Urban Canteen™ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Thank you for your interest in the Urban Canteen, our world-class premier-grade stainless steel water bottle. From our headquarters in MD, we frequently address questions that are phoned in from new and existing customers. Below we have compiled a list of the top questions we are asked with our answer to the question directly below the question.

So, before you call our office with a question, please review the list of common questions our answers below to see if your question is already answered herein for you. Thank you again for your interest in our Urban Canteen line of products.

How does the Urban Canteen differ from the other reusable bottles on the market?
Today there are many reusable water bottles entering the marketplace, and for good reasons. Here is why you should purchase your stainless steel water bottles from Urban Canteen.

First of all, Urban Canteen is based right here in the USA, with small headquarters in Ellicott City, Maryland. Ask the same question to the competitors, and you’ll find out that half of the competitors out there are foreign owned businesses, with headquarters located in other countries. Then if you rule out the competitor(s) who are owned by giant corporate conglomerates, then Urban Canteen is your best choice for purchasing your canteen.

We are the premier supplier of stainless steel bottles for people like you; people who care about their health and the health of our planet. We guarantee that the Urban Canteen bottles are manufactured with the highest quality; BPA-free, food-grade stainless steel and they are 100% recyclable.

Every day fill your Urban Canteen with water, juice, a smoothie, or iced tea – its ready to use again and again. Your body will thank you for the chemical free water you drink and our planet thanks you for not adding more plastic to our landfills. 

Urban Canteen is committed to your health as well as the health of our planet. Refillable 100% Stainless Steel Urban Canteens are very strong and easy to clean.  They are free of toxins and are non-leaching, making them the healthiest choice for anyone who wants to increase their wellness. Urban Canteens are made from the same food-grade stainless steel that is commonly used by the food processing, dairy, and brewery industries.  Unlike plastic or aluminum containers that must be lined, our Urban Canteens are always liner-free and odor free, so you enjoy only the clean, fresh taste of water and nothing else.

We are committed to providing our customers with the best environmentally responsible products available.  Your Urban Canteen will keep your drinks, fresh, crisp, and clean.  Please enjoy your Canteen and thanks for Respecting Our Planet!

What are the technical specifications of the Urban Canteen?
Even though each Urban Canteen bottle is made of stainless steel, they are lighter than they appear to be. Tests were conducted on various wall thicknesses and the metallurgists found the best mix of strength, durability and weight. The wall thickness of our bottles is significantly thicker than other lower-quality “stainless steel water bottles” on the market. The Urban Canteen does not dent or bend as easily and yet they are still lightweight and easy to carry while exercising or hiking long distances.

Each Urban Canteen weighs only a few ounces making it convenient and easy to take everywhere! It has a large enough opening to accommodate full size ice cubes or even small pieces of fruit, but easily fits into most cup holders, whether they are in your car, on your bike, or on your stroller. Urban Canteens will last for years and when you finally decide to replace it, your Canteen is 100% recyclable, making it healthy for you and the planet.

Urban Canteen Features and Specifications

Large Size (#27) Urban Canteen Stainless Steel Bottle -  Capacity & Weight
Capacity: 27 fluid ounces (800 ml)
Weight: 6.125 oz (w/o cap)
Size: 9" H (w/o cap) x 2.75" W
Opening Diameter: 1.75"/44mm
Base Diameter: 2.75"
Make: SAE 304 Food Grade Stainless Steel

Medium Size (#18) Urban Canteen Stainless Steel Bottle -  Capacity & Weight
Capacity: 18 fluid ounces (532 ml)
Weight: 5.125 oz (w/o cap)
Size: 7" H (w/o cap) x 2.75" W
Opening Diameter: 1.75" / 44 mm
Base Diameter: 2.75"
Make: SAE 304 Food Grade Stainless Steel

Small Size (#12) Urban Canteen Stainless Steel Bottle -  Capacity & Weight
Capacity: 12 fluid ounces (355 ml)
Weight: 4.125  oz (w/o cap)
Size: 7" H (w/o cap) x 2.75" W
Opening Diameter: 1.75" / 44 mm
Base Diameter: 2.75"
Make: SAE 304 Food Grade Stainless Steel

How much does the Urban Canteen weigh when it is full with water?
Water weighs 8.345 pounds per US gallon (128 fluid ounces), or

  • 1.76 pounds per 27 fluid ounces
  • 1.17 pounds per 18 fluid ounces
  • 0.78 pounds per 12 fluid ounces

So simply add that amount to the weight of the empty bottle and cap to get your full carry weight.

