Craft Brewery Packaging Decision
Craft Brewery Packaging Decision: Freshie Path 1 Mobile canning $0.20-0.40/can; The breakeven for in-house automation vs mobile canning is roughly 100,000-150,000 cans per year. Equipped CapEx ranges: starts at $30,000 / only about $50,000 / starts at $85,000 / starts at $165,000. MassTech: Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying.
Last updated: September 8, 2026
Mobile vs own packaging paths
| Source | What the source says | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Freshie Path 1/2/3 | Path 1: Mobile canning $0.20-0.40/can; Path 2 manual/semi; Path 3 automated; breakeven roughly 100,000-150,000 cans per year | Freshie packaging-options |
| Equipped CapEx ranges | WGC 50 starts at $30,000; Cask SAMS only about $50,000; WGC 250 starts at $85,000; WGC 600 starts at $165,000 | Equipped Brewer |
| BeerCPA utilization | Mobile ~$0.35–$0.50 / in-house ~$0.10–$0.18 per 16oz; A $250,000 system ÷ $0.30 → ~833,000 cans; ~267 BBL/mo | BeerCPA ROI |
| MassTech volume gate | Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year mobile usually beats buying; entry ~$35,000; $60,000–$200,000; $220,000–$400,000 and up; +40–80% install | MassTech guide |
| MobileWest CapEx avoid | No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line; 40 cans per minute | MobileWest services |
| BA mobile QC | Quality and Safety Plan for Mobile Canning; Ensuring Quality and Compatibility of Beer Packaged in Cans | BA cans hub |
| Korpack secondary | Decorating the Container: Labels, Sleeves, or Printed Cans; Pressure-sensitive labels; Shrink sleeves | Korpack secondary |
OEM CPM, footprint & tradeoff notes
| Source | What the source says | Source page |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Goose Dual CPM | Up to 100 cans per minute with configurations of 8 or 10 fill heads | WG Dual Lane |
| Cask ACS ladder | Nano 18 / Micro 25 / ACS Mobile 40-50 / V6 50 / FleX2 100 cans per minute | Cask FAQs |
| Microcanner tags | 10 CPM l $8,975; 22 CPM l $28,975; 20-50 CPM l $35,500; 60 CPM l $129,975 | Microcanner Machines |
| Beverage Master footprint | Give us a 10- by 26-foot (mobile space ask); expense of purchasing a canning line | Beverage Master |
| Untappd tradeoffs | proof of concept / capital / space / schedule vs long-run own-line savings | Untappd mobile canning |
| Claim | URL | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Path 1: Mobile canning |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Path 2: In-house canning, manual/semi-automated |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Path 3: In-house automated canning line |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | $0.20-0.40/can |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | $0.20-0.40 per 16oz can packaged (varies by region and run size) |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | The breakeven for in-house automation vs mobile canning is roughly 100,000-150,000 cans per year |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Below that, mobile is cheaper. Above that, in-house pays off over 3-5 years |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Cans now make up roughly 75% of craft packaged volume |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | A basic in-house canning setup for small breweries (1,000-5,000 bbl/year) |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | $0.15-0.30 per can typical contract rate |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Can prices ($0.15-0.25 per 16oz unprinted, $0.20-0.35 printed) |
| Freshie | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | You don't have space for an in-house line |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Wild Goose's entry level unit is the WGC 50, which is a manual dual-head filler, starts at $30,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Their WGC 250, which is a semi-automated 4-head filler, cans about 40 cans per minute, starts at $85,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Their top-of-the-line WGC 600, is an 8-head filler that cans 95 cans per minute, starts at $165,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Cask’s SAMS semi-automatic machine is only about $50,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | starts at $30,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | starts at $85,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | starts at $165,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | only about $50,000 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Canning Craft Beer and Hard Cider: To Go Mobile or Purchase a System? |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Most mobile canning vendors only require you to actually pay them for the cost of filling the cans |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Filling fees: You could expect a cost of about $4.56 / case yielding 560 cases = $2,553.60 |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | The biggest difference between mobile canning and owning your own canning line really boils down to the labor and cost of owning the machine |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | Do you have the cash flow to purchase a canning line? |
| Equipped | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-br… | parts, storage, and training |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Mobile vs. In-House: The Two Paths |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | ~$0.35–$0.50 per 16oz can (packaging, labor, depreciation embedded) |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | ~$0.10–$0.18 per 16oz can (materials + labor + utilities, not counting the machine’s amortization) |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | If a mobile canner charges $0.45/can, and your in-house cost is $0.15/can → you save $0.30 per can |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | A $250,000 system ÷ $0.30 savings = ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Spread across 12 months, that’s ~267 BBL packaged per month |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | The Breakeven Utilization Model |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | High capital cost, need for trained staff, ongoing maintenance, higher utility usage, storage for packaging materials |
| BeerCPA | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Even semi-automated lines need skilled operators |
| MassTech | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost |
| MassTech | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Mobile Canning vs Buying In-House: the Real Break-Even |
| MassTech | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Entry and manual systems start around $35,000; compact rotary lines run $60,000–$200,000; industrial automatic lines reach $220,000–$400,000 and up |
| MassTech | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Budget another 40–80% above the machine price for install, integration and validation |
