SankalpPackaged drinking water in India runs across five pack formats and they do not share a closure. The 200 ml cup is not capped at all, it is heat sealed with a film lid. Bottles from 250 ml to 2 litres sit on a 28 mm neck. The 5 litre can steps up to a 38 mm jar cap and the 20 litre jar to 55 mm. R Vision manufactures one size, 28/15 mm.
Key takeaways
- Pack format, not brand, decides the closure size. One plant filling cups, bottles and jars runs three closure formats.
- 28 mm is the working diameter for Indian water bottles from 250 ml through 2 litres. The 5 litre can is quoted at 38 mm and the 20 litre jar at 55 mm.
- IS 14543 expects the water to be packed in clean, food-grade containers and sealed so the pack is protected, whichever format you fill.
- R Vision manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures. Every other size below is industry reference.
The reference chart
| Pack format | Closure format | Nominal size in circulation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 ml and 300 ml cup | Heat sealed film lid | No cap size | Film cut, placed and sealed on a cup filling and sealing machine |
| 250 ml PET bottle | Plastic screw cap or aluminium ROPP | 28 mm neck | Same neck family as the 1 litre, shorter body |
| 500 ml PET bottle | Plastic screw cap or aluminium ROPP | 28 mm neck | The volume format, usually a 28 mm Alaska neck |
| 1 litre PET bottle | Plastic screw cap or aluminium ROPP | 28 mm neck | As above, heavier preform |
| 2 litre PET bottle | Plastic screw cap or aluminium ROPP | 28 mm neck | Some lines run lighter 26 mm finishes |
| Glass water bottle, hotels and premium retail | Aluminium ROPP | 28 mm ROPP finish | Where a printed metal shell is wanted on shelf |
| 5 litre can | Moulded jar cap | 38 mm | Listed by Indian suppliers as 38 mm or 38/23 |
| 20 litre jar | Moulded jar cap, push or screw | 55 mm | Indian jar cap makers quote 55 mm neck size |
Treat these as the formats in circulation, not as a specification you can order against. Two bottles quoted at a nominal 28 mm can still be cut to different finish drawings, so the drawing reference is what a closure supplier needs.
Why 28 mm carries the bottle segment
The 28 mm neck is wide enough to fill at speed and small enough to cap at speed, and because most Indian preform makers tool for it, closures and change parts are easy to source. Indian preform suppliers describe the 28 mm Alaska neck as the most popular neck in the packaged drinking water industry for more than two decades. Alongside it, plants built on a carbonated soft drink platform run the PCO finishes published by the International Society of Beverage Technologists, and plants chasing resin savings are moving to the narrower 26 mm finishes CETIE publishes as GME data sheets. None of the three are interchangeable.
The split that matters for a water brand is closure format rather than diameter, because a roll-on shell is formed onto the thread during capping instead of screwed onto it. 28mm ROPP caps covers the aluminium side of the 28 mm family, and types of water bottle caps compares the formats.
The cup end and the jar end
Cups are the format most often left out of a cap size chart, because there is no cap. The sealing specification is a film and a seal temperature rather than a diameter and a thread, though the compliance question is identical: the pack has to be sealed so the water is protected and interference is visible.
Above 2 litres the closure stops being a bottle cap and becomes a jar cap. Indian suppliers of 20 litre jar caps quote a 55 mm neck size, usually a moulded push or screw cap with a pull tab, made for dispenser inversion rather than hand pouring. The 5 litre can is listed at 38 mm. Neither is an aluminium roll-on format, because the closure has to survive repeated jar returns and the diameters sit outside the ROPP range.
Where R Vision fits
R Vision manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures. Aqua Cap is the packaged drinking water closure, with a three-part break system ring, a TPE liner and an 8 bar rating, adhering to USFDA and EU standards. That single size covers the 250 ml to 2 litre bottle band and the glass water bottle, where most retail volume sits. Cup, 5 litre and 20 litre formats are listed as industry reference and R Vision does not supply them.
Specifying the right one
Start from the bottle. Get the neck finish drawing from your preform or glass supplier, note whether the pack is meant for a moulded closure or a roll-on closure, and confirm the fill condition, because a carbonated or hot-filled line changes the liner requirement. How to measure bottle cap size walks through the caliper readings, and closures for packaged drinking water compares the formats on cost and compliance.
Frequently asked questions
What size cap does a 1 litre water bottle use in India?
A 1 litre PET water bottle almost always sits on a 28 mm neck, the same family used for 500 ml and 2 litre bottles. Whether that neck takes a moulded plastic screw cap or an aluminium roll-on cap depends on the finish drawing the preform was cut to, so confirm the drawing rather than ordering against the nominal diameter.
What is the cap size of a 20 litre water jar?
Indian jar cap manufacturers quote a 55 mm neck size for the 20 litre packaged drinking water jar. The closure is a moulded plastic push or screw cap, usually with a pull tab, made to survive repeated jar returns and to seat on a dispenser. It is not an aluminium roll-on format.
Do 200 ml water cups have a cap?
No. Cups are sealed with a heat sealed film lid. On a cup filling and sealing machine the cup is denested and filled, then film is cut, placed and sealed over the rim before ejection. There is no diameter or thread to specify, only the film and the seal settings.
Is 28 mm the same on every Indian water bottle?
Not exactly. Several 28 mm systems are in use, including the Alaska neck long established in Indian packaged drinking water and the PCO finishes that arrived with carbonated soft drink lines. They share a nominal diameter but differ in thread geometry and height, so a closure made for one will not necessarily seat on another.
Does R Vision make caps for 20 litre jars?
No. R Vision manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures, covering the 250 ml to 2 litre bottle range and glass water bottles. Jar caps at 38 mm and 55 mm appear here as industry reference so a water brand can see the whole range in one place.
Sources
- Bureau of Indian Standards, product manual for packaged drinking water, IS 14543.
- International Society of Beverage Technologists, ISBT Threadspecs, for the 28 mm PCO finish guidelines.
- CETIE, Finish data sheets (GME), for the 26 mm and 28 mm PET finish series.
- 4M Plaastech, water jar caps, for the 55 mm neck size on 20 litre jar caps.
- MD PET Packaging, Alaska PET preform, 28 mm neck, for the standing of the Alaska neck in Indian packaged drinking water.
R Vision Pvt. Ltd manufactures 28/15 mm aluminium ROPP closures from Sinnar, Nashik. Send a sample bottle or your finish drawing through contact us.