How many different kinds of bottles does Urban Canteen make and what are their differences?
Urban Canteen has three different Canteen bottle product lines including: The Stainless Steel Canteen, the Wine Carafe, and the Lead-Free Glass Decanter. The Stainless Steel Canteen is available in three (3) different sizes (including 27 fluid oz (800 ml), 18 fluid oz (532 ml), and 12 fluid oz (355 ml)). Pick the size that is best for you or your child.

More Information about the Urban Canteen ‘Wine Carafe’
Urban Canteen offers stainless steel wine carafes in 3 different colors including: Brushed Stainless; Crimson Red; and Marroo Purple. All wine carafes come with a stainless steel flat cap. Our Wine Carafe is made of the same high-quality 18/8 food grade stainless steel used in the food and wine making industry. It is BPA and toxin free. 100% recyclable and 100% reusable. There is no inner lining and it never holds or leaches flavors.

The durable lightweight eco friendly wine carafe bottle and its stainless steel flat cap are both completely dishwasher safe. The wine carafe is Shatterproof and it can be taken to any destination such as picnics, beaches, hiking or going on a boat ride.

More about the Urban Canteen Lead-Free Glass Decanter
The lead-free Glass Decanter is available in one size: 25.3 fluid oz (or 750 ml). The Glass Decanter caps are made from polypropylene, a safe plastic that's free of BPA, phthalates and other toxins.

Why use Glass? Many plastic bottles leach plastic byproducts like BPA and phthalate chemicals into the water, affecting both the taste and water purity. The longer water sits in a plastic container, the more contaminated the water will become. The only way to keep water truly fresh and pure is to store it in a food-grade stainless steel container or glass container, both of which are completely inert, and safe for food and beverages.

Does Urban Canteen make an aluminum bottle?
No, Urban Canteen does not make an aluminum bottle. Aluminum is not as strong as stainless steel, but is slightly lighter in weight. This doesn’t matter much as most of the weight if the item when full is attributed to the liquid contents anyway, not the bottle. However, aluminum is reported to leach potentially harmful aluminum metal and/or aluminum-based chemicals when it gets hot or comes in contact with anything acidic. Studies indicate that there may be a link between aluminum exposure and the Alzheimer's disease.

To make sure that the fluids within an aluminum bottle are safe, most manufacturers add a layer of plastic to the interior as a coating or liner. The most common materials used to line aluminum bottles are plastic resins or baked-on epoxies, both of which can potentially contribute BPA and other harmful chemicals into your drink. And during the internal cleaning process the lining can get scratched, once again exposing the aluminum underneath. Less common than plastic or epoxy liners, ceramics can be used to line aluminum bottles, but ceramics are more rigid and can crack, especially if the bottle gets dented.

Some aluminum water bottle manufacturers do not release information about the liner on their aluminum bottles so it is unknown to the consumer what the lining is actually made from. Various plastic liners can retain flavors from previous fills, and that can make your drink taste strange.

The stainless steel used to make all Urban Canteens is safe food-grade, and completely free of BPA, phthalates, lead and other harmful substances. Urban Canteen’s are fine for acidic beverages or foods because they will not leach chemicals, and they do not retain or impart flavors from previous fills. That is why food-grade stainless steel is the material most commonly used in professional commercial food preparation and by the brewing, beverage and wine-making industries.

Do Urban Canteens contain or leach BPA?
There is absolutely no BPA in any of Urban Canteen’s products, caps or parts. Every Urban Canteen made is 100 % food-grade stainless steel, and totally free of BPA or other harmful substances. Even Urban Canteen’s plastic caps are BPA free.

We chose food-grade stainless steel for our bottles because over time it has been proven to be safe and toxin-free. Stainless steel is made of many elements and minerals that come from the earth, including some of the very same minerals recommended by the FDA as part of a healthy human diet.

