Parts of a Can

A drink can standing, then its lid from above with the tab, the rivet and the opening.

Parts of a Can

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tab
  2. Body
  3. Lid
  4. Bottom
  5. Opening
  6. Neck
  7. Rivet
  8. Seam

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a bottle

All 8 parts on the diagram

Show the list

The can 4

  1. Body The straight wall of the can.
  2. Bottom It bulges inward to resist the pressure of a fizzy drink.
  3. Neck The top of the body, squeezed in to meet the lid.
  4. Seam The rim where the lid's edge is rolled round the body.

The lid 4

  1. Tab A lever: lifting it pushes the opening in.
  2. Lid The flat end that closes the top of the can.
  3. Opening A panel scored into the lid so it breaks open cleanly.
  4. Rivet It is formed from the lid and holds the tab on.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Drink can (lid, can body, the tab and its rivet, the scored opening, the lid seamed round the edge of the body, neck, bottom), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drink_can. (2) How Products Are Made, Aluminum Beverage Can (lid, rivet, pull tab, the scored lid and its opening, neck, the flange seamed shut, the bottom that bulges inward), http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Aluminum-Beverage-Can.html. (3) The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association, How cans are made (body, ends seamed onto the body, tab), https://www.mpma.org.uk/how-cans-are-made/. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A drink can is made of two pieces, a body and a lid. This drawing names four parts on the standing can and four on the lid seen from above.

Read the full guide

The can first, then the lid

The body is one piece with the bottom, which bulges inward. At the top the body is squeezed in to make the neck, and the edge of the lid is rolled round it to make the seam. On the lid, the tab is held by a rivet formed from the lid itself. Lifting the tab presses its nose down on the opening, a panel scored into the lid, and the panel folds in out of the way.

  • Lid and end name the same part; can makers say end.
  • The opening is not cut through until the tab is lifted. It is only scored.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a can called?

A drink can has a body with a neck at the top and a bottom that bulges inward, and a lid joined to the body by a seam. On the lid are the tab, the rivet that holds it, and the scored opening.

What is the tab on a can called?

A tab, or stay-on tab, because it stays on the can after opening. Earlier cans had a pull-tab, a ring that tore a strip of the lid right off.

Why is the bottom of a can curved inward?

The shape helps the thin metal stand up to the pressure of the carbonated drink inside.

How does the tab open a can?

The tab is a lever fixed to the lid by a rivet. Lifting its free end pushes its nose down on a scored bit of the lid, which folds under the top of the can and leaves the opening.

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