#10 Can Size and Other Can Sizes: What Each Holds and How to Cost It

By Marji · Published September 29, 2026 · 5 min read

A No. 10 can holds an average of 96 to 117 ounces — 12 to 13⅔ cups — depending on its contents, according to USDA. For costing, what matters is the part you use: a No. 10 can of kidney beans gives about 11 cups drained. Divide the can price by the drained cups or ounces your recipe actually uses.

Can sizes are trade names, not label information. USDA's Food Buying Guide notes that "can sizes are industry terms and do not necessarily appear on the label", and that the net weight printed on a can depends on what is inside it: a No. 10 can of sauerkraut may weigh 6 lb 3 oz and one of cranberry sauce 7 lb 5 oz (USDA Food Buying Guide, Introduction, p. I-21). The same item can also carry different net weights from different manufacturers. Read the label for weight, and measure for yield.

Common can sizes

USDA Food Buying Guide, Tables 2 and 3: average net weight or fluid measure, average volume, cans per case and principal products
Can size	Average net weight or fluid measure	Average cups	Cans per case	Principal products
No. 10	96 oz (6 lb) to 117 oz (7 lb 5 oz)	12 to 13⅔	6	Institutional: fruits, vegetables, some other foods
No. 3 Cylinder	51 oz or 46 fl oz	5¾	12	Institutional: condensed soups, some vegetables, meat and poultry products, juices
No. 2½	26 to 30 oz	3½	24	Family size: fruits, some vegetables
No. 2 Cylinder	24 fl oz	3	24	Family size: juices, soups
No. 2	20 oz or 18 fl oz	2½	24	Family size: juices, ready-to-serve soups, some fruits
No. 300	14 to 16 oz	1¾	24	Small: some fruits and meat products
No. 2 (vacuum)	12 oz	1½	24	Small: principally vacuum-packed corn
No. 1 (picnic)	10½ to 12 oz	1¼	48	Small: condensed soups, some fruits, vegetables, meat, fish
8 oz	8 oz	1	48 or 72	Small: ready-to-serve soups, fruits, vegetables

No. 5 and No. 303 are not among the sizes in USDA's common-size tables (the guide mentions them only in passing); for those, and for any can, the printed net weight is the figure to use. Cups in the table are the average volume of the whole can, liquid included.

Net weight is not the amount you use

For a mix of solids and liquid, federal rules require the net quantity to be stated by weight (21 CFR 101.7), and FDA's labeling guide explains that "the water or other liquid added to food in a container is usually included in the net quantity declared on a label" (FDA, A Food Labeling Guide). Drained weight appears on a label only in some cases, such as olives and mushrooms. When your recipe drains the beans, the brine you pour away is part of what you paid for.

USDA Food Buying Guide yield data for No. 10 cans (Vegetables and Fruits yield tables); drained share = drained weight ÷ net weight
Item	Net weight	USDA yield	Drained share
Kidney beans	108 oz	About 72 oz (11 cups) drained, unheated	66.7%
Black beans	109 oz	About 73 oz (10 cups) drained, unheated	67.0%
Whole kernel corn, liquid pack	106 oz	About 73.3 oz (10⅔ cups) drained, unheated	69.2%
Diced peaches, light syrup	106 oz	About 79 oz (8¾ cups) drained	74.5%
Diced tomatoes	102 oz	About 12¼ cups heated, tomatoes and juice	Not drained

USDA's figures come from its child nutrition program guide and describe typical products, not your brand. Heating changes them again: the same No. 10 can of kidney beans gives about 65 oz (9⅝ cups) heated and drained, against 72 oz drained unheated. Tomatoes used with their juice have no drained loss at all. See the vegetable yield table and the fruit yield table for other items.

Worked example: cost per cup, drained

Worked example · Hypothetical case of six No. 10 cans of kidney beans at $39.00

Cost per can: $39.00 ÷ 6 = $6.50
Net weight per can: 108 oz
Drained yield (USDA figure; measure your brand): 72 oz, about 11 cups
Cost per drained ounce: $6.50 ÷ 72 = $0.0903
Cost per drained cup: $6.50 ÷ 11 = $0.59
A drained cup priced at the net-weight rate: $0.39 — understated by a third

A drained cup weighs about 72 ÷ 11 = 6.55 oz. At the can's net-weight rate of $6.50 ÷ 108 = $0.0602 per ounce, that cup looks like $0.39. The difference is the 33.3% of the can that went down the drain.

In the free recipe cost calculator, enter the can as the purchase — $6.50 for 108 oz — and the drained share as the usable yield, 66.7%. The calculator then prices each drained ounce at $0.0903. If your recipe already lists the undrained quantity, use the net weight and no yield; do not apply the loss twice.

Compare cans on usable yield, not net weight

Two brands with the same net weight can drain to different amounts, and a cheaper case can cost more per usable cup. Before switching products or can sizes, open one of each, drain them the same way for the same time, weigh the solids and compare cost per drained ounce. The supplier comparison guide applies the same logic to meat and produce. Federal standards of fill of container set minimum drained weights for some products — whole kernel corn that drains to less than 61% of the container's water capacity has to be labeled "Below Standard in Fill" (21 CFR 155.130) — but a legal minimum is not a yield to cost with.

Record the can size, net weight, brand, supplier and invoice date.
Drain into a colander for the same length of time every test, without pressing.
Weigh the drained solids and write the drained share: drained weight ÷ net weight.
Measure cups only if the recipe portions by volume; weigh when it portions by weight.
Repeat with a second can and a later delivery. Retest when the brand or supplier changes.

In a Marji account, invoice review converts a case into the ingredient's unit from the pack contents you confirm, so the can's net weight becomes a cost per pound or ounce. Drained yield stays a measurement you supply in the recipe quantities.

How many ounces are in a #10 can?

USDA gives an average net weight of 96 to 117 ounces (6 lb to 7 lb 5 oz), depending on the density of the contents. The label on your can gives its actual net weight.

How many cups are in a #10 can?

About 12 to 13⅔ cups of contents, liquid included, by USDA's averages. Drained, it is less: USDA lists about 11 cups of drained kidney beans and 8¾ cups of drained diced peaches per No. 10 can.

Is the net weight on a can the drained weight?

No. For foods packed in liquid, the net weight usually includes the liquid. Drained weight is printed only in some cases, so measure it for anything you drain.

How many No. 10 cans are in a case?

USDA lists six No. 10 cans per case. Confirm the pack on your invoice, because suppliers can sell other pack counts.

Cost a recipe with canned goods

Enter the can price and net weight, the drained share as usable yield, and the drained ounces your recipe uses. See the cost per portion without an account.

Cost a recipe