The U.S. beer cans market is now a USD 4.0 billion business as of 2023 and is on track to reach about USD 5.3 billion by 2031, growing at a steady 3.44% compound annual rate. Behind those headline numbers sit shifting supply chains, lightweighting pushes, sustainability-led design tweaks, and a quiet arms race in high-spec can formats for craft and premium beer.
That is the picture sketched in a new release from market research firm DataM Intelligence, published today, which tracks metal packaging across North America and beyond. DataM Intelligence, founded in 2017, focuses on market intelligence and consulting for B2B clients, using in-house analysts to produce sector reports and tailored research.
Beer cans stand out in the packaging world for their infinite recyclability—aluminum can be reused endlessly without quality loss—plus their lightweight portability, superior preservation of carbonation and flavor, and shrinking production costs from material innovations that trim 20% off expenses. On the global stage, the beverage packaging market topped USD 200 billion in 2024, with beer cans claiming 8% of all metal packaging expenditures amid a push for eco-formats. As the broader beer market eyes a near-doubling by 2035 at 7% CAGR fueled by craft surges, can demand will surge too, leaning hard on advances like infinite recycling loops and lightweight alloys to meet green mandates and consumer tastes.
Craft beer cans dominate the U.S. market as the principal growth engine, commanding a 40% share valued at USD 1.6 billion in 2023 and barreling toward USD 2.12 billion by 2031 on a tide of relentless innovation and premiumization. Mass-market cans follow at 35%—USD 1.4 billion last year to USD 1.86 billion ahead—sustained by retail scale but overshadowed by craft’s dynamism. Non-alcoholic and specialty cans carve out the rest at 12.5% each, mirroring wider shifts to diverse, health-savvy profiles, yet craft remains the undeniable force reshaping can demand.
The U.S. beer cans market, valued at USD 4.0 billion in 2023 and forecasted to reach USD 5.3 billion by 2031 at a 3.44% CAGR, commands nearly 40% of the global share, propelled by explosive craft brewery expansion and ironclad recycling infrastructure. Europe trails as the second-largest region with 25% of the worldwide pie, accelerating on EU sustainability mandates and surging craft beer buzz, though precise 2023-2031 figures remain fuzzy amid broader North American dominance.
The global beer cans market sits at a tipping point, per DataM Intelligence, where steady growth meets intensifying sustainability pressures and metal efficiency gains from recycled alloys and lighter designs. North America anchors the charge, but craft-driven demand worldwide promises to reshape supply chains amid eco-mandates and premium formats. In other words, yes, we can—straight to that recyclable future.