Mason Jar Sizes Guide: Size Chart, Dimensions and Lids

Short answerStandard US mason jar sizes are 4 oz (118 ml), 8 oz or half pint (237 ml), 12 oz (355 ml), 16 oz or pint (473 ml), 24 oz (710 ml), 32 oz or quart (946 ml) and 64 oz or half gallon (1.89 L). Each size comes with one of two openings: regular mouth, with a lid about 70 mm (2.75 in) across, or wide mouth, with a lid about 86 mm (3.4 in) across. Any lid of the same mouth size fits every jar of that mouth size, so you choose capacity and mouth separately.

What sizes do mason jars come in?

"Mason jar" is a generic name for a glass jar with a molded screw thread at the top and a lid that seals on the rim. The name comes from a mid-19th-century patent for the threaded design, and today many glassworks make jars to the same family of sizes. The chart below uses US fluid ounces (1 fl oz = 29.57 ml).

Common name	US fl oz	Metric	Mouth sizes usually offered	Typical uses
Mini / quarter pint	2–4 oz	59–118 ml	Regular	Samples, favors, jam minis, spice blends
Half pint	8 oz	237 ml	Regular, wide	Jams, jellies, sauces, candles, desserts
12 oz	12 oz	355 ml	Regular, wide	Preserves, chutneys, overnight oats
Pint	16 oz	473 ml	Regular, wide	Salsa, pickles, soups, drinks
Pint-and-a-half	24 oz	710 ml	Wide	Asparagus, tall pickles, sauces
Quart	32 oz	946 ml	Regular, wide	Pickles, tomatoes, broth, dry goods
Half gallon	64 oz	1.89 L	Regular, wide	Juice, fermenting, bulk dry storage
Gallon	128 oz	3.79 L	Wide or special	Display, dispensers, bulk storage

Small mason jars of 1–2 oz (30–60 ml) are also made, mostly for favors, tasting kits and hotel amenities. Gallon jars look like mason jars but are generally not treated as standard canning sizes.

What is the difference between regular mouth and wide mouth mason jars?

The mouth size describes the thread finish, not the capacity. A quart jar can be regular mouth or wide mouth, and the volume is the same.

Regular mouth: lid about 70 mm (2.75 in), inside opening about 60 mm (2.4 in). Easier to pour from and slightly cheaper per lid. Good for liquids, jams and sauces.
Wide mouth: lid about 86 mm (3.4 in), inside opening about 76 mm (3 in). Easier to fill with whole vegetables, easier to clean and to scoop from, and usually straight-sided, which matters for freezing.

"Small mouth" in searches usually means regular mouth. For a commercial product line, the mouth also decides your capping equipment and which lid suppliers can serve you, so treat it as a fixed spec once the line is running. Our guide to reading neck finish codes explains how finish drawings define this.

What are typical mason jar dimensions?

Dimensions vary slightly between glassworks and between regular and wide mouth versions of the same capacity, so treat these as approximate and work from the supplier's drawing.

Size	Approx. height	Approx. body diameter
4 oz	6–6.5 cm (2.4–2.6 in)	6.5–7 cm (2.6–2.8 in)
8 oz half pint	9.5–10.5 cm (3.7–4.1 in)	7–7.5 cm (2.8–3 in)
16 oz pint	13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in)	7.5–8.5 cm (3–3.3 in)
32 oz quart	17–18 cm (6.7–7.1 in)	9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in)
64 oz half gallon	23–24 cm (9.1–9.4 in)	11.5–12.5 cm (4.5–4.9 in)

Height drives shelf fit and carton height, while diameter drives how many jars fit per layer. If you are planning freight, run the dimensions through the container load calculator before you commit to a size.

How many ounces are in a mason jar?

The ounce number on a mason jar is its nominal fill capacity. Fill to the top of the glass and a pint jar holds a little more than 16 fl oz; leave the recommended headspace and it holds a little less.

This difference matters for labeling. In the US, packaged food is labeled by net contents, and your stated weight or volume must be what is actually in the jar. Run fill trials with your real product, measure the fill height that delivers your declared net contents, and agree the brimful capacity tolerance with your glass supplier. The capacity converter helps when your recipe is in grams and your label is in ounces.

Which mason jar lids fit which jars?

Lids are sorted by mouth size, not by capacity. The main types are:

Two-piece canning lids: a flat steel lid with a sealing compound ring plus a separate screw band. This is the standard home canning system, and the flat lid is generally intended for single use when canning.
One-piece screw caps: a metal or plastic cap with a liner, used for storage, retail packs and products that are not home-canned.
Storage and specialty lids: plastic storage caps, pour spouts, sprouting screens, fermentation airlocks and drinking lids with straw holes.