Food-grade stainless steel has been used in the brewing, food and winemaking industries for over a hundred years. It's the material of choice for food or beverages, because it doesn't retain or impart flavors.

Again, all of our caps and lids are BPA-free too. They are made from very stable polypropylene (pp#5) plastic that does not contain BPAs, or impart any flavor to contents.

Do any of the Urban Canteens have a liner?
No. All Urban Canteen products are liner-free, and made from pure food-grade stainless steel that's totally free of BPA and other harmful substances. There is no need for a liner when using food-grade stainless steel.

Because stainless steel is inherently stable, non-toxic and safe, it is not necessary to coat the inside of the bottle with a plastic lining. This is one of the main differences between a stainless steel Urban Canteen and aluminum bottles made by Urban Canteen’s competitors.

Why does Urban Canteen sell plastic caps, and not just stainless steel caps?
Many consumers prefer our plastic caps over the stainless steel caps. Maybe they feel that the plastic and steel surfaces together form a tighter seal compared to the steel against steel, although the fact is both caps seal equally well. Caps made from stainless steel are a little heavier and they are a little more expensive.

If you want nothing except food-grade stainless steel in contact with your beverage, Urban Canteen offers both Polypropylene and stainless steel cap options, so simply pick the one that suites you best.

Are the polypropylene caps as safe as the food-grade stainless steel caps?
Yes, since both cap types are safe and non-toxic, it’s completely a matter of personal preference as to the one that is best for you.

Urban Canteen uses polypropylene because it contains no Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that is known to leach out of the surfaces of some kinds of plastic… a potentially harmful chemical that has been linked to various types of diseases. Polypropylene has no known leaching characteristics and is softer than other types of plastic.

What is SAE 304 food-grade stainless steel and what does SAE 304 stand for?
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) designates SAE steel grades. Stainless steel’s resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance and relatively low cost make it an ideal base material for a host of commercial applications. There are over 150 grades of stainless steel, of which fifteen are most commonly used. Stainless steel is an iron-containing alloy made from some of the basic elements found on earth: iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel, carbon, nitrogen and manganese. The properties of the final metal change depending on varying amounts of these elements.

Austenitic, or SAE 300 series, stainless steels make up over 70% of total stainless steel production. They contain a maximum of 0.15% carbon, a minimum of 16% chromium and sufficient nickel and/or manganese to retain an austenitic structure at all temperatures from the cryogenic region to the melting point of the alloy. Type 304 is the most common grade of stainless steel; it’s also referred to as the classic 18/8 stainless steel. A typical composition of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, commonly known as 18/8 stainless is often used in cookware and flatware.

All Urban Canteens are constructed from high-quality 304 (food grade) stainless steel. 304 Food Grade stainless steel is also used in making stainless steel kitchen work tables, kitchen sinks, ventilation hood systems, backsplashes, etc. for the foodservice industry. Stainless steel is easy to clean, durable, inert and sanitary. That's why it's the material of choice among the food processing, dairy and brewing industries.

Can the metal nickel affect my health since it is a part of the stainless steel alloy?
Nickel is a naturally abundant metallic element that is found in the earth's crust, soil and ocean floors. It is by nature resistant to corrosion, and therefore it is used to make metal alloys like stainless steel.

Many chemical agents, including nickel, can cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) which results in inflammation of areas of the skin in sensitized individuals (mostly from low-grade jewelry).

Elemental nickel and sweat-soluble nickel salts both may cause ACD by sweat solubilization (corrosion) of nickel and the formation of nickel ions, during intimate and prolonged contact with the skin. The rate of nickel ion release to the skin is dependent primarily on the specific substance having contact with the skin. Non-occupational contact with nickel in Europe, primarily through nickel-plated clothing fasteners and jewelry in pierced ears, has reportedly sensitized about 5-15% of females and about 0.5-1% of males.

The use of most stainless steel alloys in consumer products does not constitute a health risk from nickel ACD both because most stainless steels have been shown to be incapable of causing nickel sensitivity and/or because such items would not come into contact with the skin at the required intensity or for the required time.

The nickel industry is involved in and will continue to be proactive in supporting scientific research on the mechanism of nickel ACD, in improving tests for nickel sensitivity, and in conducting studies to ensure that specific uses of nickel do not pose health risks for the general population.

