Anatomy of a Plastic Bottle

Finish	The plastic that forms the opening of a container and is shaped to accommodate a specific closure.
Bead	Also known as a transfer bead, it provides a surface by which the preform is suspended while it is reheated and blown into a bottle.
Neck	The constricted part of a bottle that lies above the shoulder and below the finish.
Shoulder	The part of a container between the main body and the neck which is usually sloped.
Body	The principal part of a container, usually the largest and widest part of the bottle.
Label Panel	The area of a container, usually the largest and widest part of the bottle.
Heel	The part of the bottle where the body begins to curve into the base.
Base	The very bottom of the container which includes the PUSH-UP. The PUSH-UP is the concave region that provides stability. The base is often marked with a recycling code and deco lugs or registration features which are used to orient a bottle during filling and labeling.

Did you know? The term finish references the original mouth-blowing process of making glass bottles where the final step was to finish the lip.

Another term from the early days of glass blowing is the PUSH-UP. When forming the bottle, the glass blower would physically PUSH-UP in the center of the base using a tool.