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A jerrycan or jerrican (also styled jerry can or jerri can) is a fuel container made from pressed steel (and more recently, high density polyethylene). It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold of fuel or water, and saw widespread use by both Germany and the Allies during the Second World War.
The development of the jerrycan was a significant improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and to use, and it contained many innovative features for convenience of use and robustness. Today similar designs are used worldwide for fuel and water containers, in both military and civilian contexts.
By 1939 the German military had thousands of such cans stockpiled in anticipation of war. Motorised troops were issued the cans with lengths of rubber hose in order to siphon fuel from any available source, a way to aid their rapid invasion of Poland at the start of the Second World War.
The one jerrycan in American possession was sent to Fort Holabird, Maryland, where it was redesigned. The new design retained the handles, size and shape, but is most easily distinguishable from the German original by the simplified 'X' - stiffening indentations in the sides of the can. The US can could be stacked interchangeably with German or British cans. The German recessed welded seam was replaced with rolled seams which were prone to leakage. For fuel cans, the lining was removed and a spanner and funnel were required. A similar water can was also adopted, with a flip-top lid and enamel lining.
The US-designed jerrycan was widely used by US Army and Marine Corps units. In all overseas theaters, fuel and other petroleum products represented about 50% of all supply needs, measured by weight. In the European Theatre of Operations alone, over 19 million were required to support US forces by May 1945.
The jerrycan played an important role in ensuring fuel supply to Allied operations. A single standard US 2.5 ton truck could carry of fuel loaded in jerrycans. US logisticians requested over 1.3 million per month to replace losses; these cans were provided by US and British manufacturers, but supply could not keep up with demand. Loss of jerrycans in units was severe, with 3.5 million reported 'lost' in October 1944, for example. At one point in August 1944, lack of cans (caused by losses) limited the supply of fuel that could be brought forward to combat units, even though the fuel was available in rear areas.
The US design was slightly lighter than the German can ( vs. for the German version). These fuel containers were subsequently used in all theatres of war around the world. Such was the appreciation of the cans in the war effort that President Franklin Roosevelt noted, "Without these cans it would have been impossible for our armies to cut their way across France at a lightning pace which exceeded the German Blitzkrieg of 1940."
Though adequate for transport along European roads, the four-gallon containers proved extremely unsatisfactory during the North African Campaign. The crimped or soldered seams easily split during transport, especially off-road over the rock-strewn deserts of North Africa. In addition, the containers were easily punctured by even minor trauma. Because of these problems the troops referred to the 4-gallon containers as Flimsy. Transport of fuel over rough terrain often resulted in as much as 25% of the fuel being lost through seam failures or punctures. Fuel leaks gave vehicles a propensity to catch fire. The containers were routinely discarded after a single use, and severely hampered the operation of the British Eighth Army. A more successful and popular use for the 4-gallon container was to convert it into a cooking stove, referred to as the 'Benghazi burner'.
When the British Army first saw the German fuel cans during the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, they immediately saw the advantages of the superior design. The three handles allowed easy handling by one or two people, or movement bucket brigade-style. The handle design also allows for two empty cans to be carried in each hand, utilizing the outer handle.
The sides of the can were marked with cross-like indentations that strengthened the can while allowing the contents to expand, as did an air pocket under the handles when the can was filled correctly. This air pocket allowed the container to float if dropped in water. Rather than a screw cap, the containers used a cam lever release mechanism with a short spout secured with a flip-top and an air-pipe to the air pocket which enabled smooth pouring (which was omitted in some copies). The interior was also lined with an impervious plastic, first developed for steel beer barrels, that would allow the can to be used for either water or petrol. The can was welded and had a gasket for a leak-proof mouth.
The British used cans captured from the "Jerries" (slang for Germans), hence "jerrycans", in preference to their own containers as much as possible. Later in 1940, Pleiss was in London and British officers asked him about the design and manufacture of the jerrycan. Pleiss ordered the second of his three jerrycans flown to London. After the second capture of Benghazi at the end of 1941, large numbers of Axis Powers jerrycans were captured, sufficient to equip some units such as the Long Range Desert Group.
British companies such as Briggs Motor Bodies, Vauxhall Motors and the Pressed Steel Company manufactured copies of the German design.
The cans were originally intended to be used as , but their usage is now wider. This can be indicated by can colour, affixed labels, and occasionally imprinted labelling on the container itself. This is to prevent contamination of the can's contents by mixing different fuels or mixing fuel with water.
The US version of the jerrycan is covered by military specification MIL-C-1283 F and has been produced since the early 1940s by a number of US manufacturers, according to a current manufacturer, Blitz. The National Stock Number is 7240-00-222-3088. It is considered obsolete by a new A-A-59592 B specification, having been replaced with high-density polyethylene versions.
Finnish designer Eero Rislakki designed a plastic jerrycan in 1970 with a small screwable stopper on the top side behind the handle to allow air flowing in to ensure smooth fuel outflow. It is lighter than the original design yet almost as sturdy. It was quickly adopted by the Finnish armed forces, and is commercially available.
These new regulations do not apply to OSHA-approved metal safety containers, but rather to the common red plastic, portable gas cans. The regulations apply only to newly manufactured petrol cans, and there is no requirement on the part of users to discard their existing cans or to upgrade, although the EPA provides informational resources for implementing community Gas Can Exchange Programs. Furthermore, in the state of California, the following colours are mandated:
Per ASTM F852, the particular shades should be "medium yellow" and "medium blue".
The transportation of dangerous goods (which includes liquid fuels) within Europe is governed by the UN European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR). The term "jerrican" is defined within Chapter 1.2 of the 2011 ADR as "a metal or packaging of rectangular or polygonal cross-section with one or more orifices", a definition which includes the traditional jerrycan but which also covers a wide range of other packagings. The ADR sets performance standards for packaging and specifies what standard of packaging is required for each type of dangerous good, including petrol and diesel fuels. The traditional jerrycan is available in UN-marked approved versions which satisfy the requirements of the ADR.
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