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{{Short description|Robust pressed steel liquid container}}
{{for|the Canadian band|The Jerry Cans}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

[[File:jerrycan.JPG|thumb|Stamped indentations stiffen the sides and allow expansion of the contents. Different colours designate the contents.]]

A '''jerrycan''' or '''jerrican''' (also styled '''jerry can''' or '''jerri can''')<ref>{{cite web |title=Historien |url=https://blitzcan.se/ |website=blitzcan |access-date=2023-04-13 }}</ref> is a [[fuel container]] made from pressed [[steel]] (and more recently, [[high-density polyethylene|high density polyethylene]]). It was designed in [[Germany]] in the 1930s for military use to hold {{convert|20|L|abbr=out}} of fuel or water, and saw widespread use by both Germany and the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] during the [[Second World War]].

The development of the jerrycan was a significant improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and [[funnel]]s to use, and it contained many innovative features for convenience of use and robustness. Today similar designs are used worldwide for fuel and water containers, in both military and civilian contexts. 

== History ==

The name of the jerrycan refers to its German origins, ''[[Jerry (WWII)|Jerry]]'' being slang for Germans.<ref name="reference">{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jerrycan|title=Definition and etymology of "jerrycan"|website=dictionary.reference.com|access-date=2012-04-15}}</ref><ref name="etymonline">{{Cite web|title=Origin and meaning of jerry|website=Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Jerry|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref> The design was [[reverse engineered]] and subsequently copied, with minor modifications, by the Allies during the Second World War.

=== German invention ===
[[File:Wehrmacht-einheitskanister.jpg|thumb|German 20 litre fuel containers: former container (left); ''Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister'' of 1941, manufacturer: ''Nirona'' (right)]]

The ''Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister'' ("Armed forces standard canister"), as it was known in Germany, was first developed in 1937 by the Müller engineering firm in [[Schwelm]] to a design by their chief engineer Vinzenz Grünvogel.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Wehrmacht kanister" designer visited U.S. in 1938 |website=BEACH |location=US |url=https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/inventor-of-the-wehrmacht-kanister-visited-u-s-in-1938 |date=2015-12-04 |access-date=2024-07-18}}</ref> A similar design was used in 1936 during the [[Spanish Civil War]],<ref name="free">{{Cite web|url=http://sdkfz7.free.fr/epreserie_36_serie_37_comparatif.htm|title=Pre-series 1936 / series 1937 Schwelmer Eisenwerk Müller u. Co.|date=2015-04-03|access-date=2015-08-01}}</ref> where they had a company logo for Ambi-Budd Presswerk GmbH. Among others, the [[Wehrmacht]] had specified that a soldier should be able to carry either two full containers or four empty ones, which is the reason the triple handles were fitted. To achieve the required filling and draining speed, it was fitted with a large spout and flip top closure. A hole in the closure retainer made it possible to fit a securing pin or wire with a lead seal. The rectangular shape made it stackable. The recessed welded seam stiffened the container and protected the seam from impact damage. The indentations ensured a full can would not be severely damaged when falling from a vehicle, while a dip coat of paint on the inside protected it from corrosion.

By 1939 the German military had thousands of such cans stockpiled in anticipation of war. Motorised troops were issued the cans with lengths of rubber hose in order to siphon fuel from any available source, a way to aid their rapid [[invasion of Poland]] at the start of the Second World War.<ref name="daniel">{{Cite journal|journal=[[Invention & Technology Magazine]]|publisher=AmericanHeritage.com|last=Daniel|first=Richard M.|title=The Little Can That Could|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1987/2/1987_2_62.shtml|year=1987|issue=2|volume=3|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524182038if_/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1987/2/1987_2_62.shtml|archive-date=2007-05-24}}</ref>

=== American adaptation ===
[[File:"... women employed at Savannah Quartermaster Depot, Savannah, Georgia.", ca. 1943 - NARA - 522887.jpg|thumb|right|upright|US-style jerrycans at Savannah Quartermaster Depot, Savannah, Georgia, 1943]]

