Buy Canning Line vs Host Canner-Owned Equipment
Buy a canning line when CapEx fits Equipped Brewer ranges: only about $50,000 entry, WGC 250 starts at $85,000, WGC 600 starts at $165,000. Mobile West frames the alternative as no need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line. Hosting canner-owned equipment avoids that purchase; Untappd prices mobile between $3 and $5 a case.
Last updated: September 6, 2026
Cost Comparison: Buy Line vs Host or Mobile
| Cost Factor | Buy Own Line | Host Canner-Owned / Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront CapEx | Equipped Brewer: only about $50,000 (Cask SAMS); WGC 250 starts at $85,000; WGC 600 starts at $165,000 (Equipped Brewer) | Mobile West: No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line (Mobile West services). Hosted resident line: canner owns equipment |
| Per-unit packaging spend | Masstechx: In-House After CapEx $0.10-$0.18 per 16 oz can (masstechx.com) | Untappd: Hiring a mobile canning company will cost between $3 and $5 a case (Untappd Lounge). Masstechx: Mobile/Contract Canning $0.35-$0.50 per 16 oz can. |
| Throughput examples | Wild Goose Dual Lane Evolution Series: up to 100 cans per minute (Wild Goose) | Mobile West: 40 cans per minute on mobile service |
| Labor & maintenance | Brewery staffs operators; Brewbound cites roughly $145,000 of additional spending per year; Ironheart: Avoid the Hidden Costs of Operating a Canning Line | Ironheart: Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution; crew and line ownership stay with the canner |
| Floor space | Permanent footprint for owned equipment | Mobile West: No dedicated floor space for the canning line or packaging (mobile). Hosted resident line still needs permanent footprint |
| Finance path (buy) | Lendus: hire purchase, where you own the asset at the end; a finance lease, where you rent it but carry it on your balance sheet (Lendus asset finance). BeerCPA: Asset finance guide | OpEx service fees instead of equipment CapEx |
When buying a line is the CapEx path
Buying fits when you can fund Equipped Brewer purchase ranges and keep utilization near the published 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month crossover. Masstechx says Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month (Brewery CPA, 2025) on its can-filling page. Ironheart also offers Fully Refurbished Canning Lines as a buy-path option.
- Published purchase ranges: only about $50,000; starts at $85,000; starts at $165,000 (Equipped Brewer)
- Owned-line throughput: up to 100 cans per minute on Wild Goose Dual Lane Evolution Series
- Finance labels: hire purchase / finance lease via Lendus; BeerCPA Asset finance guide for capital-intensive brewery starts
- Hidden ownership spend: Brewbound roughly $145,000 of additional spending per year; Ironheart hidden-costs framing
When hosting canner-owned equipment or mobile wins
Hosting or mobile wins when you want to avoid CapEx. Mobile West states No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line and No dedicated floor space for the canning line or packaging. Ironheart positions Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution. Carbonatedfiller labels Carbonated drink canning lines for soda, beer, cider, seltzer and RTDs.
- Mobile fee contrast: between $3 and $5 a case (Untappd); Equipped Brewer cost of about $4.56 / case and 15 cents to 68 cents per can
- Mobile throughput: 40 cans per minute (Mobile West); can sizes 8, 10, 12 and 16 oz cans
| Claim | URL | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| MobileWest capital | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line |
| MobileWest capital range | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | $150,000 – $1,000,000 |
| MobileWest throughput | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | 40 cans per minute |
| MobileWest floor-space benefit | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | No dedicated floor space for the canning line or packaging |
| MobileWest can sizes | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | 8, 10, 12 and 16 oz cans |
| Equipped Brewer Cask SAMS price | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | only about $50,000 |
| Equipped Brewer WGC 250 start | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | starts at $85,000 |
| Equipped Brewer WGC 600 start | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | starts at $165,000 |
| Equipped Brewer WGC 250 label | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | WGC 250 |
| Equipped Brewer WGC 600 label | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | WGC 600 |
| Equipped Brewer mobile fill fee | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | cost of about $4.56 / case |
| Equipped Brewer mobile per-can range | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | 15 cents to 68 cents per can |
| Equipped Brewer utilization range | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month |