Does the paint on Urban Canteens contain lead or other harmful chemicals?
No. We guarantee that here is absolutely No Lead or any other harmful chemical in any of the Urban Canteen products. When we selected the paint for our colored bottles, we made sure to use a safe and durable paint that resists scratching. We tested dozens of different non-toxic paints and selected an acrylic paint that is completely harmless.

My child ate some of the paint off of my Urban Canteen. What should I do?
Do not be alarmed, the paint on the Urban Canteen bottle is a nontoxic, acrylic resin that is totally free of lead and any toxic chemicals. So you've got nothing to worry about except for your child’s strange behavior. Feed the little guy something more nourishing than paint! That being said, we recommend buying the Brushed Stainless finish for small children who like to chew on things.

Are Urban Canteens made in the USA?
The USA-based Urban Canteen Company was created to promote good health and environmental responsibility by providing people with an affordable alternative to disposable plastic and lined aluminum bottles.

Urban Canteen decided to have the base stainless steel water bottles manufactured mainland China to keep the costs down as low as possible so that the business can remain viable. Urban Canteen’s president and CEO Jeff Honsberger visited the Chinese plants that make the canteens and set in place standards to ensure that our bottles are produced safely, sustainably and that the workers who make the Urban Canteens are treated and paid fairly. By manufacturing in China, Urban Canteen can provide quality crafted food-grade stainless steel water bottles at a reasonable price.

How can I be notified about special deals, discounts and promotions?
If you want to be among the first to find out about our product specials, discounts or closeouts, keep a close eye on our blog (www.UrbanCanteen.com/blog) and sign up to receive email alerts.

Is the Chinese stainless steel that is used in the Urban Canteen as safe as the USA Stainless?
Urban Canteen’s quality assurance and quality control inspectors regularly use accredited third-party metallurgical testing laboratories to ensure that every bottle we sell is made from the same SAE 304 alloy food-grade stainless steel without exception. The SAE 304 food-grade stainless steel alloy is a standard formula that is recognized and manufactured worldwide by an exact metallurgical process. We guarantee the quality of every canteen we sell for life, and use independent testing laboratories to ensure alloy quality standards are met for every bottle made.

Urban Canteen will continually strive to be one of the safest and most environmentally responsible beverage container manufacturers in the world.

Can I use my Urban Canteen for milk, breast milk or formula?
Yes, you can fill your canteen with any consumable liquid.  Again, your Urban Canteen is made of food-grade stainless steel and it is the same material used in the brewing and dairy industries.

Can I use my Urban Canteen for carrying alcohol?
Yes, you can fill your canteen with any consumable liquid.  Please note that, we make a special bottle we call the Wine Carafe which is designed just for wine lovers. Stainless steel bottles are however perfect for carrying liquor, if desired.

Can I fill my Urban Canteen with acidic beverages such as orange juice or cola?
Yes, you can fill your canteen with any consumable liquid, although we do not recommend cola. Acidic beverages such as fruit juices (and even sugar-filled-cola) will not corrode or damage the SAE 304 food-grade stainless steel.

Do Urban Canteens sweat?
It depends on the temperature of the liquid inside of the bottle. Warm liquids, or liquids at room temperature, will not cause the stainless steel surface to sweat.

Condensation is the physical process by which a vapor becomes a liquid, generally as a result of a lowering of the temperature. When the liquid inside the canteen is cold, it makes the outside stainless steel surface cold as well. The cold stainless steel surface causes the moisture in the warm air to condense onto its surface. The dew point is the temperature at which humid air must be cooled to (at constant barometric pressure) for water vapor in the air to condense into water. Dew or sweat is water vapor that condenses on the surface of the cold stainless steel. The condensed water is actually called dew, and the temperature that this occurs at is called the dew point.

Can I put hot liquids in my Urban Canteen?
Yes, not a problem, you can fill your canteen with any consumable liquid.  However, we do not recommend using the standard Urban Canteen for hot beverages because the stainless steel surface can become almost as hot as the contents. So be careful when handling hot beverages or soups in your Urban Canteen. There are double-wall insulated thermos containers on the market that are better suited for hot liquids.

