A NATO jerry can is a 20-liter (5.28 US gallon) steel fuel can built to the German pattern first fielded in 1937: two pressed-steel halves welded together on a recessed seam, three top handles, a cam-lever bayonet cap, an internal breather pipe, and X-stamped side panels. It is the container most NATO forces have carried fuel in for over 70 years, and the design has barely changed.
This guide covers where the design came from, what each feature is for, how a NATO can differs from the American military can and from plastic cans, and what the UN and DOT markings on the side actually mean.
The NATO 20L jerry can at a glance
| Specification | Wavian 20L NATO Jerry Can |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 20 liters / 5.28 US gallons |
| External dimensions | 18.5 × 13.5 × 6.5 in (47 × 34.5 × 16.5 cm) |
| Steel | 0.9 mm cold-rolled steel |
| Seams | Fully welded, recessed seams — no crimped metal like cheap knockoff cans |
| Closure | Bayonet-latched cam-lever cap with gasket and locking pin |
| Handles | Three, formed into the top |
| Pouring | Internal breather pipe, splash-free pour; safety spout sold separately |
| Interior | Rezol phenolic lining |
| Exterior | Powder coat; red, yellow, blue, olive drab, black |
| Empty weight | 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) |
| Weight full of gasoline | Roughly 41–42 lb (about 19 kg), depending on fuel density |
| UN packaging code | 3A1 — non-removable-head steel jerrican |
| Country of manufacture | Latvia |
Full details, color selection, and current pricing are on the Wavian 20L NATO Jerry Can page. A 10L version with the same construction is in the fuel cans collection.
Where the design came from
The can was developed in Germany in 1937 as the Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister (“armed forces standard canister”) by the Müller engineering firm in Schwelm, to a design by its chief engineer Vinzenz Grünvogel. The military requirement that shaped it was blunt: one soldier had to be able to carry two full cans or four empty ones. That single requirement is why the can has three handles instead of one (Wikipedia: Jerrycan).
British forces at the start of the Second World War were using a four-imperial-gallon tin-plate container they called the “flimsy.” It leaked, it had to be crated in wood to survive transport, and soldiers reportedly preferred to cut it down and use it as a tea kettle. Captured German cans were the only fuel containers troops actually wanted, and for a while the only Allied supply was whatever was picked up in the field (U.S. Army Transportation Museum).
In 1939 an American engineer, Paul Pleiss, drove out of Berlin with three of the cans and eventually handed one to the U.S. War Department. The evaluation at Camp Holabird produced a September 1940 report titled “Advantages of the German Can.” Its list reads like a spec sheet for what a good fuel can should do: it stacks and does not roll, one man can carry it, a full can floats, the closure needs no tools and will not open by accident, it stays open while pouring, it has a vent pipe, and dirt and water do not collect around the mouth (Key Military, “Winning the War”).
Both Britain and the United States copied the design. By V-E Day roughly 21 million Allied jerry cans were scattered across Europe (U.S. Army Transportation Museum). In November 1944 President Roosevelt wrote that “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 Blitz of 1940” (Wikipedia: Jerrycan). The name itself is wartime slang: “Jerry” was the British term for Germans.
After the war the 20L German pattern became the standard across NATO forces in Europe, which is where the name “NATO jerry can” comes from. The dimensions, the handle layout, and the closure are what let a can drop into a NATO vehicle holder on any allied vehicle.
What each feature is for
None of the details on a NATO can are decorative. Every one of them answers a problem the 1940 Holabird report noticed.
Three handles
The center handle carries one full can. The outer handles let one person carry two empty cans in each hand, or let two people share one full can. In a line of soldiers the outer handles also make the can easy to pass hand to hand. The handles are pressed into the two body halves, not bolted or riveted on afterward.
Bayonet cam-lever cap
The original 1937 design used a cam-lever closure rather than a screw cap (Wikipedia: Jerrycan). Pulling the lever down draws the gasket evenly onto the mouth in one motion, with no thread to cross or over-tighten. A locking pin passes through the lever so it cannot be knocked open, and the pin hole takes a padlock or a wire seal. There is no screw cap anywhere on a Wavian jerry can.
Recessed, welded seams
The German can was made from two pressed halves joined on a recessed welded seam. Recessing the seam stiffens the body and keeps the seam away from impact when the can is dropped or slides around a truck bed (Wikipedia: Jerrycan). Wavian cans are built the same way: fully welded, recessed seams — no crimped metal like cheap knockoff cans. A crimped or rolled seam relies on a fold and sealant; a welded seam is one continuous piece of steel. For a side-by-side of how imported copies and the Scepter plastic can differ from the NATO pattern, see Wavian vs Scepter vs generic jerry cans.
X-stamped side panels
The cross-shaped indentations pressed into each side stiffen the flat panel and let the wall flex as fuel warms and expands, instead of forcing that pressure onto the seams or the cap (Wikipedia: Jerrycan).
Internal breather pipe
Inside the can, a small tube runs from the mouth back to the air pocket under the handles. When you tip the can to pour, air enters through the pipe while fuel leaves through the spout, so the flow is smooth rather than gulping and splashing. Many copies of the design leave the pipe out to save cost; the 1940 report specifically listed the vent pipe as an advantage (Key Military).
