Packaging is where a lot of breweries decide to stop renting and start owning. A used canning line can pay for itself surprisingly fast if you're canning regularly — but packaging equipment is less forgiving than tanks, so it pays to know what you're buying.

Bringing canning in-house: the case for owning

Mobile canning is a great way to start, but per-can fees add up. Once you're packaging consistently, owning a line gives you control over schedule, quality, and cost. Buying that line used is what makes the economics work early — new automated lines are a major capital outlay, while a well-kept used line delivers the same cans at a fraction of the price.

The numbers that matter

• Speed (cans per minute) — match this to your volume. An oversized line sits idle; an undersized one becomes a bottleneck.
• Seamer condition — the seamer is the heart of the line. Worn seaming rolls or chucks cause leakers and short shelf life. Ask about recent seam inspections.
• Dissolved oxygen (DO) pickup — low DO is everything for shelf stability. A good line purges and fills gently; verify it can hit acceptable DO numbers.
• Fill accuracy — inconsistent fills waste beer and annoy customers.
• Format flexibility — can it handle the sizes you actually sell (12 oz, 16 oz)?

On a canning line, the seamer is the part that quietly decides your shelf life. Inspect it first, not last.

What to inspect before you buy

Beyond the seamer, check the rinser, filler valves, conveyor, and any depalletizer for wear. Look for maintenance records and ask why the line is being sold — lines that come from a brewery closure or liquidation are often lightly used and well-documented, which is exactly what you want.

Because canning lines have more moving parts than tanks, buying from a source that inspects and supports the equipment matters even more than usual. Explore available packaging and used brewery equipment, or ask about a specific line through the contact page.