Can I put my Urban Canteen in the freezer?
Do not put your Urban Canteen into a freezer. If the canteen is full, the force of liquids expanding as they freeze can cause your Urban Canteen to become deformed and it can possible break the weld that holds the bottle together. Freezing any Urban Canteen voids the one-year warranty against manufacturer defects.

Can I put my Urban Canteen on a stove or in an open fire?
Yes, in a survival situation when you want purify water further by heating it before consumption, the stainless steel bottle can be placed on a fire or a stove. Please remove the cap first to avoid a build-up of pressure from steam. Except for emergency survival situations, we do not recommend that you place your colored bottle onto hot coals or into an open fire, as it will damage the paint.

Heating Your Urban Canteen over an open fire may damage the bottle and voids the one-year warranty.

What is the best way to clean my Urban Canteen stainless steel water bottle and the lids?
To keep your Urban Canteen in peak condition, rinse with soapy water and allow drying with the cap off.

For a fast mild cleaning, just rinse your bottle a few times with warm, soapy water and then let it drain and dry upside-down before replacing the lid or cap. It’s always best to store your Urban Canteen dry for long periods between uses.

When a deeper cleaning is required, Urban Canteens can safely be washed in the dishwasher, However the Caps should never be washed in the dishwasher. Always hand wash the caps. Even though Your Urban Canteen is completely dishwasher safe, we recommend hand washing the interior of the bottles to ensure a more thorough cleaning of the inside walls and interior canteen floor.

When it’s time for a more thorough cleaning use warm, soapy water and scrub the interior with a bottle brush. Or, for even better results, you can use an old-fashioned home-made cleaning fluid like diluted vinegar or water and baking soda and water. Hand washing with a one to one mixture of water and white vinegar or water and baking soda is one of the best ways to ensure a deep, odor-free cleaning.

I accidently allowed my Urban Canteen to freeze (in my car in the Winter), and now the bottom is bulging out. Is there a way to fix it?
First inspect the canteen to make sure it's still safe to drink from. Freezing the water bottle does not alter the composition of the food-grade stainless steel in any way or the safety, but the expansion from the freezing of the water can put so much force on the steel that it causes it to bulge or even split at the weld, and possibly create a sharp edge.

Freezing your Urban Canteen while it contains liquids voids the one-year warranty because the expansion of the liquid can put so much force on the steel weld that it causes it to split to break-point. Sometimes when freezing a canteen that is not totally full nothing at all happens. It depends on whether the cap was on tight, and on the amount of liquid that was in the Canteen when it froze.

If the bottom of your bottle is bulging outward due to freezing, it may be easy to force back into place. To fix it put the mouth of the bottle on a padded flat surface, then push on the bottom of the bottle with the palm of your hand to bend the bottom back into the flat position once again.

If it is too difficult to bend the bottom back into place with your hand, flip the canteen over and put the bottom of the bottle on a hard (but slightly padded) flat surface. Take the cap off and put a flat object like a board or a book on top of the opening. Then push straight down onto the bottle using your body weight until the bottom bends back to flat once again. This should work to flatten out the bottom of your bottle.

If you own tools, you can try a rubber mallet, but unless you are careful and know what you are doing, you may cause more damage. If that doesn’t work, simply buy a new one. Life’s too short; you work hard and deserve to have a brand-new shiny stainless steel canteen to quench your thirst.

I dropped my Urban Canteen causing an inward dent. Is it possible to work the dent out?
Urban Canteen bottles are made of heavy gauge stainless steel, but they can dent if you drop them or crush them against another hard object. Urban Canteen’s one-year warranty covers manufacturer's defects only, and does not cover damage caused by dropping or crushing of the bottle.

If you dropped your bottle and caused an inward dent to form, in some cases you can use a long wooden dowel or the handle of a wooden kitchen spoon to work the dent out from the inside. Put the handle inside the bottle and try to push the dent back out with your hands. If that doesn’t work, try to tap on the spoon end with a hammer to work the dent back out. Use wood, not a metal object to bang the dent outward because it is softer than metal and less likely to further damage or even puncture your bottle.

