Thirty-two questions people actually ask about jerry cans, answered in plain language with the source named when a rule or a number is involved. The short version: a jerry can is a 20-liter steel fuel can built to a NATO pattern, it weighs about 42 lb full of gasoline, it has a cam-lever cap rather than a screw cap, and an empty one ships like any other package. The rest is below. Store questions such as shipping rates and wholesale are on the store FAQ.
Jump to a section
- The basics
- Construction and parts
- Spouts and pouring
- Filling and storing fuel
- Transport and shipping
- Buying and mounting
The basics
What is a jerry can?
A jerry can is a flat-sided, rectangular fuel container with a three-handle top, a cam-lever cap, and an internal breather pipe. The pattern was designed in Germany in 1937 and later adopted across NATO, which is why the steel version is called a NATO jerry can. Wavian builds the 20L and 10L cans to that specification in Latvia. The full history and spec are in What Is a NATO Jerry Can?.
Why is it called a jerry can?
"Jerry" was British slang for Germans during the Second World War. Allied troops captured the German cans in North Africa, found them far better than their own flimsy fuel tins, and copied the design. The nickname stuck to the can and has outlived the war by eighty years. How the can was designed, smuggled out of Berlin, and copied is told in The History of the Jerry Can, 1936 to Now.
What is the difference between a jerry can and a gas can?
"Gas can" is any portable container for fuel. "Jerry can" is a specific shape: the upright rectangular body with pressed X-panels, three handles across the top, and a cap on a short neck at one corner. Most plastic gas cans sold today are not jerry cans. Most steel jerry cans sold today are copies of the NATO pattern, and not all of them are built to it.
Is a NATO jerry can the same as a US military gas can?
No. The current US and Canadian military fuel can is the Scepter Military Fuel Container, which is molded high-density polyethylene. The NATO steel can is the older European pattern, still made from 0.9 mm cold-rolled steel. Both hold 20 liters, but they differ in material, closure, and weight. See Wavian vs Scepter vs Generic Jerry Cans for the side-by-side.
How many gallons are in a jerry can?
A standard 20-liter jerry can holds 5.28 US gallons (4.4 imperial gallons). The smaller 10L can holds 2.64 US gallons. When someone says "5 gallon jerry can" they almost always mean the 20L. More capacity math is in Jerry Can Sizes Explained.
How many liters does a jerry can hold?
The NATO standard is 20 liters, which is why the number is embossed on the can. Wavian also makes a 10-liter can in the same pattern. A 20L can filled to the marked line holds 20 liters of fuel with an air space under the handles for expansion.
How big is a 20L jerry can?
The Wavian 20L measures 18.5 × 13.5 × 6.5 inches (47 × 34.5 × 16.5 cm). The 10L is 13.5 × 11.5 × 6.5 inches (34.5 × 28 × 16.5 cm). Both share the same 6.5-inch depth, which is why they stack side by side in a truck bed. Dimensions for all sizes, including the water can, are tabulated in Jerry Can Sizes Explained.
How much does a jerry can weigh, empty and full?
The Wavian 20L weighs 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) empty. Gasoline runs roughly 6.0 to 6.5 lb per US gallon and diesel about 7.1 lb, based on the densities published by Engineering Toolbox, so a full 20L is about 42 lb with gasoline or 47 lb with diesel. The 10L is about 7.5 lb empty and 24 to 26 lb full.
Construction and parts
How does the jerry can cap work?
There is no screw cap on a Wavian jerry can. The lid sits on a short neck and is pulled down by a cam lever, compressing a gasket against the rim. A pin drops through the lever to lock it closed. The seal does not depend on the can standing upright. The same lever secures the spout when you pour.
What is the locking pin on a jerry can for?
The pin passes through the cam lever once it is closed so vibration cannot pop the lid open in a moving vehicle. On Wavian cans it is brass and tethered to the lid so it does not get lost in the dirt. If one does go missing, replacement pins come in a three-pack and fit both the 10L and 20L.
What is the breather pipe in a jerry can?
