What should be the Brimful Capacity or volume?

The brimful capacity of a jerrycan or bottle is the container’s maximum capacity to hold water/product. It is also called overflow capacity. The brimful capacity of a jerrycan with press-fit closure or the screw closure can hold water or product until the top (or brim) of the jar or bottle.

The main question always arises, what should be the maximum capacity, and what are the factors of Brimful capacity to be considered before packaging design?

To understand the maximum capacity, we initially need to scrutinize our product behavior. Following industries like Food, Pharma, Chemical, and Industrial Packaging, all are having different aspects for selecting the overflow capacity. But typically, we choose a standardized procedure.

How is BC, required to control the packaging stability?

Naturally, if the considered volume of the product is such same as Brimful capacity, it will create a problem in store with leakage or spill-out issues. Let me take an example of food packaging; suppose your product has volume just the same as Brimful capacity. And somebody takes your product and opens it, without notifying the product volume. It just spill-out with a little hard pressure from the pack. The food industry depends on the ready-to-drink concept. So, it better is to take the gap between the product and capping. But the volume of the product is above average; it will not create an issue. But the customer will think of another concept like the product volume is lesser as per the description. 

Another factor, somehow, is if a product got deteriorates after the shelf life or as such. Due to this, the gas will release from the product, the top part where the gap is there, fill with generated gas, and continual process makes bulging (outer) of the pack. With this extra space overhead in overflow capacity, it will not burst the package. 

Third, Someway if the pack product slip from the customer’s hand during carrying, the gap will sustain the inside bulging due to this impact. 

Now, what should be the volume criteria for calculating the Brimful capacity? 

It depends on the nature of packaging, flexible, and rigid packaging.

For rigid packaging, usually, go with a 5~7 percentage of the gap. But it should be more than eight percent because nowadays we have lesser thickness bottles or jars which tend to be inside bulging with just a reasonable impact. We cannot avoid the effect but can reduce the leakage with these factors. Either increase the thickness for lesser impact or increase the Brimful capacity.

For flexible packaging, companies are taking into consideration of 10 percent of the gap with the same reasons apply here.