Mobile vs Owned Canning Capacity
Mobile vs Owned Canning Capacity: BeerCPA ~267 BBL packaged per month and ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven. Freshie typically 15-30 barrels per session; canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute; Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged. Equipped cans about 40 cans per minute to cans 95 cans per minute; 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month. Masstechx: roughly 20-60 cans per minute.
Last updated: September 6, 2026
Published capacity ranges (mobile vs owned)
| Capacity factor | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BeerCPA utilization breakeven | ~267 BBL packaged per month; ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven | BeerCPA canning-line ROI |
| Freshie Path 1 mobile session | typically 15-30 barrels per session; Setup/teardown: 2-4 hours; canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute; Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged | Freshie packaging options |
| Equipped owned line CPM / CapEx | cans about 40 cans per minute (WGC 250, starts at $85,000); cans 95 cans per minute (WGC 600, starts at $165,000); crossover 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month | Equipped Brewer |
| Masstechx throughput / tip | roughly 20-60 cans per minute; Throughput range ~6 cans/min (manual) → 250+ cans/min; Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost | Masstechx beer-can guide |
| Mobile West / Wild Goose CPM | Mobile West 40 cans per minute; Wild Goose Dual Lane up to 100 cans per minute | Mobile West services; Wild Goose Dual Lane |
How sources frame the volume decision
BeerCPA’s utilization breakeven model asks Does your brewhouse have the headroom to produce enough to keep the line busy? For A $250,000 system, if a mobile canner charges $0.45/can and you save $0.30 per can in-house after CapEx, the page lists ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven and ~267 BBL packaged per month. Masstechx guide restates near 833,000 cans, or about 3,200 bbl, about 267 bbl per month under Mobile Canning vs Buying In-House: the Real Break-Even; the can-filling page says Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month.
- Freshie Path 1: A mobile canning company brings a portable canning line to your brewery for a day; Mobile line $0.20-0.40/can; Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged
- Masstechx tip: Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost
- Brewer Mag: own our own line until about 20-25,000 bbl/yr (one brewery produced about 6,000 barrels in 2019)
- Equipped crossover: 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month; 40 barrel batch / 45 barrels two or more times per month examples
Throughput: mobile truck-in vs owned equipment
Mobile Path 1 rates are listed as Freshie canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute and Mobile West 40 cans per minute (8, 10, 12 and 16 oz cans). Owned Equipped ranges: WGC 50, which is a manual dual-head filler, starts at $30,000; WGC 250, which is a semi-automated 4-head filler, cans about 40 cans per minute, starts at $85,000; WGC 600, is an 8-head filler that cans 95 cans per minute, starts at $165,000. Craft Brewing PSA lines run at speeds of 15 to 100 CPM. Wild Goose Dual Lane: EXPAND UP TO 100 CANS PER MINUTE with Eight to ten heads for maximum capacity; a smaller Wild Goose quote we ran about 18 cans per minute. Masstechx Matching Throughput to Brewery Size spans roughly 20-60 cans per minute semi-auto up to Throughput range ~6 cans/min (manual) → 250+ cans/min (high-speed automatic) and 2,000 – 20,000 cans per hour on the can-filling page.
- Mobile schedule risk (BeerCPA): Scheduling conflicts, minimum batch sizes, less control over quality, costs can balloon as volume grows
- Owned schedule control (BeerCPA): Full control of quality and schedule
- Irregular volume (Freshie): Your packaging volume is irregular (a few big runs vs steady weekly)
- Ironheart mobile: Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution; accommodate small batch runs as well as high capacity filling
CapEx contrast
Mobile West says No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line. Freshie contrasts In-house basic $60-200K install and In-house automated $500K-2M. Equipped mobile service Using our service will range from 15 cents to 68 cents per can (15 cents to 68 cents per can). BeerCPA Mobile/Contract Canning Cost: ~$0.35–$0.50 per 16oz can versus In-House Cost (After CapEx): ~$0.10–$0.18 per 16oz can. Brewbound cites roughly $145,000 of additional spending per year for in-house canning and capacity gains through tanks. Masstechx CapEx glance: ~$35K manual/entry · $60K–200K compact line · $400K+ industrial. Ironheart buy path: Fully Refurbished Canning Lines.
