The stability of thin-walled cylindrical shells under axial pressure is investigated. The results of both experiments and numerical simulations are presented. An appropriate finite element model is introduced that accounts not only for geometric imperfections but also for non-linearities. It is found that small geometrical imperfections within a given tolerance range have considerable negative effect on the buckling load compared to perfect geometry. Various post buckling shell shapes are possible, which depend on these imperfections. The experiments and simulations show a very good correlation.