SankalpAn aluminium ROPP cap has no thread when it leaves the factory, so the bottle’s neck finish is the thread. On glass, the finishes that accept a roll-on pilfer-proof closure are the MCA family at 28 mm, each published by CETIE as a numbered GME data sheet, the 38 mm standard ROPP glass finish GME 401, the Indian roll-on pilferproof sizes from 22 to 70 mm in IS 7511 (Part 4), and the deep BVS and pilferproof finishes used on wine and spirits. PCO 1810 and PCO 1881 get quoted in the same conversation, but they are PET finishes, 21 mm and 17 mm tall, and they take moulded plastic closures.
Key takeaways
- CETIE publishes the finish geometry as GME data sheets. MCA 1 is GME 32.05, MCA 3 is GME 32.01, MCA 7.5 R is GME 32.06, the 7.5 RF universal pressure finish is GME 32.02 and GME 401 covers the 38 mm standard ROPP glass finish at 7 turns per inch.
- India publishes its own roll-on pilferproof geometry in IS 7511 (Part 4): standard finishes at 22, 25, 28, 31.5, 53 and 70 mm, shallow at 38 and 46 mm, deep at 31.5 mm and extra deep at 30 mm.
- PCO 1810 and PCO 1881 are 28 mm PET soft drink finishes published by the International Society of Beverage Technologists as drawings 1165362-2 and 3784253-21. Their finish heights are 21 mm and 17 mm.
- A threaded GPI finish such as 28-410 is not a ROPP finish, whatever its diameter.
- R Vision’s 28/15 mm closures are supplied against MCA I/II/III, MCA 7.5 R, MCA 7.5 RF and PET BPF finishes. Every other finish named here is industry reference.
Every finish a ROPP closure seats on
The finishes below are drawn for an aluminium closure that is formed onto the glass at capping. The rows near the top are short finishes, for water, soft drinks and similar products; those lower down include the deep finishes used for wine, liqueurs and spirits.
| Finish | Published as | Diameter | What the source gives | Typical product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCA 1 | CETIE GME 32.05 | 28 mm | Screw finish designated MCA 1 | Beverages |
| MCA 3 | CETIE GME 32.01 | 28 mm | Screw finish for bottles with internal pressure | Carbonated beverages, one-way or returnable |
| MCA 7.5 R | CETIE GME 32.06 | 28 mm | Screw finish for returnable glass | Returnable bottles |
| 7.5 RF universal | CETIE GME 32.02 | 28 mm | Screw finish for pressurised or vacuum liquids | Pressurised and vacuum-packed liquids |
| 28 pilferproof for alpha syrups | CETIE GME 307 | 28 mm | Pilferproof finishes for syrups | Syrups |
| 25 pilferproof for alpha syrups | CETIE GME 306 | 25 mm | Pilferproof finishes for syrups | Syrups |
| Pilferproof, pressured beverages | CETIE GME 320 | Given on the sheet | Pilferproof finish for pressured beverages | Carbonated beverages |
| Pilferproof, non-pressurised supplementary series | CETIE GME 305 | Given on the sheet | Pilferproof finishes for non-pressurised products | Still products |
| 38 mm standard ROPP | CETIE GME 401 | 38 mm | 7 turns per inch, a 3.63 mm pitch | Wide-neck glass |
| Standard roll-on pilferproof | IS 7511 (Part 4) | 22, 25, 28, 31.5, 53, 70 mm | 28 mm: thread 26.77 to 27.41 mm, depth to ring 15.17 to 15.67 mm, pitch 3.63 mm | Water, beverages, liquor to IS 1662 |
| Shallow roll-on pilferproof | IS 7511 (Part 4) | 38, 46 mm | 38 mm: thread 36.73 to 37.49 mm, pitch 3.17 mm | Wide-neck food bottles |
| Two-start pilferproof | CETIE GME 30.14 | 28H44, 30H60, 31,5H60 | Compatible with caps for standard BVP finishes | Liqueurs and sweet liquids |
| Deep BVS | CETIE GME 30.13; EN 16293 | 30 H 60 and others | Deep screw finishes for still wines | Still wine |
| BVP screw finishes | CETIE GME 30.06 | Includes BVP 18 STD and 31.5 H 60 | Screw finishes for non-carbonated products | Spirits, non-carbonated liquids |
| Deep and extra deep roll-on pilferproof | IS 7511 (Part 4) | 31.5 mm deep, 30 mm extra deep | 30 mm: thread 27.99 to 28.63 mm, depth to ring 31.70 to 32.20 mm | Indian made foreign liquor to IS 1662 |
Two points in that table are worth taking to a glass supplier. The Indian 38 mm shallow finish is cut at a 3.17 mm pitch while CETIE’s 38 mm standard ROPP finish runs at 7 turns per inch, which is 3.63 mm, so a 38 mm closure set up for one should not be assumed to fit the other. And the Indian 30 mm extra deep finish measures under 29 mm across its thread, so a spirits bottle can caliper like a 28 and still need a 30 mm long skirt closure. The full Indian table is in neck finish standards on Indian glass bottles, the deep series in BVS neck finishes, and the effect of depth on the cap in long skirt vs short skirt ROPP caps.