Take your time, and slowly work the dent out. We heard an interesting story through a field sales rep that one Urban Canteen owner loved his Canteen so much, when he dented it by accident, he used auto body putty to fill in his dent, then he sanded it smooth to match the original contour of the bottle and then spray-painted it to look like it was brand new.

Even if you have a dent in your bottle, it is still 100% safe to continue to use, because every Urban Canteen is made of SAE type 304 food-grade stainless steel throughout with no liner on the inside, and most dents simply change the shape of the bottle, without changing its composition.

Where can I buy Urban Canteens? Are they sold in any retail stores?
You can order all of the products we offer right here through our website (www.UrbanCanteen.com). We offer a secured shopping cart and checkout for your purchases.

You may also run across a University Store or other retailer that is authorized to sell Urban Canteen products. Many of them offer branded (like for University stores with University Logos). So if you're looking for something specific, rather than try to find a local store that carries the products you want, You’re here now, buy what you want right here, right now online! All orders placed by 12:00 Noon are shipped same day.

Can I order an Urban Canteen with a stainless cap instead of a polypropylene cap?
Yes, Urban Canteen offers caps in six (6) different cap varieties. Four (4) of them are 100% BPA-Free Polypropylene, and the other two (2) are a combination of stainless steel and Polypropylene. The retail price of the Urban Canteen includes any one of the Polypropylene caps. You simply chose the one you want when ordering. There is a small additional cost for the stainless steel cap upgrade – the Polypropylene – stainless steel hybrid caps cost more to manufacture.

We recommend that you purchase spare caps for different purposes, so you can swap them out for different outdoor activities. So, If, in addition to your plastic cap, you want a Stainless Loop or Stainless Flat cap for your Urban Canteen, you can simply order it separately as an accessory add-on for a small additional fee.

My Urban Canteen Cap broke. Will you replace it?
Yes, if the malfunction is a result of a manufacturing defect we will replace the cap free of charge. All Urban Canteen stainless steel bottles and caps or lids have a one-year warranty against manufacturer’s defects, but not against blatant misuse. Please send us your damaged or broken items along with your return address and we'll replace them free of charge if we consider the cause to be a Manufacturer’s defect.

What do you consider to be normal wear and tear for the color-coated (painted) Urban Canteens?
Under normal use, the paint on the colored Urban Canteens will not flake off or chip. We thoroughly tested our acrylic paints for safety and durability. Under rugged use however, the paint can be nicked or scratched when it rubs against other hard or sharp objects. Some people report that sharp edges on a metal water bottle cage (like those on mountain bikes) will scratch the paint. That’s the perils of being a physically conditioned athlete. Again, when your bottle gets too beat up from use, buy another new one, you work hard and you deserve to have a fine looking water supply bottle.

But if your paint is flaking or peeling off without an apparent cause, you might have a bottle from a bad batch, which does happen occasionally in the coating industry. Perhaps if a batch of bottles’ exterior surfaces were not perfectly clean when sprayed, they might chip or peal easier. If that is the case, you’re covered by our warranty and we'll replace the canteen at no cost to you.

To prolong the life of your colored Urban Canteen, we recommend keeping it clean by hand washing it with mild detergent. The Brushed Stainless Steel finish will not chip off.

Do I have rust stains in my bottle, and can they be removed?
The food-grade stainless steel walls of an Urban Canteen will not rust. If your bottle appears to have rusted it may just be stained from the liquid or juice and need a good cleaning.

By taking care of your new Urban Canteen you can expect years of dependable service. Please read the information presented below to get the most out of your Urban Canteen.

  • Wash and rinse the product thoroughly before first use and after each use. Hand washing is recommended for best results.
  • DO NOT use abrasive cleansers or scrubbers since they may dull the finish.
  • DO NOT use bleach or cleaners containing chlorine on any parts of the product.
  • DO NOT microwave Stainless Steel containers.
  • DO NOT overfill product. Hot foods or liquids can scald user.
  • Dairy products or other liquids that spoil easily should not be kept in your Urban Canteen for prolonged periods.
  • Remove odors and lingering tastes by washing the canteen and lid with vinegar, then washing them again with soap and water. Scrubbing the inside of the canteen gently with damp baking soda is an even more effective way to remove lingering smells and tastes, but doing so can dull the stainless steel finish a bit.