How do you calculate container loss on a filling line?

Divide the broken, damaged, leaked, or rejected containers by the empty containers issued to the line, then multiply by 100. With 725 lost out of 52,000 issued you get about 1.39% container loss.

What is an acceptable container loss percentage?

Targets vary by container, but many lines aim for under 1.5% for cans and under 2% for glass. At 1.39% against a 1.5% target you are inside tolerance with about a tenth of a point of headroom.

Is container loss the same as a reject rate?

Not quite. Reject rate usually counts only what an inspection station kicks out, while container loss here captures all empties that fail to become finished product, including breakage and leaks that never reach a reject station.

Why is my container loss increasing?

Common drivers are excessive conveyor line pressure, worn star wheels or change parts, seamer or capper misadjustment, and incoming glass or can quality. A sudden jump often precedes a major jam, so investigate early.

How much does container loss cost?

Multiply lost containers by the unit cost of the empty plus any product already filled into it. At 725 lost containers per 52,000 run, even a few cents each compounds quickly across weekly volume.

How do I reduce container loss below target?

Reduce conveyor back-pressure, audit and replace worn change parts, verify seamer and capper settings, and screen incoming container quality. Cutting the example loss from 1.39% toward 1% saves roughly 200 containers per 52,000 run.

Bottling, Canning & Filling Lines calculator

Container Loss Calculator

Container loss measures the share of empty bottles or cans issued to the packaging line that never make it out as good finished product because they break, leak, jam, or get rejected. Packaging engineers and cost accountants track it because empty containers are a real material cost and a real environmental and downtime driver, especially with thin-wall cans and lightweight glass. Even a loss under 2% adds up fast across millions of containers a week. A rising loss rate often signals conveyor pressure, a misadjusted filler or seamer, or glass quality problems before they become a line-wide jam.

What this calculator does

Estimate the percentage of bottles, cans, jars, or other containers lost before they become saleable finished goods.
a packaging team needs to quantify container damage, rejects, or leakage against the number of containers issued to the line
It computes broken, damaged, leaked, or rejected containers as a percentage of the empty containers issued to the line, plus how that compares to your loss target.

Formula used

Container loss = broken, damaged, leaked, or rejected containers ÷ empty containers issued to the packaging line × 100
Gap to target = target - container loss

Inputs explained

Broken, damaged, leaked, or rejected containers:
Empty containers issued to the packaging line:
Container loss target for the run:

How to use the result

Use it per run or per shift to monitor material yield and catch a container-handling or seaming problem early.
It treats all losses as one bucket; it tells you how much you lost but not whether the cause was infeed breakage, fill rejects, or seam failures, so pair it with reject-station data.

Common questions

How do you calculate container loss on a filling line? Divide the broken, damaged, leaked, or rejected containers by the empty containers issued to the line, then multiply by 100. With 725 lost out of 52,000 issued you get about 1.39% container loss.
What is an acceptable container loss percentage? Targets vary by container, but many lines aim for under 1.5% for cans and under 2% for glass. At 1.39% against a 1.5% target you are inside tolerance with about a tenth of a point of headroom.
Is container loss the same as a reject rate? Not quite. Reject rate usually counts only what an inspection station kicks out, while container loss here captures all empties that fail to become finished product, including breakage and leaks that never reach a reject station.
Why is my container loss increasing? Common drivers are excessive conveyor line pressure, worn star wheels or change parts, seamer or capper misadjustment, and incoming glass or can quality. A sudden jump often precedes a major jam, so investigate early.
How much does container loss cost? Multiply lost containers by the unit cost of the empty plus any product already filled into it. At 725 lost containers per 52,000 run, even a few cents each compounds quickly across weekly volume.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.