A small tube inside the can runs from the mouth back to the air pocket under the handles. When you tip the can, fuel leaves through the spout while air enters through the pipe, so the pour is steady rather than gulping and splashing. It is the reason a NATO can empties fast without a separate vent cap. The NATO jerry can guide shows where it sits.
Is a steel jerry can lined inside?
Wavian fuel cans have a fuel-resistant phenolic lining baked onto the interior steel. It keeps fuel from contacting bare metal and keeps the inside from rusting. The lining is made for gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. It is not made for water, which is why Wavian makes a separate water can.
How do I keep a steel jerry can from rusting?
Keep the cap closed, keep water out, and touch up any chips in the exterior powder coat before bare steel is exposed for long. The interior lining handles the inside as long as the can holds fuel rather than water. A can stored dry with the cap latched will sit for years. More on this in Steel vs Plastic Gas Cans.
Can I put diesel in a red jerry can?
Mechanically, yes. All five Wavian colors are the same can inside. The colors follow the fuel-container convention: red for gasoline, yellow for diesel, blue for kerosene, with olive drab and black as utility colors. Sticking to the convention avoids putting gasoline in a diesel engine at 2 a.m. If you do use a red can for diesel, label it.
Spouts and pouring
Is a spout included with a Wavian jerry can?
Yes. Every Wavian fuel can ships with the safety spout, clipped to the can. If you want a second spout for a different fuel, or one in a contrasting color for quick sorting, the Wavian fuel can spout is sold separately and fits both the 10L and 20L.
How do you use a jerry can spout?
Unlatch the lever, lift the lid, and set the spout onto the neck the same way the lid sits. Close the lever over the spout to lock and seal it. Tip the can with the handles up so the breather pipe draws air from the air pocket, and the fuel flows in a steady stream. When you are done, latch the lid back on and drop the pin.
Do the 10L and 20L Wavian cans use the same spout and lid?
Yes. The neck is identical on both sizes, so the spout, lid, gaskets, and pins interchange. Holders do not: each holder is sized to one can.
Filling and storing fuel
Should I fill a jerry can all the way to the top?
No. Fill to the marked line, which leaves the air space under the handles. Chevron's motor gasoline technical review puts it plainly: "Fill the container only about 95 percent full. This leaves room for the gasoline to expand if it warms up in storage" (Chevron). The Wavian can is designed around that headspace; the breather pipe ends in it.
Why does my jerry can bulge or hiss when I open it?
Because it is sealed. Fuel vapor pressure rises with temperature, and a can that has warmed in the sun is holding that pressure. Chevron notes that without room to expand "the vaporizing gasoline will create pressure that will distort the container and even force liquid gasoline out of it" (Chevron). Leave the headspace, open the can outdoors and slowly, and let it equalize before you pour. Steel does not soften and slump under that pressure the way plastic can.
How long does gasoline last in a jerry can?
There is no single number. Gasoline oxidizes in storage and forms gums, which is why refiners blend in antioxidants and why ASTM D4814 includes an oxidation stability requirement "to protect against the formation of additional gum by air oxidation during storage" (Chevron). A sealed steel can, filled to the line and kept cool and out of the sun, gives fuel the best chance. Rotate stored fuel into a vehicle on a schedule rather than trusting a date. The full breakdown, with the refiners' own numbers, is in How Long Can You Store Gasoline?
Can I store a jerry can of gas in my garage?
Check your local fire code first; limits vary by jurisdiction. For a reference point, OSHA's construction standard states "No more than 25 gallons of flammable liquids shall be stored in a room outside of an approved storage cabinet" (29 CFR 1926.152(a)(2)). Wherever you store it, keep fuel out of living space, away from water heaters and other ignition sources, and in a container that seals. The residential, farm, and vehicle limits are laid out side by side in Fuel Storage for Off-Grid, Ranch, and Overland Use.
Can I leave a full jerry can in the sun or in a truck bed?
Heat is hard on fuel, so shade the can where you can. Chevron's guidance is to never carry a fuel container inside the passenger compartment and to tighten the cap and wipe the container down before it goes in a bed or trunk (Chevron). A holder keeps the can upright and stops it sliding.
