Pure CSS Products & branding #loop #sass-loop #product #cylinder #label

Drinks can in pure CSS

Twenty flat strips form the cylinder. Every strip shows the same wide label, shifted by its own index, so the artwork wraps around without a seam.

100 lines of CSS
12 lines of HTML
No JavaScript
No dependencies
MIT licensed

Video 1.1 MB GitHub

How it works

Twenty strips are the sides of a regular 20-gon: strip i gets rotateY(i × 18°) translateZ(r), with r = (width / 2) / tan(180° / 20) ≈ 34.7px for 11px strips.
Every strip carries the whole label (background-size = one lap, 220px) and shifts it left by its own index: background-position: i × −11px. Neighbours line up, so the artwork wraps without a seam.
The light must not turn with the can. Each strip has a dark overlay that fades in and out over one lap; a negative animation-delay of i × −(8s / 20) starts strip i already at its place on the way round.
Top and bottom are discs centred on the edge and laid flat with rotateX(±90deg). The white streak is outside the spinning element, so it stays where the lamp is.

Key techniques

rotateY(i × 18°) translateZ(radius)
background-position: i × −strip width
per-strip shading via animation-delay
discs laid flat with rotateX(90deg)

HTML 12 lines

<div class="scene">
  <div class="can">
    <div class="spin">
      <i style="--i:0"></i><i style="--i:1"></i><i style="--i:2"></i><i style="--i:3"></i><i style="--i:4"></i>
      <i style="--i:5"></i><i style="--i:6"></i><i style="--i:7"></i><i style="--i:8"></i><i style="--i:9"></i>
      <i style="--i:10"></i><i style="--i:11"></i><i style="--i:12"></i><i style="--i:13"></i><i style="--i:14"></i>
      <i style="--i:15"></i><i style="--i:16"></i><i style="--i:17"></i><i style="--i:18"></i><i style="--i:19"></i>
      <b class="top"></b><b class="bottom"></b>
    </div>
    <span class="streak"></span>
  </div>
</div>

CSS 100 lines

.scene {
  perspective: 800px;
}

.can {
  position: relative;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  transform: rotateX(-16deg) rotateZ(-9deg);
}

.spin {
  position: relative;
  width: 70px;
  height: 118px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  animation: spin 8s linear infinite;
}

.spin > i {
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: calc(50% - 5.75px);
  width: 11.5px; /* a hair wider than its 11px slice, so no seams show */
  height: 100%;
  backface-visibility: hidden;
  /* the whole label on every strip, one lap (220px) long */
  background-image:
    linear-gradient(#e6e9f5 0 3%, #9aa1bd 5%, transparent 5% 95%, #9aa1bd 95%, #e6e9f5 97%),
    radial-gradient(circle at 55px 50%, #ff4d9d 0 8px, #fff 8.5px 15px, transparent 15.5px),
    radial-gradient(circle at 165px 50%, #2ee6d6 0 8px, #fff 8.5px 15px, transparent 15.5px),
    linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 0 18%, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.28) 18% 24%, transparent 24% 68%, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.28) 68% 74%, transparent 74%),
    linear-gradient(90deg, #8b6cff, #ff4d9d 50%, #8b6cff); /* same colour at both ends: no seam */
  background-size: 220px 100%;
  /* strip i shows slice i */
  background-position: calc(var(--i) * -11px + 0.25px) 0;
  transform: rotateY(calc(var(--i) * 18deg)) translateZ(34.7px);
}

/* fixed lighting: each strip darkens and brightens once per lap, started i/20 of the way round */
.spin > i::after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  background: #05060f;
  animation: shade 8s linear infinite;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--i) * -0.4s);
}

.top,
.bottom {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  width: 70px;
  height: 70px;
  border-radius: 50%;
}

/* centred on the top edge, then laid flat */
.top {
  top: -35px;
  background:
    radial-gradient(ellipse 9px 13px at 50% 68%, #3a3f5c 0 95%, transparent 100%),
    radial-gradient(circle, #cfd3e6 0 52%, #8f96b3 54% 60%, #eef0fa 62% 86%, #a3a9c4 88%);
  transform: rotateX(90deg);
}

.bottom {
  top: calc(100% - 35px);
  background: radial-gradient(circle, #6d7391 0 50%, #a3a9c4 52%);
  transform: rotateX(-90deg);
}

/* a specular streak just in front of the surface; it does not spin */
.streak {
  position: absolute;
  top: 9%;
  left: calc(50% - 19px);
  width: 8px;
  height: 82%;
  border-radius: 4px;
  background: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.55), transparent);
  transform: translateZ(35.7px);
  pointer-events: none;
}

@keyframes spin {
  to { transform: rotateY(360deg); }
}

/* 0% = facing you. Brightest near 330° (lamp front-left); 25–75% faces away and is hidden */
@keyframes shade {
  0%      { opacity: 0.08; }
  6.25%   { opacity: 0.23; }
  12.5%   { opacity: 0.44; }
  25%, 50% { opacity: 0.62; }
  75%     { opacity: 0.34; }
  87.5%   { opacity: 0.04; }
  91.5%   { opacity: 0; }
  100%    { opacity: 0.08; }
}