In 1939, American engineer Paul Pleiss had built a vehicle to journey to India with his German colleague. After building the car, they realised they did not have any storage for emergency water. The German engineer had access to the stockpile of jerrycans at [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport]] and managed to take three of them. The German engineer also gave Pleiss complete specifications for the manufacture of the can.<ref name="daniel" /> Pleiss continued on to [[Calcutta]], put his car in storage, and flew back to [[Philadelphia]], where he told American military officials about the can. He could raise no interest.<ref name="daniel" /> Without a sample, he realised he could not get anywhere. He eventually shipped the car to [[New York City|New York]] by a roundabout method, and sent a can to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]. The War Department decided instead to use [[World War I]] {{Convert|10|usgal|adj=on|spell=in}} cans with two screw closures, which required both a [[spanner]] and funnel for pouring.<ref name="daniel" />

The one jerrycan in American possession was sent to [[Fort Holabird|Camp Holabird]], [[Maryland]], where it was redesigned. The new design retained the handles, size and shape, but is most easily distinguishable from the German original by the simplified 'X' - stiffening indentations in the sides of the can. The US can could be stacked interchangeably with German or British cans. The German recessed welded seam was replaced with rolled seams which were prone to leakage. For fuel cans, the lining was removed and a spanner and funnel were required.<ref name="daniel" /> A similar water can was also adopted, with a flip-top lid and enamel lining.

The US-designed jerrycan was widely used by US Army and Marine Corps units. In all overseas theaters, fuel and other petroleum products represented about 50% of all supply needs, measured by weight.<ref name="green">{{Cite web|url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-3-1/CMH_Pub_7-3-1.pdf|title=Logistical Support of the Armies|access-date=2010-08-03|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073005/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-3-1/CMH_Pub_7-3-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the European Theatre of Operations alone, over 19&nbsp;million were required to support US forces by May 1945.<ref name="green" />

A single  standard US 2.5 ton truck could carry {{convert|875|USgal|L}} of fuel loaded in jerrycans.<ref name="green" /> US logisticians requested over 1.3&nbsp;million per month to replace losses; these cans were provided by US and British manufacturers, but supply could not keep up with demand.<ref name="green" /> Loss of jerrycans in units was severe, with 3.5&nbsp;million reported 'lost' in October 1944, for example.<ref name="green" /> At one point in August 1944, lack of cans (caused by losses) limited the supply of fuel that could be brought forward to combat units, even though the fuel was available in rear areas.<ref name="green" />

The US design was slightly lighter than the German can ({{Convert|10|lb}} vs. {{Convert|11.5|lb|abbr=on}} for the German version).<ref name="green" />{{failed verification|date=December 2023}}  These fuel containers were subsequently used in all [[Theater (warfare)|theatres of war]] around the world.<ref name="daniel" /> Such was the appreciation of the cans in the war effort that [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Franklin Roosevelt]] noted, "Without these cans it would have been impossible for our armies to cut their way across [[France]] at a lightning pace which exceeded the German [[Blitzkrieg]] of 1940."<ref name="amazing">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/08/the-amazing-jerry-can/|title=The Amazing Jerry Can|publisher=Think Defence|date=2012-08-01|access-date=2013-08-27|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306121546/http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/08/the-amazing-jerry-can/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== British necessity ===
{{ multiple image|total_width=400
| image1   = The Battle of Passchendaele, July-november 1917 Q5718.jpg
| caption1 = British pressed steel, {{Convert|2|impgal|l|0|adj=on}} petrol cans: Strong, but heavy and expensive (1917)
| image2   = The British Army in North Africa 1942 E18640.jpg
| caption2 = British tin plate, {{Convert|4|impgal|l|adj=on}} petrol tin ("[[Flimsy]]"). Inexpensive, but weak, with a tendency to leak ({{c.|1942}})
}}

