# Why don't most canned foods have pull rings? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565 "2026-10-03T16:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/21 "2026-10-03T20:21:12Z")
I don’t know if there is some EU rule about it, but almost all the cans I have used in the last few years have been pull-to-open. I opened a tin of salmon last week and had trouble finding an opener for it ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/22 "2026-10-03T23:05:11Z")
[P38](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener)on my keychain. I don’t worry about it ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/23 "2026-10-03T23:17:56Z")
Tuna. Doesn’t tuna always require a can opener? I haven’t seen a can yet, store brand or name brand, that was pull-to-open. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/24 "2026-10-03T23:55:59Z")
I sure have. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/25 "2026-10-03T23:57:43Z")
I hope it spreads then, because that would be awfully convenient. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/26 "2026-10-03T23:58:31Z")
Yeah, I think there is/was a four pack of smaller cans and I believe they were pull top. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/27 "2026-10-04T00:12:50Z")
Amazon demonstrates several kinds of pull-top in standard-sized cans: **[Amazon.com : Search - tuna in pull-top cans](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tuna+in+pull-top+cans&crid=2H3RPEF02QYXB&sprefix=tuna+in+pull-top+can%2Caps%2C180)** ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/28 "2026-10-04T00:34:16Z")
Japanese tend to use fewer canned food and it’s almost all pull-top. I bought some large cans of clam chowder at Costco and was surprised to see they weren’t pull-top, and had to go out and buy a can opener. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565/29 "2026-10-04T09:05:51Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > In my local (UK) supermarkets pretty much all but the cheapest budget range cans are now pull ring, regardless of the contents. This may depend on what you’re buying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ring-pull can of salmon, for instance, and that’s hardly budget range. If you want baked beans, there’s plenty of choice, and most cans will have ring-pulls – if you want borlotti beans, or canellini, there’s probably just the one option, and it won’t. Key-opened cans still seem to be the standard for solid meat products like Spam or corned beef, because you need to remove the entire top of the can to get the stuff out. As someone who’s had to have stitches from opening a can of corned beef, I’d like a better alternative, but I can’t imagine what that would look like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-most-canned-foods-have-pull-rings/1033565.md?page=1)