“Tall can” usually means a 16 ounce (473 ml) tallboy, the pint-sized can that has taken over craft beer’s cold cases. But the term gets used loosely for anything bigger than the standard 12 ounce can, including 19.2 ounce “stovepipes” and 24 or 25 ounce singles. Here’s how the sizes actually break down.
Beer Can Sizes, Smallest to Largest
| Can Size | Volume | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| 7 oz (nip/stubby) | 207 mL | Small imports, novelty packs |
| 8.4 oz (slim) | 248 mL | Session cans |
| 12 oz (standard) | 355 mL | The default, most 6/12/24-packs |
| 16 oz (tallboy) | 473 mL | Craft IPAs, most 4-packs |
| 19.2 oz (stovepipe) | 568 mL | Convenience-store singles |
| 24 oz (king can) | 710 mL | Malt liquor, budget lagers |
| 32 oz (crowler) | 946 mL | Taproom fills |
Why 16 oz Tallboys Took Over Craft Beer
The 16 ounce tallboy surged in craft beer specifically from the mid-2010s onward, largely riding the hazy IPA boom. It gives breweries a taller, more eye-catching can to print bold artwork on, and it hits a serving size that reads as generous without being a full pint-and-a-half. The 19.2 ounce stovepipe took a different path, becoming the go-to single-serve format for gas station and convenience store cold cases rather than a multi-pack staple.
Tall Cans Worth Knowing
A few real examples across the format range: Olde English 800 and Colt 45 both come in the classic 24 oz malt liquor king can. Hamm’s and Mickey’s are widely available in tallboy-adjacent formats too. On the craft side, Unibroue’s higher-ABV Belgian-style ales like Maudite and La Fin du Monde ship in 16 oz-plus cans specifically because their strength calls for a slower-sipping format rather than a quick 12 oz can.
FAQ
How many ounces is a tall can of beer?
Usually 16 ounces, the standard tallboy size. The term is sometimes stretched to cover 19.2 oz stovepipes and 24 to 25 oz single cans too.
Is a tallboy the same as a stovepipe?
No. A tallboy is 16 oz, a stovepipe is 19.2 oz. Stovepipes are taller and narrower, and are mostly sold as convenience-store singles rather than in multi-packs.
How many standard drinks is a 24 oz tall can?
It depends on ABV, but at a typical 8% ABV, a 24 oz can works out to roughly 3.2 standard drinks by NIAAA measurement, well over what the can size alone suggests.
Where the tall can actually came from
The tall can is not a craft beer invention. Milwaukee’s Schlitz Brewing Company started selling 16 oz cans back in the 1950s, decades before craft brewing existed as a category. What changed is who uses it. Modern craft breweries adopted the tall can, usually sold in four-packs, because it does two things at once: it visually separates a craft four-pack from a 12- or 24-pack of mainstream domestic beer on the shelf, and it lets a brewery sell roughly the same volume as a six-pack of 12 oz cans in a smaller, more distinctive package.
According to Ontario’s LCBO, tall cans now make up around 80 percent of craft beer sales in that market, versus about 5 percent for standard 12 oz short cans. Brewers interviewed on the trend have been blunt about the reasoning: a box of 12 short cans reads as a budget beer to most shoppers, while a four-pack of tall cans reads as a premium one, even though the actual cost difference in aluminum is small.
More beers you will find in each size
Beyond the malt liquor examples already covered, 16 oz tallboys are now the default packaging for most craft IPAs and stouts, from regional breweries up to nationally distributed names. The 19.2 oz stovepipe can shows up almost exclusively as a single-serve convenience store item for mainstream domestic lagers. The 24 oz and 32 oz sizes remain concentrated in the value and malt liquor segment, where a bigger single can at a low price point is the whole appeal.
Frequently asked questions
How many tall cans equal a six-pack of regular cans? A six-pack of 12 oz cans holds 72 oz total. That works out to four and a half 16 oz tallboys, which is why tallboy four-packs (64 oz) come in slightly under a standard six-pack’s total volume.
Are tall cans recycled the same way as regular cans? Yes. All standard aluminum beer cans, regardless of height, go through the same recycling stream and are equally recyclable.
Why do some tall cans say “pounder”? A 16 oz can of beer weighs close to one pound including the liquid, which is where that nickname comes from.