At the beginning of the [[Second World War]] the [[British Army]] was equipped with two simple fuel containers: the {{Convert|2|impgal|adj=on}} container made of pressed steel, and the {{Convert|4|impgal|adj=on}} container made from [[tin plate]]. The 2-gallon containers were relatively strong, but were expensive to produce. Manufactured primarily in Egypt, the 4-gallon containers were plentiful and inexpensive, but they had a tendency to leak after minor damage. Early 4-gallon containers were packed in pairs in wooden cases. When stacked, the timber framing protected the tins and prevented the upper layers of tins from crushing the lower. As the war progressed, the wooden case was replaced with either thin plywood or cardboard cases, neither of which provided much protection.<ref name="LRDG50">{{Cite book|title=Long Range Desert Group|last=Kennedy Shaw|first=W.B.|year=1945|publisher=Collins|location=London|pages=50–51}}</ref> 4-gallon containers carrying fuel were hazardous to the cargo ships carrying them. The leaking fuel would accumulate in cargo holds. At least one such ship exploded.<ref name="green" />

Though adequate for transport along European roads, the four-gallon containers proved extremely unsatisfactory during the [[North African Campaign]]. The crimped or soldered seams easily split during transport, especially off-road over the rock-strewn deserts of North Africa.<ref name="norris">{{Cite book|last=Norris|first=John|title=World War II Trucks and Tanks|year=2012|publisher=History Press|isbn=9780752490731}}</ref> In addition, the containers were easily punctured by even minor trauma. Because of these problems the troops referred to the 4-gallon containers as ''[[Flimsy|flimsies]]''.  Transport of fuel over rough terrain often resulted in as much as 25% of the fuel being lost through seam failures or punctures.<ref name="LRDG50" />  Fuel leaks gave vehicles a propensity to catch fire.  The containers were routinely discarded after a single use, and severely hampered the operation of the [[British Eighth Army]].<ref name="LRDG50" /> A more successful and popular use for the 4-gallon container was to convert it into a cooking stove, referred to as the '[[Benghazi burner]]'.

{{ multiple image|total_width=400|align=left
| image1   = DUKW-and-crane-slapton-sands-1944.jpg
| caption1 = British fuel jerrycans used in April 1944 during training in England in preparation of the Allied landings in Normandy
| image2   = The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H30616.jpg
| caption2 = British soldier refueling a lorry with petrol from a jerrycan
| image3   = Britische copy wehrmacht-einheitskanister 1943 jerrycan.jpg
| caption3 = British copy of the German design
}}

When the British Army first saw the German fuel cans during the [[Norwegian Campaign]] in 1940, they immediately saw the advantages of the superior design.  The three handles allowed easy handling by one or two people, or movement [[bucket brigade]]-style.<ref name="daniel"/>  The handle design also allows for two empty cans to be carried in each hand, utilizing the outer handle.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

The sides of the can were marked with cross-like indentations that strengthened the can while allowing the contents to expand, as did an air pocket under the handles when the can was filled correctly. This air pocket allowed the container to float if dropped in water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jerrycan.com/the-little-can-that-could/|title=The Little Can That Could|last=Daniel|first=Richard|date=22 January 2013|access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref>  Rather than a [[screw cap]], the containers used a cam lever release mechanism with a short spout secured with a [[flip-top|snap closure]] and an air-pipe to the air pocket which enabled smooth pouring (which was omitted in some copies). The interior was also lined with an impervious plastic, first developed for steel beer barrels, that would allow the can to be used for either water or petrol. The can was welded and had a [[gasket]] for a leak-proof mouth.

The British used cans captured from the "[[Jerry (WWII)|Jerries]]" (slang for Germans), hence "jerrycans", in preference to their own containers as much as possible. Later in 1940, Pleiss was in London and British officers asked him about the design and manufacture of the jerrycan. Pleiss ordered the second of his three jerrycans flown to London.<ref name="daniel" /> After the [[Operation Crusader|second capture]] of [[Benghazi]] at the end of 1941, large numbers of [[Axis Powers|Axis]] jerrycans were captured, sufficient to equip some units such as the [[Long Range Desert Group]].<ref name="LRDG50" />

British companies such as [[Briggs Manufacturing Company|Briggs Motor Bodies]], [[Vauxhall Motors]] and the [[Pressed Steel Company]] manufactured copies of the German design.