Sass source 142 lines

@use 'sass:math';

$n: 20; // strips
$w: 11px; // the slice of label each strip shows
$h: 118px;
$turn: 8s;
// A closed ring: the strips are the sides of a regular 20-gon, so radius = (w / 2) / tan(180° / n).
$radius: math.div($w * 0.5, math.tan(math.div(180deg, $n))); // ≈ 34.7px
$label: $w * $n; // the label is exactly one lap long: 220px

.d-can {
  position: relative;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  transform: rotateX(-16deg) rotateZ(-9deg);

  &__spin {
    position: relative;
    width: 70px;
    height: $h;
    transform-style: preserve-3d;
    animation: d-can-spin $turn linear infinite;

    // Sass only hands every strip its index; all the geometry below is one calc() each.
    @for $i from 0 to $n {
      > i:nth-child(#{$i + 1}) {
        --i: #{$i};
      }
    }

    > i {
      position: absolute;
      top: 0;
      left: calc(50% - #{$w * 0.5} - 0.25px);
      width: $w + 0.5px; // a hair wider than its slice so no seams show between strips
      height: 100%;
      backface-visibility: hidden; // the far side of the can is hidden by the near side anyway
      // Every strip carries the WHOLE label (background-size = one lap) and slides it left by
      // its own index, so strip 7 shows slice 7. Neighbours line up and the art wraps around.
      background-image:
        linear-gradient(#e6e9f5 0 3%, #9aa1bd 5%, transparent 5% 95%, #9aa1bd 95%, #e6e9f5 97%),
        radial-gradient(circle at 55px 50%, var(--hot) 0 8px, #fff 8.5px 15px, transparent 15.5px),
        radial-gradient(circle at 165px 50%, var(--accent-2) 0 8px, #fff 8.5px 15px, transparent 15.5px),
        linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 0 18%, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.28) 18% 24%, transparent 24% 68%, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.28) 68% 74%, transparent 74%),
        linear-gradient(90deg, var(--accent), var(--hot) 50%, var(--accent)); // same colour at both ends = no seam
      background-size: $label 100%;
      background-position: calc(var(--i) * #{-$w} + 0.25px) 0;
      transform: rotateY(calc(var(--i) * #{math.div(360deg, $n)})) translateZ($radius);

      // Lighting must stay put while the can turns. Each strip darkens and brightens over one
      // lap; the negative delay starts strip i already i/20 of the way round.
      &::after {
        content: '';
        position: absolute;
        inset: 0;
        background: #05060f;
        animation: d-can-shade $turn linear infinite;
        animation-delay: calc(var(--i) * #{math.div($turn, -$n)});
      }
    }
  }

  // Discs centred ON the top / bottom edge, then laid flat: no translate needed.
  &__top,
  &__bottom {
    position: absolute;
    left: 0;
    width: 70px;
    height: 70px;
    border-radius: 50%;
  }

  &__top {
    top: -35px;
    background:
      radial-gradient(ellipse 9px 13px at 50% 68%, #3a3f5c 0 95%, transparent 100%),
      radial-gradient(circle, #cfd3e6 0 52%, #8f96b3 54% 60%, #eef0fa 62% 86%, #a3a9c4 88%);
    transform: rotateX(90deg);
  }

  &__bottom {
    top: calc(100% - 35px);
    background: radial-gradient(circle, #6d7391 0 50%, #a3a9c4 52%);
    transform: rotateX(-90deg);
  }

  // A fixed specular streak floating just in front of the surface. It is outside the spinning
  // element, so it stays where the "lamp" is.
  &__streak {
    position: absolute;
    top: 9%;
    left: calc(50% - 19px);
    width: 8px;
    height: 82%;
    border-radius: 4px;
    background: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, rgb(255 255 255 / 0.55), transparent);
    transform: translateZ($radius + 1px);
    pointer-events: none;
  }
}

@keyframes d-can-spin {
  to {
    transform: rotateY(360deg);
  }
}

// 0% = strip facing the viewer. The lamp sits front-left, so the brightest point is at about
// 330° (91%). Between 25% and 75% the strip faces away and is not drawn at all.
@keyframes d-can-shade {
  0% {
    opacity: 0.08;
  }

  6.25% {
    opacity: 0.23;
  }

  12.5% {
    opacity: 0.44;
  }

  25%,
  50% {
    opacity: 0.62;
  }

  75% {
    opacity: 0.34;
  }

  87.5% {
    opacity: 0.04;
  }

  91.5% {
    opacity: 0;
  }

  100% {
    opacity: 0.08;
  }
}

Standalone snippet · plain CSS, no build step, no dependencies.

How it works

Key techniques

Copy-paste code

HTML 12 lines

CSS 100 lines

Sass source 142 lines

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