A method of die-necking the open end of a can body to form a reduced diameter neck having a smooth profile comprising forming a reduced neck at the open end of the cylindrical sidewall of the can body by engaging the open end of the sidewall with a die having a multi-radius forming profile, with each successive radius from the entrance to the exit of the die being smaller than the previous radius and with the angle through which each successive radius extends being equal to or smaller than the angle of the previous radius. Then at subsequent die-forming stations, forming progressively smaller reduced diameter necks by a series of dies, all of which preferably have the same multi-radiused forming surface profile which virtually eliminates the undesirable formation of pleats in the final neck configuration.