=== Soviet usage ===

The strength of the ''Wehrmachtskanister'' was also recognised in the [[Soviet Union]]. Its design was later copied and the [[Soviet Army]] accepted it as the standard container for liquids. This container is still being produced and used in modern Russia. In civilian use this container is used primarily for automotive fuel and lubricants.<ref name="molot">{{Cite web|url=http://www.molot.biz/product/kan.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907170706/http://www.molot.biz/product/kan.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-09-07|title=Steel containers for automotive fuel and lubricants|language=ru|website=Molot.biz|access-date=2012-04-15}}</ref>

== Design ==
{{ multiple image|total_width=400
| image1   = Jerrycan Einmann Tragweise.JPG
| alt1     = One hand on the middle handle on top of the can
| caption1 = Carried by one person
| image2   = Jerrycan Zweimann Tragweise.JPG
| alt2     = One hand on each of handles on both sides of the can
| caption2 = Carried by two people
| image3   = Jerry can double carry.jpg
| alt3     = One hand holding two cans
| caption3 = Two carried by one person
}}

Jerrycans typically have a rounded rectangular cross section with [[package handle]]s.  Most have three handles, allowing one person to carry two cans, and to make it easy to move them using a chain of people.<ref name="daniel" />

The cans were originally intended to be used as [[fuel container]]s, but their usage is now wider. This can be indicated by can colour, affixed labels, and occasionally imprinted labelling on the container itself. This is to prevent contamination of the can's contents by mixing different fuels or mixing fuel with water.

The US version of the jerrycan is covered by military specification MIL-C-1283 F<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Defense Logistics Agency]] |url=https://quicksearch.dla.mil/qsDocDetails.aspx?ident_number=2920 |title=Can, Gasoline, Military 5-Gallon (S/S by MIL-C-53109) |publisher=Defense Logistics Agency |access-date=2019-08-14 }}</ref> and has been produced since the early 1940s by a number of US manufacturers, according to a current manufacturer, Blitz.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wave Media Technologies Inc |url=http://www.blitzusa.com/history.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207030057/http://www.blitzusa.com/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-02-07 |title=History |publisher=Blitz USA |access-date=2010-08-03 }}</ref> The [[National Stock Number]] is 7240-00-222-3088. It is considered obsolete by a new A-A-59592 B specification, having been replaced with [[high-density polyethylene]] versions.<ref>{{cite web|author=Defense Logistics Agency |url=https://quicksearch.dla.mil/qsDocDetails.aspx?ident_number=208832 |title=Can, Fuel, Military: 20-Liter Capacity |publisher=Defense Logistics Agency |access-date=2019-08-14 }}</ref>

== Modern use ==
[[File:Strv 103c a.jpg|thumb|Nine examples of a Swedish adaptation of the jerrycan are stored on each side of a [[Stridsvagn 103C]]]]

The German design jerrycan is still a standard container for fuel and other liquids in the armies of the [[NATO]] countries.

Finnish designer [[Eero Rislakki]] designed a plastic jerrycan in 1970 with a small screwable stopper on the top side behind the handle to allow air flowing in to ensure smooth fuel outflow. It is lighter than the original design yet almost as sturdy. It was quickly adopted by the Finnish armed forces, and is commercially available. {{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

== Current regulations ==

In the United States, the jerrycan is defined by the Code of Federal Regulation, 49 CFR 171.8 as "a metal or plastic packaging of rectangular or polygonal cross-section".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2011-title49-vol2/CFR-2011-title49-vol2-sec171-8|title=49 CFR 171.8 - Definitions and abbreviations.|website=Government Publishing Office|location=United States|language=en|access-date=2018-02-05}}</ref> {{As of|2009|1|10}} all portable fuel containers are required to conform to two new regulations:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.turfmagazine.com/article-2742.aspx |work=Turf Magazine |date=January 2009 |title=Can Your Can Do This? New regulations for portable fuel containers |author=Patrick White |access-date=2012-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816134507/http://www.turfmagazine.com/article-2742.aspx |archive-date=2014-08-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2018}}