Can I store water in a steel jerry can?
Not in a Wavian fuel can. The interior lining is made for fuel and reacts with water; it is not rated for drinking water. Wavian's 22L water can is a separate product built from food-grade BPA-free resin with a screw cap and tap-thread spout for exactly that job. How to fill, store, and rotate water in it is covered in Water Storage in a NATO Can: What's Different.
Can I rinse out a jerry can with water?
Do not. Water attacks the fuel lining and any that stays behind sits in the bottom seam under the fuel. If you need to change fuel types, drain the can completely, let it air out with the lid open in a ventilated spot, and refill. Never test a new can with water.
Transport and shipping
Is it legal to carry a jerry can of gas in my car?
49 CFR 171.1(d)(6) lists "Transportation of a hazardous material by an individual for non-commercial purposes in a private motor vehicle, including a leased or rented motor vehicle" among the activities the federal hazardous materials regulations do not apply to. States, ferries, tunnels, and parking garages set their own rules, so check the rules for where you are going, and follow the instructions and warnings on your container. The federal, fire-code, ferry, and airline rules are quoted in full in Is It Legal to Transport Fuel Cans?.
Is an empty jerry can a hazardous material for shipping?
49 CFR 173.29(b) says an empty packaging is not subject to the other requirements of the hazardous materials regulations if it "Is unused" or "Is sufficiently cleaned of residue and purged of vapors to remove any potential hazard," with hazardous materials markings removed or covered. Separately, 49 CFR 178.511 defines the packaging code 3A1 as a non-removable-head steel jerrican; the full UN marking string on a container identifies its packaging code and the packing groups the design was tested to. Read the marking on your own can, and ask your carrier how it handles the shipment. The empty-packaging rule and the rest of the transport regulations are quoted in Is It Legal to Transport Fuel Cans?.
Buying and mounting
Where can I buy a Wavian jerry can?
Directly from wavian.com, which is run by the exclusive North American distributor and ships from Chico, California. Wavian cans are also carried by authorized dealers and industrial catalogs. If a listing elsewhere is priced far below the direct price, read how to tell a real NATO can from a look-alike before you order.
Where are Wavian jerry cans made?
Latvia. The fuel cans, spouts, holders, and replacement parts are all made there, and we have visited the factory. The 22L water can is the exception; it is made in Australia. The breakdown by product is on Where Are Wavian Jerry Cans Made?
How much does a jerry can cost?
At the time of writing, the Wavian 20L is $119.99 and the 10L is $109.99, both with the spout. Generic steel look-alikes run $30 to $40 and thinner-gauge plastic cans less than that. The price gap buys 0.9 mm steel, fully welded recessed seams, a phenolic lining, and a can that is still in service decades later.
How do I mount a jerry can on a truck or trailer?
With a holder bolted to the bed rail, rack, bumper, or wall. Wavian holders come in top-loading (drop the can in, lock the lever) and front-loading (slide the can in, secure the bar) styles, in powder-coated steel; mounting bolts are not included, since their size depends on what the holder is bolted to. Front-loading works best where vertical clearance is tight or for wall-mounting in a shed. A 10L holder is sized separately. Holder dimensions, bolt-hole sizes, weights, and where on a vehicle to put one are in How to Mount a Jerry Can.
Will a Wavian can fit a standard NATO jerry can holder?
Yes. The Wavian 20L is built to the NATO STANAG profile, so it fits military-pattern holders and racks made for the 20L NATO can. The reverse is where problems start: a 20L holder will not hold a 10L can securely, and cans built off-pattern can rattle or bind. If you are buying a third-party holder, check it against 18.5 × 13.5 × 6.5 inches. All Wavian holders are in Holders.
Still have a question?
The long-form guides go deeper: what a NATO jerry can is, where steel beats plastic and where it does not, how Wavian compares with Scepter and generic cans, and which size to buy. For anything about an order, the store FAQ and contact page are the fastest route to a person in Chico.