| Claim | URL | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| BeerCPA monthly packaged BBL | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | ~267 BBL packaged per month |
| BeerCPA breakeven cans/BBL | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven |
| BeerCPA mobile/contract cost range | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Mobile/Contract Canning Cost: ~$0.35–$0.50 per 16oz can |
| BeerCPA in-house after CapEx range | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | In-House Cost (After CapEx): ~$0.10–$0.18 per 16oz can |
| BeerCPA $250K system | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | A $250,000 system |
| BeerCPA $0.30/can save example | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | you save $0.30 per can |
| BeerCPA $0.45/can mobile example | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | If a mobile canner charges $0.45/can |
| BeerCPA brewhouse headroom question | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Does your brewhouse have the headroom to produce enough to keep the line busy? |
| BeerCPA mobile cons scheduling | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Scheduling conflicts, minimum batch sizes, less control over quality, costs can balloon as volume grows |
| BeerCPA in-house pros | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | Full control of quality and schedule |
| BeerCPA utilization model label | beercpa.com/canning-line-roi-breweries/ | utilization breakeven model |
| Equipped WGC250 rate | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | cans about 40 cans per minute |
| Equipped WGC600 rate | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | cans 95 cans per minute |
| Equipped WGC250 full | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | WGC 250, which is a semi-automated 4-head filler, cans about 40 cans per minute, starts at $85,000 |
| Equipped WGC600 full | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | WGC 600, is an 8-head filler that cans 95 cans per minute, starts at $165,000 |
| Equipped WGC50 full | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | WGC 50, which is a manual dual-head filler, starts at $30,000 |
| Equipped monthly cans crossover | 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 |
| Equipped 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 mobile service range sentence | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | Using our service will range from 15 cents to 68 cents per can |
| Equipped 40 barrel batch example | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | 40 barrel batch |
| Equipped printed-can volume example | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | 45 barrels two or more times per month |
| Equipped sleeved low order | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | order quantities as low as 3,000 cans |
| Equipped WGC250 price | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | starts at $85,000 |
| Equipped WGC600 price | equippedbrewer.longitudemedia.com/the-equipped-brewer/canning-craft-beer-and-hard-cider-to-go-mobile-or-purchase-a-system | starts at $165,000 |
| Freshie min run barrels | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | typically 15-30 barrels per session |
| Freshie setup + CPM | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Setup/teardown: 2-4 hours; canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute |
| Freshie under 3000 bbl tip | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged |
| Freshie mobile line table range | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Mobile line $0.20-0.40/can |
| Freshie mobile economics per 16oz | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | $0.20-0.40 per 16oz can packaged (varies by region and run size) |
| Freshie in-house basic CapEx | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | In-house basic $60-200K install |
| Freshie in-house automated CapEx | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | In-house automated $500K-2M |
| Freshie mobile path definition | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | A mobile canning company brings a portable canning line to your brewery for a day |
| Freshie Path 1 heading | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Path 1: Mobile canning |
| Freshie irregular volume tip | freshiebeer.com/brewing/pro/packaging-options/ | Your packaging volume is irregular (a few big runs vs steady weekly) |
| Masstechx 500-600 bbl/year mobile tip | 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 |
| Masstechx break-even cans/bbl/month | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | near 833,000 cans, or about 3,200 bbl, about 267 bbl per month |
| Masstechx semi-auto CPM | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | roughly 20-60 cans per minute |
| Masstechx throughput range glance | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Throughput range ~6 cans/min (manual) → 250+ cans/min (high-speed automatic) |
| Masstechx price band glance | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | ~$35K manual/entry · $60K–200K compact line · $400K+ industrial |
