Everyone knows the famous 26 mm crown corks, ideal for closing glass, plastic and aluminum bottles containing any type of drink (water, beer, wine, soft drinks and much more), but not everybody knows that there are two versions of this historic closure, one called “pry-off” and the other “twist-off”.
While these two variations look very similar, they are not the same.

The difference between pry-off and twist-off closures

At first sight, the two types of cap have the same external appearance: metal shell, corrugations or more simply "crown" and an internal liner. But if you focus better on certain details, you can catch significant differences and distinguish them from each other.
The main difference between the two caps is the method of opening; in fact, the pry-off closures can be removed from the neck of the bottle only with the help of a bottle opener or key, instead, to remove the twist-off caps, it is simply necessary to unscrew them from the bottle with a simple twist of the hand.
Another substantial difference can be seen in the internal liner, in fact it is possible to distinguish the two versions by analyzing the internal surface of the cap. This is because pry-offs feature a dual-lip seal while twist-offs require a single-lip seal.
                                

The presence of one lip or two lips is due to the structure of the various bottles, particularly that of the neck finish, the upper part of the bottle where the closures are applied. In fact, bottles intended for use with pry-off caps have a profile that requires a double lip to adhere perfectly both inside and outside the neck finish. Instead, the more “boxy” profile of the twist-off cap bottles was specifically created to position the closure at the edge of the neck finish and achieve a complete seal, while at the same time allowing for an easy twisting motion to remove the closure.
In general, the crown cork is one of the most widely used closures in the beverage sector, especially for the beer world, this is because it is a reliable product, easy to customize with company logos or creative lithographs, and configurable in every detail.

Pry-off or Twist-off: tradition vs comfort

Generally, European breweries prefer the use of the pry-off cap, in the North American market, particularly in the United States, small craft breweries opt for the use of a pry-off crown cap, following the European trend, while medium and large breweries usually choose the twist-off version, to facilitate manual opening for the end customer.