germany. Tinplate is used not only for various canisters, cans, pails and other containers but also for aerosols. The advantages of tinplate packaging are its carrying capacity and strength and its impermeable qualities against gas and light. So it not only protects the contents from the environment, but also the environment from the contents, which is very important with dangerous materials.

Miscellaneous

In addition to the five major areas of packaging described above, there is of course a wide variety of other applications for tinplate that currently account for 3% of total tinplate consumption. They include, for example, decorative boxes, baking tins, tin toys, metal signs, magnetic boards, garbage cans, lamps, metal cases and many others. Although the volume of consumption represented by this "miscellaneous" category is comparatively small, the segment is steadily growing. There really are no limits to creativity when it comes to making use of tinplate

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