| Masstechx mobile vs buy heading | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Mobile Canning vs Buying In-House: the Real Break-Even |
| Masstechx throughput sizing heading | masstechx.com/blog/beer-can-filling-machine-guide/ | Matching Throughput to Brewery Size |
| Masstechx 267 BBL/month break-even | masstechx.com/can-filling-machine/ | Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month |
| Masstechx can CPH range | masstechx.com/can-filling-machine/ | 2,000 – 20,000 cans per hour |
| Craft Brewing PSA CPM range | www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/news/thinking-of-investing-in-a-canning-line-here-are-some-tips-from-psa/ | 15 to 100 CPM (cans per minute) |
| Craft Brewing PSA speeds sentence | www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/news/thinking-of-investing-in-a-canning-line-here-are-some-tips-from-psa/ | run at speeds of 15 to 100 CPM |
| Brewer Mag own-line volume threshold | thebrewermagazine.com/decisions-ponder-upping-canning-load/ | 20-25,000 bbl/yr |
| Brewer Mag own-line sense phrase | thebrewermagazine.com/decisions-ponder-upping-canning-load/ | own our own line until about 20-25,000 bbl/yr |
| Brewer Mag Cincinnati volume | thebrewermagazine.com/decisions-ponder-upping-canning-load/ | produced about 6,000 barrels in 2019 |
| MobileWest line rate | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | 40 cans per minute |
| MobileWest CapEx | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line |
| MobileWest CapEx range | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | $150,000 – $1,000,000 |
| MobileWest can sizes | www.mobilewestcanning.com/our-services/ | 8, 10, 12 and 16 oz cans |
| Wild Goose dual-lane CPM | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution-series | up to 100 cans per minute |
| Wild Goose expand CPM headline | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution-series | EXPAND UP TO 100 CANS PER MINUTE |
| Wild Goose heads/capacity | wildgoosefilling.com/products/dual-lane-evolution-series | Eight to ten heads for maximum capacity |
| Wild Goose 2-head CPM quote | wildgoosefilling.com/ | 18 cans per minute |
| Brewbound annual spend contrast | 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 capacity gains phrase | www.brewbound.com/sponsored/mobile-canning-vs-in-house-canning-lines-a-classic-example-of-an-insource-versus-outsource-decision/ | capacity gains through tanks |
| Brewbound title mobile vs in-house | www.brewbound.com/sponsored/mobile-canning-vs-in-house-canning-lines-a-classic-example-of-an-insource-versus-outsource-decision/ | Mobile Canning vs In-house Canning Lines: A Classic Example of an Insource versus Outsource Decision |
| Ironheart turnkey label | www.ironheartcanning.com/mobile-canning-services/ | Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution |
| Ironheart high capacity filling | www.ironheartcanning.com/mobile-canning-services/ | accommodate small batch runs as well as high capacity filling |
| Ironheart refurbished lines | www.ironheartcanning.com/in-house-solutions/ | Fully Refurbished Canning Lines |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mobile vs Owned Canning Capacity?
Mobile vs Owned Canning Capacity compares truck-in mobile throughput to owned-line capacity. BeerCPA lists ~267 BBL packaged per month and ~833,000 cans (about 3,200 BBL) to breakeven on its utilization breakeven model. Freshie Path 1: typically 15-30 barrels per session at canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute; Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged. Equipped owned lines cans about 40 cans per minute to cans 95 cans per minute, with crossover 60,000 to 100,000 cans per month.
What volume thresholds do sources list for mobile vs owned capacity?
Freshie lists Under 3,000 bbl/year packaged for Path 1 mobile. Masstechx guide says Below roughly 500-600 bbl/year, mobile canning usually beats buying your own line on total cost. BeerCPA ROI lists ~267 BBL packaged per month; Masstechx can page says Break-even occurs near 267 BBL/month. Brewer Mag cites own our own line until about 20-25,000 bbl/yr.
What cans-per-minute capacity ranges are listed for mobile and owned lines?
Freshie mobile: Setup/teardown: 2-4 hours; canning rate: 30-60 cans per minute. Mobile West: 40 cans per minute. Equipped owned: cans about 40 cans per minute (WGC 250) and cans 95 cans per minute (WGC 600). Craft Brewing PSA: 15 to 100 CPM (cans per minute). Wild Goose Dual Lane: up to 100 cans per minute; entry quote we ran about 18 cans per minute.
What CapEx and schedule constraints frame capacity choice?
Mobile West: No need to lay out capital ($150,000 – $1,000,000 or more) for a canning line. Freshie contrasts In-house basic $60-200K install and In-house automated $500K-2M. Equipped purchase ranges start at $30,000 / starts at $85,000 / starts at $165,000. BeerCPA notes Scheduling conflicts, minimum batch sizes, less control over quality, costs can balloon as volume grows versus Full control of quality and schedule in-house. Ironheart: Mobile Canning Services are a Turnkey Solution.