Commercial food packers often use jars with a lug or continuous-thread finish and caps applied on a capping line rather than the two-piece home system. If you are packing for retail, specify the closure first and confirm the jar finish matches it. We supply an aluminum screw jar lid with a BPA-free liner for screw-thread jars.

Can you freeze and can food in mason jars?

Soda-lime glass, the standard material for food jars, is inert: it does not react with food or pass on flavors. What fails in practice is temperature shock and poor technique, not the glass chemistry.

Freezing: use straight-sided wide mouth jars, leave headspace for expansion, cool food first and thaw in the fridge.
Home canning: follow tested canning guidance for each recipe, including jar size, headspace, processing method and time. Do not substitute a larger jar than the recipe specifies.
Sealing: a correctly processed two-piece lid seals by vacuum as the jar cools. A lid that flexes when pressed has not sealed.
Boiling jars: whether jars need sterilizing first depends on the recipe and processing time, so check the tested procedure rather than a rule of thumb.

If you sell canned or acidified foods, local food-contact and food processing rules apply to the jar, the lid liner and your process. Confirm the current rules for your market with your regulator or a process authority.

Which mason jar sizes suit which products?

Choose the smallest size that delivers the portion your customer expects, then check the shelf.

Mini and 4 oz mason jars: gift sets, wedding favors, jam samplers, spice blends and dessert cups.
8 oz and 12 oz: jam, honey, nut butter, sauces and single-serve desserts. See our jam, jelly and pickle jar guide for preserves.
16 oz pint: salsa, pickles, soups and mason jars with handles used as drinking mugs.
24–32 oz quart: pickles, sauerkraut, broth and pantry staples.
64 oz and gallon: bulk dry goods, cold brew, fermenting and retail display. For pantry canisters see the glass storage jars and canisters guide.

Colored mason jars (blue, green, amber) are made either from tinted glass or by spray coating clear jars. Tinted glass offers some light protection; spray coating gives brighter colors on smaller runs.

How do you buy mason jars in bulk for a product line?

Retail packs of a dozen work for home use. For a brand, specify the jar the way the factory will make it:

Capacity: nominal and brimful, in ml, with tolerance.
Finish: thread type and diameter, matched to your lid.
Glass: flint (clear), extra flint, or tinted; weight in grams.
Lid: material, liner, color and printing.
Decoration: embossing in the mold, screen printing, decals or frosting for custom mason jars.
Packing: cartons or pallets, layer pads, and labels.

Ask for stock samples, fill them with your product, and test capping before you order a full run.

Key takeaways

Common mason jar sizes run from 4 oz (118 ml) to 64 oz (1.89 L), with the pint and quart most used.
Regular mouth lids are about 70 mm (2.75 in); wide mouth lids are about 86 mm (3.4 in).
Lids match by mouth size, not capacity, so plan the finish before the volume.
Use straight-sided wide mouth jars for freezing and follow tested canning guidance for processing.
For a product line, specify capacity, finish, glass, lid and decoration in writing and test samples.

How Mars Glass can help

Mars Glass, based in Shanghai, China, supplies stock and custom glass jars with matching lids, with MOQs listed on each product page and stock samples available. We can emboss, screen print, decal or frost jars and quote within one business day.

Frequently asked questions

How many ounces are in a mason jar?

It depends on the size. The common US sizes are 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32 and 64 fl oz, with the 16 oz pint and 32 oz quart being the most widely used. The ounce figure is the nominal fill capacity, so the jar holds slightly more when filled to the very top.

What size is a regular mouth mason jar lid?

A regular mouth lid is about 70 mm (2.75 in) across, and the opening inside the jar is roughly 60 mm (2.4 in). Every regular mouth jar, from the 4 oz size to the quart, takes the same regular mouth lid and band.

What size is a wide mouth mason jar lid?

A wide mouth lid is about 86 mm (3.4 in) across, with an inside opening of roughly 76 mm (3 in). Wide mouth lids fit all wide mouth jars regardless of capacity, but they do not fit regular mouth jars.

Can I freeze mason jars?

Yes, glass jars can be frozen if you leave enough headspace for expansion, cool the food before freezing and avoid sudden temperature changes. Straight-sided wide mouth jars are the safer choice because jars with a narrowing shoulder can crack as contents expand.

How do you seal canning jars?

Home canners seal two-piece lids by processing filled jars in a boiling water bath or pressure canner, which drives out air and forms a vacuum as the jars cool. The method, time and headspace depend on the food, so follow tested canning guidance for each recipe rather than improvising.

Is a half gallon mason jar good for canning?

Only for a limited set of uses. Tested canning guidance restricts which foods can be processed in half-gallon jars, so most buyers use them for dry storage, fermenting, cold drinks and bulk display instead.