20 litre Jerry Can painted silver DE-ACCESSIONED, NOT RELEVANT . A jerrycan (also written as jerry can or jerrican) was originally a robust fuel container made from pressed steel. It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold 20 litres (5.3 U.S. gallons) of fuel. The development of the jerrycan was a significant improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and funnels to use. Today similar designs are used for fuel and water containers, some of which are also produced in plastic. The designs usually emulate the original steel design and are still known as jerrycans, although they have also been called "jerryjugs"