About Cask Colour Banding

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) & Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) maintain an informal container colour band registration scheme on behalf of UK brewers.

The colour band combinations are created using colours:

The colours shades derive from the British Standard BS 4800 series (1972) but similar shades are also used from the RAL system.

The bands are applied side by side, separated by a small gap, usually between the rolling rings of the containers.

. Single Bands are only noted to be in use because these pre-dated the scheme and were not allocated on an organised basis.

. Double Bands were originally registered by the BBPA exclusively on behalf of individual companies. However, some smaller brewers adopted similar colour bands without knowledge of the registration scheme and every effort has been made since to avoid duplication.

. Triple Bands were adopted when double colour combinations were exhausted.

Any queries or amendments should be directed to dsheen@beerandpub.com or containers@siba.co.uk. 

This is a voluntary system with the aim of avoiding duplication. The BBPA and SIBA cannot be held responsible for any errors or misunderstandings arising from the sorting/collection of containers.

Colour bands should be regarded as an aid to identification and not a definitive system.

Containers should be identified by all means available, i.e. brewers name stamped on container, product labels etc.