Air pocket
Filled to the marked line, the can leaves an air space under the handles. That space gives fuel room to expand, and it is why a full can floats if it goes in the water.
Interior lining
The wartime cans were dip-coated inside against corrosion. Wavian cans carry a Rezol phenolic lining that keeps fuel off bare steel. It is the reason a decades-old can can still pour clean fuel.
NATO can vs. US military can vs. plastic can
Three containers get called “jerry cans” in North America, and they are not the same thing.
| Feature | NATO jerry can | US military fuel can (MFC / “blitz can”) | Plastic gas can |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 20 L / 5.28 US gal | 5 US gal (18.9 L) | 1–5 US gal, varies |
| Material | 0.9 mm cold-rolled steel | Steel | High-density polyethylene |
| Closure | Bayonet cam-lever cap, gasket, locking pin | Screw cap with chain | Screw cap, often with a spring-loaded spout |
| Seams | Fully welded, recessed | Welded | Molded, no seam |
| Pour | Internal breather pipe | Vent varies by manufacturer | Usually no separate vent |
| Fits NATO vehicle holders | Yes | No — different footprint | No |
| Vapor permeation | None through steel | None through steel | Plastic is permeable; fuel smell and evaporation loss over time |
| Sunlight and heat | Powder-coated steel, opaque | Painted steel, opaque | Degrades and swells; often translucent |
| Repairable | Gasket, pin, cap, spout all replaceable | Gasket and cap replaceable | Generally not |
The US can is a wartime copy of the German design with a screw cap and a slightly different footprint; the German version weighed about 11.5 lb and the US version about 10 lb (Wikipedia: Jerrycan). It is a good can. It just does not fit NATO holders, and most surplus examples are decades old. Plastic cans are cheaper and lighter, and for occasional lawnmower duty that is fine. For fuel that is going to sit for months, ride on a bumper, or be poured in the dark, steel with a proper gasketed closure is the difference between a can and a smell. The full breakdown of how each material fails is in steel vs plastic gas cans.
What the markings on the can mean
The UN code
Every Wavian fuel can carries a UN specification marking stamped into the steel. The first block of that code, 3A1, is defined in US regulation at 49 CFR 178.511: “3” means jerrican, “A” means steel, and “1” means non-removable head. The same section requires that a 3A1 jerrican’s closures “remain secure and leakproof under normal conditions of transport,” use a gasket, and that the interior carry a protective coating if the steel is not compatible with the contents. The letters after 3A1 identify the packing group and test pressure the can was certified to, plus the year and country of manufacture.
Whether you personally need a UN-specification container depends on what you are carrying, how much, and whether it is commercial transport. The marking tells you the can was built and tested to the standard; it does not by itself tell you what your local rules require.
Shipping an empty can
Wavian cans are sold empty. Under 49 CFR 173.29, an empty packaging that has never held hazardous material is not subject to hazardous-materials shipping requirements, which is why a new jerry can ships by ordinary ground carrier.
Storing fuel at home or on a jobsite
Quantity limits and storage rules for gasoline and diesel come from NFPA 30 (the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code) as adopted and amended by your state and local fire authority. The limits differ between dwellings, garages, and detached buildings, and between gasoline and diesel. Check with your local fire marshal before you plan long-term storage; a steel can with a locking cap is the container part of the answer, not the whole answer.
Why Wavian is the NATO can
Wavian jerry cans are made in Latvia, in the same factory that has supplied NATO forces for decades, on the original two-half pressed-steel pattern. We have visited the factory. The cans arrive in Chico, California and ship from there. Swiss Link is the exclusive authorized distributor for North America; other retailers that carry Wavian buy from us. More on that in Where are Wavian jerry cans made?.
Every part that wears is stocked separately: gaskets, locking pins, caps, and spouts. A can that stops sealing usually needs a new gasket, not a new can. Replacement parts are in the replacement parts collection, and NATO-pattern holders and racks fit the 20L can as they always have.
Frequently asked questions
Is a NATO jerry can the same as a 5 gallon gas can?
Not exactly. A NATO can holds 20 liters, which is 5.28 US gallons, and has a flatter, taller footprint than the American 5-gallon military can. The extra volume is small; the shape difference is what matters for holders and mounts.
Why does a NATO jerry can have three handles?
The 1937 German requirement was that one soldier carry two full cans or four empty ones. Three handles let one person carry a single can by the middle, two people share a can by the outer handles, or one person carry two empties in each hand.
Does a NATO jerry can have a screw cap?
No. A NATO jerry can uses a bayonet-latched cam-lever cap with a gasket and locking pin. The screw cap belongs to the American military can and to plastic cans. There is no screw cap on a Wavian jerry can.
What does 3A1 mean on a fuel can?
It is the UN packaging code for a non-removable-head steel jerrican, defined in 49 CFR 178.511. The rest of the stamped code gives the packing group, test pressure, and the year and country of manufacture.
Can I ship a jerry can?
A new, never-filled can is not regulated as hazardous material under 49 CFR 173.29, so it ships by standard ground carrier. Once a can has held fuel, different rules apply.
How much does a full 20L jerry can weigh?
The Wavian 20L weighs 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) empty. Twenty liters of gasoline weighs roughly 32 lb, so a full can is about 41 to 42 lb depending on the fuel. Diesel is a little heavier. Full weights and dimensions for both sizes are in Jerry Can Sizes Explained.