| MobileWest | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line |
| MobileWest | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | automated canning line at 40 cans per minute |
| MobileWest | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | 8, 10, 12 and 16 oz cans |
| Beverage Master | beverage-master.com/mobile-canning-offers-packagi… | Give us a 10- by 26-foot |
| Beverage Master | beverage-master.com/mobile-canning-offers-packagi… | Mobile Canning Offers Packaging Experience & Expertise Without the Pricey Hangover |
| Beverage Master | beverage-master.com/mobile-canning-offers-packagi… | expense of purchasing a canning line |
| Untappd | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-ever… | Mobile canners are great for both smaller breweries looking for proof of concept if interested in buying their own line |
| Untappd | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-ever… | Or ones that don’t have the capital to purchase their own lines, or the space to store one |
| Untappd | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-ever… | While a mobile canning company can save you money over the short term, investing in your own dedicated canning line will save you money in the long run |
| Untappd | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-ever… | Owning your own canning line means you can package your beer whenever you’d like |
| Untappd | lounge.untappd.com/craft-beer-mobile-canning-ever… | That means you’ll need to meticulously plan out your brewing schedule to line up with available mobile canning dates |
| Brewers Association | www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/cans/ | Quality and Safety Plan for Mobile Canning |
| Brewers Association | www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/cans/ | This white paper outlines safety and quality considerations for brewers working with a mobile canning company |
| Brewers Association | www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/cans/ | Ensuring Quality and Compatibility of Beer Packaged in Cans |
| Brewers Association | www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/cans/ | Tariffs compound U.S. aluminum costs through the Midwest Premium, driving up can prices even for U.S.-made cans containing recycled aluminum |
| Brewers Association | www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/cans/ | From Tariff to Tap: How Aluminum Costs Reach Brewers |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | Packaging Beyond the Bottle: A Craft Beverage Guide to Secondary Packaging |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | Decorating the Container: Labels, Sleeves, or Printed Cans |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | Pressure-sensitive labels |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | Shrink sleeves |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | What is secondary packaging for beverages? |
| Korpack | korpack.com/packaging-beyond-the-bottle-a-craft-b… | Great liquid earns a first sale. Secondary packaging, done right, is a lot of what earns the second one |
| Wild Goose | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution… | Up to 100 cans per minute with configurations of 8 or 10 fill heads |
| Wild Goose | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution… | EXPAND UP TO 100 CANS PER MINUTE |
| Cask | www.cask.com/canning-system-faqs/ | Nano ACS | 18 cans per minute |
| Cask | www.cask.com/canning-system-faqs/ | Micro ACS | 25 cans per minute |
| Cask | www.cask.com/canning-system-faqs/ | ACS Mobile | 40-50 cans per minute |
| Cask | www.cask.com/canning-system-faqs/ | ACS V6 | 50 cans per minute |
| Cask | www.cask.com/canning-system-faqs/ | ACS FleX2 | 100 cans per minute |
| Microcanner | www.microcanner.com/Machines.html | 10 CPM l $8,975 |
| Microcanner | www.microcanner.com/Machines.html | 22 CPM l $28,975 |
| Microcanner | www.microcanner.com/Machines.html | 20-50 CPM l $35,500 |
| Microcanner | www.microcanner.com/Machines.html | 60 CPM l $129,975 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Craft Brewery Packaging Decision?
Craft Brewery Packaging Decision is the mobile-vs-own packaging path choice. Freshie Path 1: Mobile canning at $0.20-0.40/can with The breakeven for in-house automation vs mobile canning is roughly 100,000-150,000 cans per year. Equipped CapEx: Wild Goose's entry level unit is the WGC 50 … starts at $30,000; Cask’s SAMS … only about $50,000; WGC 250 starts at $85,000; WGC 600 starts at $165,000. MassTech: Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost. BeerCPA The Breakeven Utilization Model: A $250,000 system ÷ $0.30 savings = ~833,000 cans.
How do Freshie packaging paths frame mobile versus in-house?
Freshie lists Path 1: Mobile canning; Path 2: In-house canning, manual/semi-automated; Path 3: In-house automated canning line. Mobile rate: $0.20-0.40 per 16oz can packaged (varies by region and run size). Breakeven: The breakeven for in-house automation vs mobile canning is roughly 100,000-150,000 cans per year; Below that, mobile is cheaper. Above that, in-house pays off over 3-5 years. Cans now make up roughly 75% of craft packaged volume. Contract: $0.15-0.30 per can typical contract rate.
What CapEx and utilization ranges do Equipped and BeerCPA list?
Equipped: Wild Goose's entry level unit is the WGC 50, which is a manual dual-head filler, starts at $30,000; Their WGC 250 … cans about 40 cans per minute, starts at $85,000; Their top-of-the-line WGC 600 … cans 95 cans per minute, starts at $165,000; Cask’s SAMS semi-automatic machine is only about $50,000. BeerCPA: Mobile/Contract ~$0.35–$0.50 per 16oz can; In-House ~$0.10–$0.18 per 16oz can; A $250,000 system ÷ $0.30 savings = ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven; ~267 BBL packaged per month.
What volume and CapEx-avoid thresholds do MassTech and MobileWest list?
MassTech: Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost; Entry and manual systems start around $35,000; compact rotary lines run $60,000–$200,000; industrial automatic lines reach $220,000–$400,000 and up; Budget another 40–80% above the machine price for install, integration and validation. MobileWest: No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line; automated canning line at 40 cans per minute.
What quality, secondary packaging, and CPM notes do BA, Korpack, and OEMs list?
Brewers Association: Quality and Safety Plan for Mobile Canning; Ensuring Quality and Compatibility of Beer Packaged in Cans; From Tariff to Tap: How Aluminum Costs Reach Brewers (Midwest Premium). Korpack secondary: Decorating the Container: Labels, Sleeves, or Printed Cans; Pressure-sensitive labels; Shrink sleeves. Wild Goose Dual: Up to 100 cans per minute with configurations of 8 or 10 fill heads. Cask FAQs: Nano ACS | 18 cans per minute through ACS FleX2 | 100 cans per minute. Microcanner machine tags: 10 CPM l $8,975 through 60 CPM l $129,975.