Abstract: Apparatus for counting opaque and transparent containers has a movable conveyor which delivers such containers along a path to a discharge zone. The conveyor path is separated by dividers into adjacent lanes and such dividers are of varying height relative to the conveyor. A metering device overlies the conveyor path and is operable to preclude container stacking. A counting mechanism is associated with each of the lanes to count each container that passes the discharge zone. The counting mechanism comprises a sonic sensor having an emitter and a receiver which are angularly arranged in a plane at an angle to the path of container movement through the discharge zone, thereby avoiding linearity between adjacent sonic sensors.