The Strait & Narrow

Canadian brewers shift can buying to China as US aluminium tariffs lift prices about 50%

US tariffs on aluminium have raised North American can prices by roughly 50% since early 2025, and Canadian brewers and can printers are shifting purchases to Chinese suppliers selling at about a one-third discount. Canada's counter-tariffs exempt food and beverage packaging inputs, but can contracts on both sides of the border are priced off the tariff-inflated US Midwest aluminium benchmark. Canadian brewers fill about 3.7 billion cans a year, and one canned-cocktail producer says a five-cent difference per can decides profitability.

Why this mattersTariff-driven aluminium cost inflation is eroding North American can makers' price competitiveness and accelerating Canadian brewers' shift toward Chinese-made cans.

• North American can prices have risen about 50% since early 2025 following US tariffs on aluminium
• The US has imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian aluminium; Canada's counter-tariffs exempt goods used in food and beverage packaging
• Chinese-made cans sell at roughly a one-third discount to US-made cans, a gap reaching 8 cents per can
• Can contracts on both sides of the border are priced off the US Midwest aluminium benchmark
• Canada's brewers fill about 3.7 billion cans a year
• Caravan Bev Co, which imports Chinese cans into Canada, reports a 30% increase in business since 2025