EXHIBIT 10.22

                                     FORM OF

                              SILGAN HOLDINGS INC.

                       NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT



                  THIS  AGREEMENT is dated as of the ___ day of ________,  ____,
by and between Silgan Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and
_________________ (the "Optionee").

                              W I T N E S S E T H:

                  WHEREAS,  the Stock  Option  Plan  Committee  under the Silgan
Holdings  Inc.  Fourth  Amended and Restated 1989 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan")
has  determined  to grant to the  Optionee,  an [officer  and  employee]  of the
Company,  nonstatutory  stock options under the Plan to purchase ________ shares
of Common Stock,  par value $.01 per share, of the Company (the "Common Stock");
and

                  WHEREAS,  terms not  otherwise  defined  herein shall have the
meanings assigned to such terms in the Plan.

                  NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:

         1. Grant of Option.  The Company  hereby grants on the date hereof (the
"Date of  Grant")  to the  Optionee  the  right and  option  (the  "Option")  to
purchase,  in  accordance  with the Plan and on the terms and  conditions of the
Plan  and  those  hereinafter  set  forth,  all or any part of an  aggregate  of
________ shares of Common Stock at the price of $________ per share (the "Option
Price"),  exercisable  from  time  to time  subject  to the  provisions  of this
Agreement  prior to the close of  business  on  _____________  ____,  _____ (the
"Expiration Date"). Such price equals the Option Price as defined in the Plan.

         2.       Exercisability of Option.  Except as otherwise provided
in this Agreement, on or after _________________, _____, the
Option may be exercised from time to time for the number of
shares of Common Stock as follows:

                        Date After Which
                        Option Installment
                        May Be Exercised        Number of Shares
                        ------------------      ----------------















;  provided,  however,  that the Option may not be exercised as to less than ten
(10)  shares  of Common  Stock at any one time  unless  the  number of shares of
Common Stock  purchased is the total number at the time  available  for purchase
under an  installment  of the  Option.  If the  Optionee  does not in any  given
installment period purchase all of the shares of Common Stock which he or she is
entitled  to  purchase  in such  installment  period,  the  Optionee's  right to
purchase any shares of Common Stock not so purchased  shall  continue  until the
Expiration Date, unless theretofore terminated in accordance with the provisions
hereof and of the Plan.  The Option may be  exercised  only as to whole  shares;
fractional  share  interests  shall  be  disregarded  except  that  they  may be
accumulated.

         3. Method of Exercise and Payment.  Each exercise of an  installment of
the Option  shall be by means of written  notice of  exercise  delivered  to the
Company,  specifying  the number of whole shares of Common Stock with respect to
which the  Option  is being  exercised,  together  with any  written  statements
required pursuant to Section 9 hereof and payment of the Option Price in full in
cash or by check  payable to the order of the  Company.  The  Optionee  may also
deliver,  in payment of a portion or all of the Option Price,  certificates  for
Common  Stock,  which  shall be valued at the Fair  Market  Value of such Common
Stock,  as defined in Section  1.2 of the Plan,  on the date of  exercise of the
Option.

         4. Continuance of Employment. Nothing contained in this Agreement or in
the Plan shall  confer upon the  Optionee any right to continue in the employ of
the Company or a Subsidiary or shall interfere in any way with the rights of the
Company  or of such  Subsidiary,  which  are  hereby  reserved,  to  reduce  the
Optionee's  compensation  from the rate in  existence on the Date of Grant or to
change  the  Optionee's  position  or  duties  or to  demote  or  terminate  the
Optionee's employment for any reason.

         5.  Effect of  Termination  of  Relationship.  The Option and all other
rights hereunder, to the extent such rights shall not have been exercised, shall
terminate and become null and void at such time as the Optionee  ceases to be an
officer of or employed by either the Company or a Subsidiary; provided, however,
that  in the  event  the  Optionee's  removal  or  resignation  from  office  or
termination of employment is other than voluntary,  the Optionee may at any time
within any applicable period specified in Sections 5(a) and 5(b) below, exercise
the Option,  to the extent,  and only to the extent,  installments of the Option
had become exercisable as of the date of such removal, resignation, termination,
death or permanent disability:

                  (a) up to ninety (90) days after removal or  resignation  from
office  or  termination  of  employment,  other  than  termination  for death or
permanent disability; or



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                  (b) up to twelve (12)  months  after the  Optionee's  death or
permanent  disability if the Optionee dies or is  permanently  disabled while in
the employ of the Company or a  Subsidiary  or during the period  referred to in
Section  5(a).  During the period  after  death,  the Option  may, to the extent
exercisable  on the date of death or earlier  termination,  be  exercised by the
person  or  persons  to whom  the  Optionee's  rights  under  the  Plan and this
Agreement  shall  pass  by  will  or by  the  applicable  laws  of  descent  and
distribution.

                  Unless  sooner  terminated  pursuant  to the Plan,  the Option
shall expire at the end of the applicable  period  specified in Section 5(a) and
5(b) above, to the extent not exercised within that period.  Notwithstanding any
other  provision of the Plan and this  Agreement,  the Option shall terminate on
the  date of  termination  of  employment  for any  reason  (including  death or
permanent  disability)  to the extent that the Option is not  exercisable on the
date of such termination of employment.  In no event may the Option be exercised
by any person after the Expiration Date.

