STALLION In short: A 330 ml can weighs about 9.5 to 10 g new, so a kilo is roughly 100 cans. A 500 ml can weighs about 12 to 13 g, so a kilo is roughly 80. Used cans from collection come out heavier, and our working figure is about 65 cans to the kilo.
What can makers publish
Can makers list a nominal weight for every can they sell. Ball said in 2012 that it had cut its 330 ml can to just under 9.5 g. Ardagh Metal Packaging's specification for a 500 ml can gives a nominal finished weight of 12.4 g, give or take 0.8 g.
Divide a kilo by those weights. A 330 ml can at 9.5 to 10 g gives 100 to 105 cans. A 500 ml can at 12 to 13 g gives about 77 to 83.
Why a bag of used cans weighs more
Those are weights for new, empty cans. A can that spent a weekend in a bar bin can hold leftover drink, ash and grit, and older can designs were heavier than today's.
Our working figure for cans we collect in Dehradun is about 65 to the kilo. We use that number for our own stock. Your count will be higher if your cans are mostly small and clean, and lower if they are mostly 500 ml.
Per can or per kilo: same price, different money
Scrap dealers usually quote a price per kilo. We pay per can. The two are tied together by how many cans a kilo holds, so the same rate per kilo can mean very different money per can.
At our ₹1.5 per can, a kilo of cans pays:
- 100 cans to the kilo: ₹150
- 80 cans to the kilo: ₹120
- 65 cans to the kilo: ₹97.5
Count your own
Pick 100 cans from your usual mix. Weigh them on a kitchen or shop scale, then divide 100 by the weight in kilos. If they weigh 1.4 kg, you have about 71 cans to the kilo.
When a dealer quotes you a price per kilo, ask whether the weight is before or after the bag, and do the same division. It takes a minute and shows you what you are really being paid per can.
Why the price per kilo moves
Aluminium is traded on the London Metal Exchange. AL Circle's daily reports had the LME cash offer price at roughly $3,100 to $3,150 a tonne in the first week of October 2026. Scrap dealers pay less than that benchmark, and the gap changes.
CRU, which follows the can scrap market, says scrap prices respond to the metal price and the premium, just not as fast, so the discount widens when the metal jumps. India has its own dealers and its own rates, so a figure from another market will not match what you are offered. Ask for today's rate.
Common questions
How many 330 ml cans make a kilo?
About 100 to 105 new cans, based on a weight of 9.5 to 10 g each. Used cans weigh more, so a kilo of collected cans holds fewer.
How many 500 ml cans make a kilo?
About 77 to 83 new cans, based on a weight of 12 to 13 g each.
How much does an empty aluminium can weigh?
A new 330 ml can weighs about 9.5 to 10 g. A new 500 ml can weighs about 12 to 13 g. Weights vary by maker and design.
Does crushing a can change its weight?
No. Crushing changes the shape, not the weight. Leftover liquid does change it, which is why cans should be emptied and rinsed.
Do you pay per can or per kilo?
Per can. We count the cans at your door and pay ₹1.5 per can on collection. Rates last updated 26 October 2026.
Sources
Next steps
Got cans? Get paid.
Free doorstep pickup across Dehradun. Paid on collection.