| Untappd mobile fee sentence | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-everything-you-need-to-know/ | Hiring a mobile canning company will cost between $3 and $5 a case |
| Untappd mobile case fee | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-everything-you-need-to-know/ | between $3 and $5 a case |
| Untappd entry equipment floor | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-everything-you-need-to-know/ | cost over $20,000 |
| Wild Goose dual-lane capacity | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution-series | up to 100 cans per minute |
| Wild Goose Dual Lane product name | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution-series | Dual Lane Evolution Series |
| Ironheart refurbished lines H2 | www.ironheartcanning.com/in-house-solutions/ | Fully Refurbished Canning Lines |
| Ironheart mobile turnkey | www.ironheartcanning.com/mobile-canning-services/ | Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution |
| Ironheart hidden costs headline | www.ironheartcanning.com/why-iron-heart/ | Avoid the Hidden Costs of Operating a Canning Line |
| Lendus hire purchase definition | lendus.co.uk/asset-finance/ | hire purchase, where you own the asset at the end |
| Lendus finance lease definition | lendus.co.uk/asset-finance/ | a finance lease, where you rent it but carry it on your balance sheet |
| Lendus HP/lease compare line | lendus.co.uk/asset-finance/ | Compare hire purchase, finance lease, and refinance rates from 200+ UK lenders |
| Lendus home finance range title | lendus.co.uk/ | Compare £10k–£1M Business Finance from 200+ UK Lenders |
| BeerCPA capital-intensive brewery start | beercpa.com/starting-a-brewery/ | highly capital intensive with significant upfront costs |
| BeerCPA Asset finance guide title | beercpa.com/business-guides/asset-finance-guide | Asset finance guide |
| Masstechx mobile per-can range | masstechx.com/can-filling-machine/ | Mobile/Contract Canning $0.35-$0.50 per 16 oz can |
| Masstechx in-house after CapEx range | masstechx.com/can-filling-machine/ | In-House After CapEx $0.10-$0.18 per 16 oz can |
| Masstechx lists Brewery CPA attribution | masstechx.com/can-filling-machine/ | Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month (Brewery CPA, 2025) |
| Brewbound IHC annual add-on spend | www.brewbound.com/sponsored/mobile-canning-vs-in-house-canning-lines-a-classic-example-of-an-insource-versus-outsource-decision/ | roughly $145,000 of additional spending per year |
| Brewbound insource/outsource framing | www.brewbound.com/sponsored/mobile-canning-vs-in-house-canning-lines-a-classic-example-of-an-insource-versus-outsource-decision/ | Insource versus Outsource |
| Carbonatedfiller canning route label | carbonatedfiller.co.uk/carbonated-filling-machine-buyer-routes.html | Carbonated drink canning lines for soda, beer, cider, seltzer and RTDs |
| Carbonatedfiller counter-pressure cans | carbonatedfiller.co.uk/can-filling-machines.html | Counter-pressure can fillers for carbonated drinks |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Buy Canning Line vs Host Canner-Owned Equipment?
Buy Canning Line vs Host Canner-Owned Equipment compares CapEx ownership against hosting a canner-owned resident line or mobile truck-in. Equipped Brewer lists purchase ranges only about $50,000, starts at $85,000 (WGC 250), and starts at $165,000 (WGC 600). Mobile West frames avoiding capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line via mobile; Untappd prices mobile between $3 and $5 a case.
How much CapEx does buying a canning line require versus mobile?
Equipped Brewer lists Cask SAMS only about $50,000, Wild Goose WGC 250 starts at $85,000, and WGC 600 starts at $165,000. Mobile West lists no need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line when you use mobile instead. Untappd notes entry equipment can cost over $20,000 and hiring a mobile canning company will cost between $3 and $5 a case.
What finance paths support buying a canning line?
BeerCPA calls brewery starts highly capital intensive with significant upfront costs and publishes an Asset finance guide. Lendus lists hire purchase, where you own the asset at the end, and a finance lease, where you rent it but carry it on your balance sheet, plus Compare hire purchase, finance lease, and refinance rates from 200+ UK lenders.
What throughput and ownership costs are listed for owned lines?
Wild Goose Dual Lane Evolution Series lists up to 100 cans per minute. Mobile West mobile service lists 40 cans per minute. Brewbound cites roughly $145,000 of additional spending per year beyond the filler for in-house canning. Ironheart sells Fully Refurbished Canning Lines and warns Avoid the Hidden Costs of Operating a Canning Line.
When do published break-even figures favor ownership over mobile?
Masstechx lists Mobile/Contract Canning $0.35-$0.50 per 16 oz can versus In-House After CapEx $0.10-$0.18 per 16 oz can, and Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month (Brewery CPA, 2025) on that Masstechx page. Equipped Brewer cites utilization around 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month.