Bottle Cap Closure Origin and Types

Bottle caps and closures are designed in a way to keep the contents fresh and clean. In simple words, a bottle cap closure is a device that seals the contents from the atmosphere, spilling, evaporation, and dust. 

Origin of Bottle Caps

The origins of bottle caps started in 1890. It was William Painter who came up with the one-time use cap. He named the cap crown cork as it resembled the British Queen’s crown. Crown cork is even used now. Earlier crown caps consisted of a metal cap with twenty-four teeth but now it is manufactured with twenty-one teeth. It was designed in a way to press over the glass lip of a bottle. A bottle opener is required to open the crown cap. With minor changes in designs, it is used even now. 

Bottle caps have seen various evolutions. Today there are various stylish choices types of bottle caps available in the market. Here are some of the famous bottle cap closures. 

1. Cork closure-  This bottle was famous till the early 20th century. It had a simple and highly effective cork or cork stopper. This cork is made from the bark of an oak tree.
2. Threaded closure- This is a non-cork closure that comes in both externally threaded and internally threaded versions. It has a rubber type stopper
3. Externally threaded screw cap – External threaded is the most common bottle closure of the 20th century and it also has wide varieties.
4. Lightning type of closures- The lightning closure is also called a swing type closure and it is mostly used for carbonated beverages.
5. Stoppers- A stopper is any closure that fits the neck of the bottle. The most famous type of stopper is the glass stopper. Glass stoppers appeared in the US at 1790

Facts about Bottle Caps

• The standard bottle cap size is 26mm
• Early 19th century faced a demand for glass bottles and jars
• In the middle of 19th century, the use of glass bottles and jars was on the peak, which paved the way for the development of bottle closures
• Screw caps were invented in 1856
• In 1960, the emergence of less expensive synthetic and sparse cork replaced the crown caps with plastic.
• Almost all beer and soft drinks bottle was spotted with crown caps in mid-1900s