         6.  Non-Assignability of Option. Subject to the provisions of Section 5
above and of the Plan, the Option and all other rights and privileges  conferred
hereby are not transferable or assignable and may not be offered, sold, pledged,
hypothecated or otherwise disposed of in any way (whether by operation of law or
otherwise) and shall not be subject to execution, attachment,  garnishment, levy
or similar process.  During the Optionee's lifetime, the Option may be exercised
only by the Optionee or,  subject to the  provisions of Section 5 and within the
period  specified  in  Section  5(b)  after  his  or  her  death,  by his or her
transferees  by will or under  the laws of  descent  and  distribution,  and not
otherwise, regardless of any community property or other interest therein of the
Optionee's spouse or such spouse's successor in interest.  In the event that the
spouse of the Optionee shall have acquired a community  property interest in the
Option,  the  Optionee,  or such  transferees,  may exercise it on behalf of the
spouse of the Optionee or such spouse's successor in interest.

         7. Adjustments and Other Rights.  The rights of the Optionee  hereunder
are subject to adjustments and  modifications in certain  circumstances and upon
occurrence of certain events including a  reorganization,  merger,  combination,
recapitalization,  reclassification,  stock split,  reverse  stock split,  stock
dividend or stock consolidation, as set forth in Section 4.1 of the Plan.

         8. Optionee  Not a  Stockholder.  Neither  the  Optionee  nor any other
person  entitled  to  exercise  the  Option  shall  have  any of the  rights  or
privileges of a stockholder  of the Company as to any shares of Common Stock not
actually  issued and  delivered  to him or her. No  adjustment  will be made for
dividends  or other  rights  for which the  record  date is prior to the date on



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which such stock certificate or certificates are issued even if such record date
is  subsequent  to the date upon which notice of exercise was  delivered and the
tender of payment was accepted.

         9.  Application  of  Securities  Laws. No shares of Common Stock may be
purchased   pursuant  to  the  Option  unless  and  until  any  then  applicable
requirements of the Securities and Exchange  Commission and any other regulatory
agencies,   including  any  other  state  securities  law  commissioners  having
jurisdiction over the Company or such issuance, and any exchanges upon which the
Common  Stock may be  listed,  shall  have been fully  satisfied.  The  Optionee
represents, agrees and certifies that:

                  (a) if the Optionee  exercises  the Option in whole or in part
at a time when  there is not in  effect  under the  Securities  Act of 1933,  as
amended  (the  "Act"),  a  registration  statement  relating to the Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the Option, the Optionee will acquire the Common Stock
issuable upon such exercise for the purpose of investment  and as a condition to
each such exercise, he or she will furnish to the Company a written statement to
such effect, satisfactory in form and substance to the Company; and

                  (b) if and when the  Optionee  proposes to  publicly  offer or
sell the Common  Stock  issued to him or her upon  exercise of the  Option,  the
Optionee  will  notify the Company  prior to any such  offering or sale and will
abide by the  opinion  of counsel  to the  Company as to whether  and under what
conditions and circumstances,  if any, he or she may offer and sell such shares,
but such  procedure  need not be  followed  if the  Common  Stock  issued to the
Optionee  is  registered  under the Act and is listed on a  national  securities
exchange or quoted on NASDAQ.

                  The Optionee  understands that the certificate or certificates
representing the Common Stock acquired  pursuant to the Option may bear a legend
referring to the foregoing  matters and any limitations  under the Act and state
securities  laws with  respect to the  transfer  of such Common  Stock,  and the
Company may impose stop transfer instructions to implement such limitations,  if
applicable.  Any person or persons  entitled  to exercise  the Option  under the
provisions  of  Section  5 above  shall  be  bound by and  obligated  under  the
provisions of this Section 9 to the same extent as is the Optionee.

         10.  Notices.  Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of
this  Agreement or pursuant to the Plan shall be in writing and addressed to the
Secretary of the Company at its  principal  office and any notice to be given to
the Optionee  shall be addressed to him or her at the address  given beneath the
Optionee's  signature  hereto,  or at such  other  address  as either  party may
hereafter  designate  in writing to the other  party.  Any such notice  shall be
deemed to have been duly  given when  enclosed  in a  properly  sealed  envelope
addressed as  aforesaid,  registered or  certified,  and deposited  (postage and



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registry or  certification  fee  prepaid) in a post office or branch post office
regularly maintained by the United States Government.

         11. Effect of Agreement.  The Agreement shall be assumed by, be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of any  successor or  successors of the Company to
the extent provided in the Plan.

         12.  Withholding.  The provisions of Section 4.5 of the Plan are hereby
incorporated  and,  among other  things,  shall  govern the  Company's  right to
condition the issuance of certificates  for, or a transfer of, Common Stock upon
compliance with the applicable  withholding  requirements of federal,  state and
local authorities.

         13. Fourth  Amended and Restated 1989 Stock Option Plan. The Option and
this  Agreement  are subject to, and the  Company and the  Optionee  agree to be
bound by,  all of the  terms and  conditions  of the  Plan,  including,  without
limitation, Section 4.2 of the Plan. The Optionee acknowledges receipt of a copy
of the Plan,  which is made a part hereof by this  reference.  The rights of the
Optionee are subject to limitations, adjustments,  modifications, suspension and
termination  in  certain  circumstances  and upon  the  occurrences  of  certain
conditions  as set forth in the Plan. In the event of any  inconsistency  in the
terms of this Agreement and the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control.

         14.  Laws  Applicable  to  Construction.  The Option has been  granted,
executed and  delivered as of the day and year first above  written in New York,
New York, and the interpretation,  performance and enforcement of the Option and
this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.




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                  IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the Company has caused this Agreement to
be executed on its behalf by a duly  authorized  officer  and the  Optionee  has
hereunto set his or her hand as of the date and year first above written.

                                       SILGAN HOLDINGS INC.



                                       By:----------------------------------
                                          Title:

OPTIONEE



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(Signature)


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(Print Name)


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(Address)


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(City, State, Zip Code)


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(Social Security Number)





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