The MCA glass finishes
MCA is the family of 28 mm glass screw finishes designed for aluminium roll-on closures. A ROPP shell has no thread until the rollers form one against the glass, using the finish as a mandrel, so the sheet the bottle was cut to is the controlling document rather than the cap drawing. The ROPP capping process walks through that sequence.
| Finish | CETIE data sheet | Scope as published |
|---|---|---|
| MCA 1 | GME 32.05 | 28 mm screw finish for glass containers designated MCA 1 |
| MCA 3 | GME 32.01 | 28 mm screw finish for one-way or returnable glass containers with internal pressure |
| MCA 7.5 R | GME 32.06 | 28 mm screw finish for glass containers, MCA 7,5 R, for returnable glass |
| 7.5 RF universal | GME 32.02 | 28 mm finish for glass containers for pressurised or vacuum liquids |
| 38 mm standard ROPP | GME 401 | 38 mm standard ROPP glass finish, 7 turns per inch |
MCA II appears in supplier listings within the same 28 mm family, and glass makers list an MCA2 finish for low-carbonation wine, but CETIE’s published sheets cover only the four above. If a drawing calls out MCA II, ask the glass supplier which sheet it was cut to. The commercial split in that table is returnable against one-way: MCA 7.5 R is for returnable glass, where the sealing surface survives repeated washing and refilling, while the 7.5 RF universal finish is written for pressurised or vacuum liquids.
PCO 1810 and PCO 1881 are PET, not glass
These two codes come up constantly in Indian bottling conversations, so it is worth being exact. Both are 28 mm carbonated soft drink finishes published by the International Society of Beverage Technologists as voluntary Threadspecs guidelines, and both are PET. PCO is commonly read as “plastic closure only”, and what runs on them is a moulded plastic closure, not a rolled aluminium one.
| Finish | Published as | Diameter | Finish height | What separates it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCO 1810 | ISBT drawing 1165362-2, 28 mm CSD | 28 mm | 21 mm | The older and taller of the pair, with more thread height on the neck |
| PCO 1881 | ISBT drawing 3784253-21, 28 mm CSD | 28 mm | 17 mm | The shorter lightweight successor, adopted from 2009 onward |
CETIE also publishes two PET PCO finishes in millimetre notation, PET PCO finish 27/22-21-1/3,18 as GME 32.03 and PET PCO finish 28/22-17-1/2.7 as GME 32.04. Their 21 mm and 17 mm heights line up with the two PCO generations, but ISBT and CETIE documents are separate drawings, so confirm which one a preform was cut to. PCO 1881 exists because a shorter finish carries less resin in the preform neck and less material in the closure. That saving is in polymer, not aluminium, because a rolled aluminium cap is not the format these finishes were drawn for. The two are not interchangeable, and a line switching between them changes preform, closure and capping head together.
26/22 GME 30.40
CETIE lists this one as PET finish 26/22-15,1-1/2,3, specified for carbonated beverages up to 10,2 g CO2 per litre in bottles of up to 2,0 litres and up to 8,8 g per litre in bottles up to 3,0 litres. Read in the same notation, it is 15.1 mm tall with a single-start thread on a 2.3 mm pitch. The 26 mm thread diameter is narrower than the 28 mm PCO family, which is the point: less neck, less resin, lighter pack. Read alongside PCO 1810 it shows the direction of travel on the PET side. The glass MCA finishes have stayed put, because an aluminium shell already weighs a fraction of a moulded closure. The PET formats on Indian water lines are surveyed in neck formats on Indian packaged water bottles.
Where a ROPP finish and a threaded finish differ
A ROPP finish carries a locking ring under its thread for the pilfer band and is drawn for aluminium to be formed against it, while a threaded GPI finish such as 28-410 is drawn for a cap that arrives already threaded, so the two are not the same finish even at the same diameter. The side-by-side dimensions at 28 mm are in GPI and SPI finishes against ROPP finishes.