# They must meet new federal [[Mobile Source Air Toxics]] regulations, based on the [[California Air Resources Board]]'s regulations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/OMS/regs/toxics/420f06021.htm#gascan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228135820/http://www.epa.gov/OMS/regs/toxics/420f06021.htm#gascan |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 February 2010 |title=Regulatory Announcement: Control of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Mobile Sources &#124; Overview: Pollutants and Programs |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]|location=United States |access-date=2010-08-03}}</ref>
# They must meet the requirements of the [[Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glin.gov/view.action?glinID=210328 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229205002/http://www.glin.gov/view.action?glinID=210328 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-02-29 |title=Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act |website=Global Legal Information Network |access-date=2010-08-03}}</ref>

These new regulations do not apply to [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration|OSHA]]-approved metal safety containers, but rather to the common red plastic, portable gas cans. The regulations apply only to newly manufactured petrol cans, and there is no requirement on the part of users to discard their existing cans or to upgrade, although the EPA provides informational resources for implementing community Gas Can Exchange Programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/air/community/details/gascan.html |title=Gas Cans &#124; Improving Air Quality in Your Community |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]|location=United States |date=2006-06-28 |access-date=2010-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324102055/http://www.epa.gov/air/community/details/gascan.html |archive-date=March 24, 2009 }}</ref> Furthermore, in the state of California, the following colours are mandated:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/pfc/2005/cp501.pdf | title = Certification Procedure 501 For Portable Fuel Containers And Spill-Proof Spouts | author = California Air Resources Board | author-link = California Air Resources Board | date = 2005-07-22 }}</ref>

{{ordered list|type=lower-alpha
| Gasoline: red;
| Diesel: yellow; and
| Kerosene: blue.}}

Per ASTM F852, the particular shades should be "medium [[yellow]]" and "[[Shades of blue#Medium blue|medium blue]]".<ref>{{cite web<!-- should be something more appropriate, but it's not "report" or "journal" --> | publisher = American Society for Testing and Materials | url = http://www.astm.org/Standards/F852.htm | title = ASTM F852-08: Standard Specification for Portable Gasoline Containers for Consumer Use | year = 2008| doi=10.1520/F0852-08 }}</ref>

The transportation of [[dangerous goods]] (which includes liquid fuels) within Europe is governed by the UN ''[[European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road]]'' (ADR).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://live.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/adr/adr2011/11contentse.html |title=ADR 2011 (files) |publisher=UNECE |date=2011-01-01 |access-date=2012-04-15}}</ref> The term "jerrican" is defined within Chapter 1.2 of the 2011 ADR as "a metal or {{sic|plastics|hide=y}} packaging of rectangular or polygonal cross-section with one or more orifices", a definition which includes the traditional jerrycan but which also covers a wide range of other packagings. The ADR sets performance standards for packaging and specifies what standard of packaging is required for each type of dangerous good, including petrol and diesel fuels. The traditional jerrycan is available in UN-marked approved versions which satisfy the requirements of the ADR.

== References ==
{{refs}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Jerrycans}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_jerry_can.php |title=Jerry Cans |website=Olive-Drab |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709180746/http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_jerry_can.php |archive-date=2021-07-09 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.wecowi.org/view/Wehrmachtskanister |title=Wehrmachtskanister |website=WeCoWi |language=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227080651/http://www.wecowi.org/view/Wehrmachtskanister |archive-date=27 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/the_wehrmachtkanister_aka_jerrycan_astonishingly_good_industrial_design_from_the_1930s_17788.asp |title=The Wehrmachtkanister, a/k/a Jerrycan: Astonishingly good industrial design from the 1930s |first=Rain |last=Noe |website=Core77 |date=4 November 2010}}<!-- Beware that some information at the link is derived from Wikipedia - ok for an external link but not for a reference -->
{{Packaging}}
[[Category:German inventions of the Nazi period]]
[[Category:Military equipment of World War II]]
[[Category:Fuel containers]]
[[Category:Liquid containers]]
[[Category:1937 in Germany]]