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Plastic vs galvanised watering can: weight and frost

Updated: October 2026

The two cans feel like a style choice until you lift the empty one and then leave it full on a frosty night. A plastic vs galvanised watering can decision in this set is weight, price, and whether you will empty the can before a frost. Plastic here is under £12 and lighter before you add water. Galvanised costs more, weighs more empty, and can still rust. Peter F. compared the amazon.co.uk listings in the [watering can comparison](/hub/garden-watering/watering-can), captured on 15 October 2026. We did not leave them out for a winter. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The two cans feel like a style choice until you lift the empty one and then leave it full on a frosty night.

Our top picks

Longrun LONGRUN 6.5 litre can

Best overall

Longrun LONGRUN 6.5 litre can
7.9/10about £28.98
View offer
Zuvo Zuvo 6.5 litre can

Rank 2

Zuvo Zuvo 6.5 litre can
8.5/10about £7.20
View offer
PHX Grove PHX Grove 3.8 litre can

Alternative

PHX Grove PHX Grove 3.8 litre can
7.8/10about £23.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Weight and price in this set
  2. 2.The water weighs the same
  3. 3.Sun, rust, and frost
  4. 4.Which body for which job

Weight and price in this set

Every plastic can here is £6.49 to £11.99. The ANGIX is 70 g empty, the FERRIS 1 litre is 80 g, the Zuvo is 235 g at £7.20, and the Bamworld is the heaviest empty plastic at 470 g. The Zuvo listing says UV-resistant. None of them is a hot-dip garden can. Metal is two listings. The PHX Grove is £23.99, 748 g, galvanised steel, 3.8 litres, 4.4 from 72 reviews. The LONGRUN is £28.98, 500 g, 6.5 litres, 4.7 from six reviews. The specification says zinc and the description says galvanised metal. Do not call either hot-dip. A hot-dip Haws at £175 is outside this set. You feel the empty gap at the tap, and less once both cans are full.

The water weighs the same

One litre of water weighs one kilogram, whichever body you bought. A full Zuvo is over 6 kg of water plus 235 g. A full LONGRUN adds 500 g of metal to the same water. A full PHX Grove is about 3.8 kg plus 748 g, which can be easier than a full 6.5 litre plastic can. Capacity still dominates. Buy fewer litres if you cannot carry 6.5 kg of water. The watering can buying guide is that size rule. Haws says its plastic flexes instead of denting. Gardeners’ World says plastic is lighter and cheaper, and metal can rust if it stays wet. The PHX Grove prints 13 × 8 × 7 cm, which cannot be a 3.8 litre can, and the title also says 1 gallon. Leave that clash, as with the Geli’s 2.7 gallons.
Longrun LONGRUN 6.5 litre can

Testsieger

Longrun LONGRUN 6.5 litre can
7.9/10about £28.98
View offer

Sun, rust, and frost

Plastic left in the sun can fade. The Zuvo listing says UV-resistant, which is a claim, not a two-summer measurement. Ward reviews describe thin walls and a tip that went brittle after about three years. A dent from the delivery bag is a different fault. Zinc protects steel after a light scratch. Click Metal makes that point, and the coating is not a lifetime promise. Gardeners’ World says a wet can can still rust. PHX Grove reviews mention rust at the rivets on similar cans left in the rain. The LONGRUN’s six reviews do not describe rust, and six reviews are not a decade. Empty the can before a freeze. Haws says ice can dome a metal base or split plastic, and that this is frost, not a manufacturing fault. Those steps are on how to use a watering can.

Which body for which job

Buy plastic under £12 if you will empty it. The Zuvo is the top pick when you want the rose off and you can lift over 6 kg. The Ward is the lower price, and the listing does not call its rose detachable. The Geli is the plastic can when a 10 litre title is a lift you can make. Buy the PHX Grove for about 3.8 litres in metal, if you accept drips unless you carry it upright. Buy the LONGRUN for 6.5 litres, a screw-on rose, and a six-review file at £28.98. Neither is the £175 hot-dip can. Empty the can before a frost. A star line is not a rust warranty.

Common questions

Is plastic or galvanised better for a UK garden?
Plastic is the better buy when you want a can under £12 that is light before you fill it. Galvanised is the better buy when you want a rigid can you will empty and store, and you will pay £23.99 or £28.98 in this set. The water still weighs 1 kg per litre. Metal does not make a 6.5 litre fill easy if 6 kg is already too much.
Will a galvanised can rust if I leave it out?
It can, if the coating is scratched or the can stays wet. Zinc helps, and it is not a guarantee. PHX Grove reviews mention rust at the rivets on similar cans left in the rain. The LONGRUN’s six reviews do not mention rust. That sample is too small to treat as a long-term test. Empty it and store it dry.
Will cheap plastic crack in the sun or in a frost?
Sun can fade plastic, and thin cans dent. The Zuvo listing claims UV resistance. A Ward review describes a tip going brittle after about three years. Frost is the clearer risk: ice can split plastic along a mould line if you leave the can full. Empty it. A dent from the delivery bag is a different problem, and it shows up before you ever leave the can outside.
Is hot-dip galvanised the same as these listings?
Not on the evidence here. Hot-dip is a process these pages do not state for the PHX Grove or the LONGRUN. A quoted hot-dip two-gallon Haws at £175 is outside this ASIN set. The LONGRUN prints both zinc and galvanised metal. Use those words as they appear, and do not upgrade them to a process the listing does not name.
What do I do before a frost, whichever I buy?
Empty the can and the rose, and store them dry. Ice can dome a metal base or split plastic. That is care advice, not a score on these ASINs. A leak on the day the can arrives is a Consumer Rights Act 2015 point with the retailer. Frost damage after you left it full is not the same claim.

Related pages

Best watering can

Watering can for indoor plants

Watering can

Watering can buying guide for litres, rose and fill

How to use a watering can without soaking the path

Sources

Sources checked for this comparison; last retrieved on 15 October 2026.

  1. Ofwat, hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. The Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Thames Water, hosepipe ban FAQs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. RHS, watering (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. RHS, garden watering methods (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. RHS, collecting, storing and using water (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Haws, choosing the right can (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Which?, watering can review criteria (retrieved 15 October 2026)