Which finishes R Vision supplies to
R Vision manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures and supplies against MCA I, MCA II, MCA III, MCA 7.5 R, MCA 7.5 RF and PET BPF finishes. PET BPF is the PET finish designed to take an aluminium roll-on closure rather than a moulded one, which is why it sits alongside the glass MCAs. Aqua Cap and Bev Cap are both 28/15 mm with a TPE liner and an 8 bar rating, adhering to USFDA and EU standards. Other sizes named here are industry reference, and R Vision makes no closures for the deep wine and spirits finishes.
Confirming your finish before you order
Ask the glass or preform supplier for the finish designation and the drawing number, and check whether that drawing is a CETIE GME sheet, an ISBT Threadspec or a national standard such as IS 7511, because the same nominal diameter appears in all three systems. Then send a bottle for a capping trial. How to measure bottle cap size covers the caliper readings and the size they give, neck finish codes and cap sizes explains how a code such as 38-400 is read, and the ROPP cap size chart lists the diameters in use.
Frequently asked questions
What neck finish do ROPP caps use on glass bottles?
At 28 mm, the MCA family: CETIE publishes MCA 1 as GME 32.05, MCA 3 as GME 32.01, MCA 7.5 R as GME 32.06 and the 7.5 RF universal pressure finish as GME 32.02. The 38 mm standard ROPP glass finish is GME 401. In India, IS 7511 Part 4 gives roll-on pilferproof finishes from 22 to 70 mm, and wine and spirits use deep BVS and pilferproof finishes.
Is PCO 1881 a glass neck finish?
No. PCO 1881 is a 28 mm PET finish for carbonated soft drinks, published by the International Society of Beverage Technologists as drawing 3784253-21, 17 mm tall, and it takes a moulded plastic closure. Glass bottles that take an aluminium roll-on closure use the MCA finishes instead.
What is the difference between PCO 1810 and PCO 1881?
PCO 1810 is the older and taller finish, 21 mm high. PCO 1881 is the shorter lightweight successor, 17 mm high, adopted from 2009 onward, which removes material from the preform neck and from the closure. They are not interchangeable, so switching between them changes preform, closure and capping head together.
Is an 18 mm ROPP finish the same as an 18-350 finish?
Do not assume so. 18-350 is written in GPI notation, where the 350 names a finish style on a threaded finish drawing, while an 18 mm roll-on finish is drawn to take an aluminium closure formed at capping. Compare the two drawings rather than the numbers, and trial a closure on the actual bottle.
What does 26/22 GME 30.40 mean?
It is a PET neck finish published by CETIE as PET finish 26/22-15,1-1/2,3, 15.1 mm tall with a single-start thread on a 2.3 mm pitch. CETIE specifies it for carbonated beverages up to 10,2 g of CO2 per litre in bottles of up to 2,0 litres, and up to 8,8 g per litre in bottles up to 3,0 litres.
Which finishes does R Vision supply closures for?
R Vision’s 28/15 mm aluminium closures are supplied against MCA I, MCA II, MCA III, MCA 7.5 R, MCA 7.5 RF and PET BPF finishes. Send a sample bottle or the finish drawing with an enquiry so the closure is matched to the actual geometry rather than to a nominal diameter.
Sources
- CETIE, Finish data sheets (GME), for GME 32.01, GME 32.02, GME 32.03, GME 32.04, GME 32.05, GME 32.06, GME 30.06, GME 30.13, GME 30.14, GME 30.40, GME 305, GME 306, GME 307, GME 320 and GME 401.
- International Society of Beverage Technologists, ISBT Threadspecs, for the PCO 1810 and PCO 1881 finish drawings.
- Packaging Digest, Short, shorter, the shortest, for the 21 mm and 17 mm heights of PCO 1810 and PCO 1881.
- BIS, IS 7511 (Part 4): 1986, Roll-on Threads Pilferproof, for the Indian finish sizes, dimensions and pitches.
- BSI, BS EN 16293:2020, Deep BVS finishes for still wines.
- Saverglass, select a bottle finish, for the MCA2 wine finish and the BVP spirits finishes.
- CETIE, guidelines for metallic screw capping, for the glass finishes aluminium roll-on closures are applied to.
R Vision Pvt. Ltd manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures from Sinnar, Nashik. Send your finish drawing or a sample bottle through contact us.