The typical US beer case dimensions are 16 x 16 x 24 inches. Beer cases of this size usually hold 24 bottles or cans of beer. Some European beer cases have 20 bottles of beer, but the bottles are much larger. Smaller cases come with 18 bottles.
The beer cases in other countries may hold fewer or more beers. However, many of them use 12 ounce bottles. It should also be noted that in Canada, cases sometimes have only six or a dozen beers. There are also beer cases in the United States that have 30 cans.
Multiples of Six
While the beer case dimensions differ, most increase the beer number in multiples of six (6, 12, 18, 24 etc). There is no clear explanation for this. However, one theory is that they are remnants of old packing techniques.
During the early days of beer production, the packaging machines could only drop four dozen bottles simultaneously in two 24 beer cases, 2 trays of four six-packs or four 12 packs. While the new machines are capable of dropping any number of beers in a case, the old practice has been kept.
Another possible reason is that during the early days of beer production, they were only produced in six packs. During those days four 6 packs were sent to stores for a total of 24. According to some researchers, that is how the beer case dimensions came about.
However that is no longer the case today. Some beer cases and packs come in eight. There are also some cases with four or nine bottles. There are also some breweries that have beer cases that can fit 28 beers.
Canned and Bottled Beers
Many beers nowadays are sold in cans instead of bottles. The main reason is that yeast filtering is easier to do with a can than a bottle. Another reason is that cans are able to protect the beer better than bottles. Many cans also have seals that prevent leaking.
Size of Beer Bottles
While 12 ounce beer bottles are used often in beer cases, there are actually different sizes. The stubby glass beer bottle has a capacity ranging from 11.2 to 12.7 oz. Although not used much in the US, it is quite common in Europe. The beer bottles in the Netherlands have a capacity of 10 oz.
Size of Beer Can Bottles
The average beer can in the US is 355 ml or 12 oz. This is also the type used in most cases. In Europe however, the cans used are slightly smaller at 330 ml or 11 oz. The cans used in Australia have a capacity of 13 oz or about 375 ml. The can diameter used in the US is almost always 65 mm. In the US, the cans are always made of aluminum.
The beer case dimensions are always dependent on the size of the bottles or cans. Unless the size of the cans or bottles changed, the specifications of these cases will likely remain the same.