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Canned food has rings stamped on the lids. What (or who) has the code?

Here is a photo with crab and tuna tops. Maybe the better word would be "indentations"?

photo of can lids

wjandrea
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deane nelson
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  • Does this answer your question? [Expiration dates vs. "Best before" dates?](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/76070/expiration-dates-vs-best-before-dates) – moscafj Sep 14 '21 at 18:20
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    Was this accidentally posted here, instead of [Puzzling SE](https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/)? – BruceWayne Sep 15 '21 at 02:15
  • @moscafj not the stamped letter, the actually stamping of the metal.... – CGCampbell Sep 21 '21 at 15:40

2 Answers2

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There’s no hidden code in the rings, they are just there to stabilize the thin metal.

A flat sheet is weaker and more flexible than one with ridges - the same reason why roof and wall metal is usually corrugated. On taller cans you will often also find corrugated areas on the sides of the can, hidden by the paper label.

Stephie
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    For cans which are sealed before being cooked or sterlilized by heating, the rings also give better resistance to the internal pressure generated. A flat top can only bend a small amount before the seam joining to the side of the can will break. A corrugated top can bulge upwards without breaking. – alephzero Sep 15 '21 at 03:16
  • >> "... same reason why roof and wall metal is usually corrugated" and why perforated paper sometimes tears everywhere except the perforation. – mcalex Sep 15 '21 at 06:44
  • I don't think the roof/wall comparison holds. The ridges would have to be along the radius, not the circumference, to provide any use against bulking out. I think the main reason could be that the lids are cut out of rolled material, and the ridges are to get rid of the bend from rolling and make sure the lids are completely flat so they can be sealed without problems. – MaxD Sep 15 '21 at 07:44
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    @MaxD Not necessarily against bulking (see alephzero’s comment and note that I didn’t write “during storage” or something like that), but as you wrote, increase overall stability in the lid part. Can lids sold for home canning ([random example](https://wellscan.ca/product/6oz-307x111-can-and-gold-regular-lid/)) come with the ridges already. It not only makes them flat, but prevents warping during transport, storage and running them through the machinery. – Stephie Sep 15 '21 at 08:28
  • Concentric rings would allow the lids to expand in diameter, to accommodate the can expanding, reducing the risk of the sides pulling away from the lid. – CCTO Sep 15 '21 at 18:09
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    To prove definitely that there is no code, it would be best to find an image with cans of completely different products with the same size and the same ring pattern. – Federico Poloni Sep 16 '21 at 07:24
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    @FedericoPoloni I linked to a seller that offers empty cans (e.g. for home butchers and small-scale producers). They can be filled with whatever suits the user… – Stephie Sep 16 '21 at 07:26
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    @FedericoPoloni: Not that I suspect there to be any encoded information, but that's not a proof at all, as long as we don't know what the code is for. Rather than related to the contents, the ring pattern might just as well indicate the type of production machinery used to create the can (and, for what it's worth, it's well possible it *does*, albeit unintentionally so). – O. R. Mapper Sep 16 '21 at 08:29
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    @O.R.Mapper These rings are clearly messages from Q to the pillow guy. Just keep staring at the cans and you might crack it. – JimmyJames Sep 16 '21 at 14:51
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    @Stephie & Alephzero are correct. The beads/steps/panels are on the ends to add strength and rigidity. An engineer who specializes in such could explain the configuration and arrangement better than I, but the configuration has to do with the thickness of the metal, the can diameter, and the processing requirements for the foods that end up in the cans. Some foods require higher temperatures during processing which generates higher pressure/vacuum, etc. OTOH, it has very little to do with "flatness". They're stamped out at tremendous pressure and even the ones without features are plenty flat. – gnicko Sep 16 '21 at 16:10
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Actually, there can be encoded information stamped into the can ends, but it's probably not what you're thinking it is.

The presses which make the ends from sheets of metal usually contain multiple dies. Each time the press cycles, the dies stamp out an individual can end.

Presses in a factory

In some cases the individual dies are identified by a small mark in the pattern of beads (rings) and panels that are stamped into the ends. The pattern of beads and panels themselves don't mean anything, but the ID marks found in the beads can convey meaning. The pattern of ID marks varies from press to press, and manufacturer to manufacturer. Many ends don't even have these marks, but many do.

Here's a disappointingly poor picture from the Canadian government which almost shows the ID marks on a can end:

Parts of a metal can end

The first "bead" of the gold-colored end in the bottom right portion of the graphic shows a couple ID marks a the end of the arrow.

Here's another picture from the same source that shows an ID mark on a can end:

enter image description here

The ID mark is the one at roughly the 10-o'clock position. The "feature" at the 12-o'clock position is a defect.

For anyone who is interested, more information from the Canadian government regarding the inspection of food cans can be found here... (I used to be a food can inspector in a previous life and this is an excellent summary of can defects, their causes, and the manufacturing process in general. I encourage all "foodies" to check it out! Guaranteed to slow up your next visit to the grocery by at least 30 minutes....)

Apart from keeping track of the manufacturing processes, machine conditions, etc. there's no "code" which translates to the contents of the can or the filling operations.

The ID marks tell the people who run the end presses which die, and which machine, the end came off of. They can also identify which sets of dies are installed in the machine as that can vary depending on metal thickness, maintenance requirements, etc. and for keeping sets together appropriately and so on.

The same end presses are generally used to make a variety of can ends, for a variety of foods so any ends made on a particular press could end up on anything in the grocery.

gnicko
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    Love it when I learn something new! – Stephie Sep 16 '21 at 15:10
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    @Stephie That's why we're here! I'm just all geeking out having an opportunity to share some knowledge I haven't had a chance to talk about for 25 years... – gnicko Sep 16 '21 at 15:26